Ironclad captain : Seth Ledyard Phelps & the U.S. Navy, 1841-1864 / Jay Slagle ; with a foreword by Edwin C. Bearss.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Slagle, Jay, 1946-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Phelps, Seth Ledyard, -1885.

Phelps, Seth Ledyard.

United States. Navy--Biography.

United States.

Ship captains--United States--Biography.

Ship captains.

Mexican War, 1846-1848--Naval operations, American.

Mexican War, 1846-1848.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Naval operations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (518 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Kent, Ohio : Kent State University Press, 1996.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Seth Ledyard Phelps was of the Old Navy and the New. As a midshipman and junior officer he served under sail off West Africa, in the War with Mexico, and in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. As a senior office in the river squadrons of the Civil War he saw combat at its closest. Phelps, a native of Chardon, Ohio, was a prolific and observant correspondent. His private letters, to his wife, his father, and to political patrons and other naval officers, are among the most compelling and descriptive extant. The heart of Ironclad Captain are these letters, which Jay Slagle has set in context through the judicious use of published documents, memoirs, and scholarly histories of the navy. The result is a small history of the navy and its officer corps for the middle third of the nineteenth century. Phelp's self-confidence fueled a driving ambition. He was one of the severest critics of the navy's seniority system, which seemed to thwart those ambitions. After long and often heroic service on the Western Rivers, he left the navy in 1864 to pursue a less exciting career in commerce and diplomacy. Unfortunately for historians, his correspondence ends at that time as well. Notwithstanding his bitter leave-taking Seth Phelps loved his country and his service. His letters are a permanent and invaluable legacy to both.

Contents:

""Copyright""; ""Dedication""; ""Contents""; ""Foreword""; ""Preface""; ""Chapter 1: Destroying a Fleet""; ""Chapter 2: ""Reefers""""; ""Chapter 3: Bonita""; ""Chapter 4: Between Wars""; ""Chapter 5: Mongrel Service""; ""Chapter 6: Fort Henry & the Tennessee River Raid""; ""Chapter 7: Fort Donelson""; ""Chapter 8: Island No. 10""; ""Chapter 9: Fort Pillow & the Battle of Plum Point Bend""; ""Chapter 10: Memphis & the Mound City Disaster""; ""Chapter 11: Vicksburg""; ""Chapter 12: Fair Play & Politics""; ""Chapter 13: Flotilla Overhaul""; ""Chapter 14: Station Duty & Guerrilla War""

""Chapter 15: Red River""""Chapter 16: Frustration & Resignation""; ""Chapter 17: Steamships, Canals, & Diplomacy""; ""Epilogue""; ""Appendix One: Prize Money Awards""; ""Appendix Two: Phelps's Gunboat Plans""; ""Notes""; ""Glossary""; ""Bibliography""; ""Index""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 431-437) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-61277-821-6