This is quite a good book about the civil war.The author begins making a complete but contained description of the war causes and then progresses with a detailed expositions of the main battles.The main emphasis is on a very detailed account of what happened in the battlefield and why.The author makes a great use of maps(the book is full of them),psycology (for example to explain some very strange decisions taken by Mc Clellen)and military history to enlivens the subject from a realistic point of view.There are many moments of epics like the disperate Confederate charge on the Missionary Ridge that the author describes exceptionally well .The main leaders like Grant,Lee,Jackson,Longstreet,Sherman,Mc Clellan and many others are suberbly presented and their decisions explained with all the pro and con.But the author is very near also to the common soldiers reporting many acts of unbelievable heroism like the texans charge at Gaines Mill and many others by both sides.And Mr Luraghi always mixes very effectively the strategic level with the tactical one.The style is analytical ,coincise but not at all dry.In the end i think this book is history at his best !

The book is the best, single book written about the CS navy that I've ever come across. It's written in an entertaining way that even non-history buffs will find themselves being engrossed in the titanic struggles waged by the tiny southern navy against the Union juggernaut. Mr. Luraghi shows that he did his homework in dredging up the most obscure and interesting facts including the contributions of Blacks in Confederate service (example: Moses Austin, a free black who died in the attack on the U.S.S. Water Witch). The only downside to the book is the sections that go into overwhelming detail on the ships of Dixie. Other than that, it is an excellent book and it is essential reading for anyone wishing to know about the Confederate Navy.

Truly great histories are few and far between. This is one. How many historians can claim to have twenty years of hard research in a book, and not put you to sleep in the first 20 pages? The Confederate Navy was one of the most extraordinary enterprises in all of military history. Tactics and developments fit cleanly within well explained strategy. The personalities, resources, plans and timetables are well integrated and despite all the detail nothing gets lost in the detail. Written by someone who genuinely understands what happened, then told so anyone who wants to can understand it too, this is a gift. Follow Secretary Mallory's herculean task of forming a navy from nothing, employing technology and to changing naval warfare forever with mines, ironclads, and commerce raiders. This one is worth every penny you pay.

Written by an Italian no less, this is the best book I have found on the CSN. It is written in a style that is easy to follow, and touches on all aspects of the CSN from shipbuilding, to supply to espionage. Reading this book gave me a full image of the odds going against the CSN and the amazing accomplishments they achieved despite them.

Luraghi is clearly enthusiastic about his subject. His enthusiasm resonates throughout the book. It is clear that he admires the CSN for it's acomplisments despite the incredible odds.

In addition, the sheer amount of research he must have done is breathtaking. The endnotes take up more than 1/3 of the printed pages. What's interesting is that many of the endnotes are annoted with comments about the sources from the author. In my own research, those annotations have been a great asset.

This is definately a MUST read for the Civil War naval history buff.