Blockade Runners of the Confederacy

Fire Ant Books

by Hamilton Cochran, Robert M. Browning Jr. (Introduction)

A readable, exciting chronicle of the men and ships that ran federal naval blockades during the Civil War

Within four weeks of the fall of Fort Sumter, President Abraham Lincoln had declared a blockade of over four thousand miles of Confederate coastline, from Cape Henry in Virginia to the Mexican border. In response, professional runners, lured by both profits and patriotism, built faster, sleeker, low-profile ships and piloted them through the ever-thickening Northern cordon. The tonnage they imported, including items ranging from straight pins to marine engines, sustained the South throughout the conflict. This exciting chronicle of the men and ships that ran federal naval blockades during the Civil War also provides an overall assessment of the blockades conception, effectiveness, and impact on the Southern populace.

Genres: History, Civil War

350 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Hamilton Cochran was born September 9, 1898 in Philadelphia, Pa. His father Joseph was a clergyman, sought to give his son a good education and sent him to Swarthmore Preparatory Scholl. April 1917 after the United States declared war on Germany, Hamilton at age 18 left school within a week and enlisted in the United States Coast Guard. Hamilton served on the Coast Guard Cutter ALgonquin, which was one of six warships that the Coast Guard sent to fight in Europe. Cochran attended the University of Michigan and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. Hamilton after college sailed the Red Star and Munson lines in passenger and freight vessels, worked for Ronald Press as a salesman, served as a vice president of the Diamond Wax Paper Company in Rochester, New York. He also accepted a job as the Commissioner of Public Welfare for the government of the Virgin Islands. In 1937, he wrote is first book entitled: These are the Virgin Islands. In 1941 his first novel was released: Buccaneer Islands. This would be one of thirteen books. He is most well known for Blockade Runners of the Confederacy. During World War II at the age of 44 Hamilton again joined the Coast Guard. Hamilton Cochran died in 1977.

Source:
http://www.stowevintage.com/gpage7.html

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The guns of Fort Fisher on Cape Fear had rifled barrels, and their accuracy forced union blockade ships to anchor far offshore. This made slipping in and out of the Fear River possible, and during most of the Civil War, blockade runners traveled between Wilmington and the Bahamas and Bermuda to take out cotton and bring in supplies that kept the Confederacy alive. Read about the naval technologies and tactics developed by inventive blockade runners during this period, including the torpedo, running silent, the blackout and the smokescreen. The era ended with the largest amphibious assault in history, a record which stood until D-Day. Fort Fisher was finally captured and destroyed, and its formidable guns became trophies to be mounted in the walls at West Point.

[Gil Burket · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to the hi-tech of 1862!

The blockade running fleet of the Southern states relied on stealth and speed. What is remarkable about this story is how many of these ships broke through the Union blockade despite the number of ships deployed to intercept them.

In the end, the only way the Union effectively stopped the blockade runners to was seize or lay siege upon the Southern ports.

The technological advances of the time pushed the limits of ship building so far forward that many of the design features of the later blockade runners were carried forward to the US Destroyer Fleet of World War One!

As noted, this is an older book, but it stands the test of time. A must read for anyone with an interest in the Civil War.

[Shelly♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blockade Runners of the Confederacy is short overview of the Union's Blockade of Southern Ports during the American Civil War. The book gives a short history of how the start of the war and the actions of the Federal Government left the door open for blockade business which was the lifeline of the South. It also details some of the most renowned runners, stories and situations up through the capture of Fort Fisher by the Federals.

The book is an older publication, but still has a lot of good information and is a solid read for any student of Civil War. The book provides much information, yet it is not dry in its approach.