Picture 1 of 9
Picture 1 of 9
Lamson of the Gettysburg : The Civil War Letters of Lieutenant Roswell H. Lamson
US $4.00
or Best Offer
Condition:
Good
A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections.
Shipping:
US $5.99 USPS Media MailTM.
Located in: Ankeny, Iowa, United States
Delivery:
Estimated between Fri, Sep 27 and Mon, Sep 30 to 43230
Returns:
30 days returns. Buyer pays for return shipping.
Payments:
Special financing available. See terms and apply now- for PayPal Credit, opens in a new window or tab
Earn up to 5x points when you use your eBay Mastercard®. Learn moreabout earning points with eBay Mastercard
Shop with confidence
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:186361078508
Item specifics
- Condition
- ISBN
- 9780195116984
- Book Title
- Lamson of the Gettysburg : the Civil War Letters of Lieutenant Roswell H. Lamson, U. S. Navy
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press, Incorporated
- Item Length
- 9.4 in
- Publication Year
- 1997
- Format
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- Illustrator
- Yes
- Item Height
- 1.2 in
- Genre
- Biography & Autobiography, History, Literary Collections
- Topic
- Letters, Military / United States, United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877), General, Military
- Item Weight
- 20 oz
- Item Width
- 6.2 in
- Number of Pages
- 272 Pages
About this product
Product Information
Roswell Lamson was one of the boldest and most skillful young officers in the Union navy. Second in the class of 1862 at Annapolis (he took his final exam while at sea during the war), he commanded more ships and flotillas than any other officer of his age or rank in the service, climaxed by his captaincy of the navy's fastest ship in 1864, USS Gettysburg. Now, in Lamson of the Gettysburg, we have the war-time letters of this striking naval figure. What's more, these are letters of exceptional quality. James M. McPherson, co-editor of the collection with his wife Patricia and one of America's preeminent Civil War historians, writes that "few sets of letters equal and none surpass those of Lamson for richness of description, scope of coverage, or keenness of perception and analysis." Indeed, the McPhersons term Lamson's correspondence "the best Civil War navy letters we have ever read or expect to read." Throughout the war, Lamson always seemed to be where the action was on the South Atlantic coast, and these letters describe with striking immediacy the part he played in these events. While serving on the USS Wabash, for instance, he directed the big deck guns that did the most damage to enemy forts at Hatteras Inlet and Port Royal, two major naval victories. He was the officer who took command of the CSS Planter in May 1862, when slaves led by Robert Smalls ran her past Confederate fortifications in Charleston harbor and delivered her to the Union fleet. He commanded a gunboat fleet on the Nansemond River that helped stop James Longstreet's advance on Norfolk. In a daring attempt to blow up Fort Fisher, the huge earthwork fortress that guarded the entrance into the Cape Fear river, he towed the USS Louisiana (packed with more than two hundred tons of gunpowder) directly under the guns of the fort, sneaking into the shallows behind a rebel blockade runner, (Lamson describes "a terrific explosion. An immense column of flame rose towards the sky, and four distinct reports like that of sharp heavy thunder were heard and a dense mass of smoke enveloped everything"). And a few weeks later, he led a contingent of seventy men from the Gettysburg as part of the January 15, 1865 assault on the sea-face parapets of Fort Fisher, where he himself was wounded and his close friend, Samuel W. Preston, died. The letters also capture the spirited personality of Lamson himself, resolved to "stand by the Union as long as there is a plank afloat," but also deeply ambivalent about the war. In a moving passage early in the collection, he describes leaving Annapolis for war duty on the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides): "We gave three cheers for Capt R., three for the troops, and for old friendship's sake three for those of our number who intending to resign [to join the Confederacy] were requested not to go on board. Some of my best friends were among them. This will be a sad sad war. It will be more painful to strike than to be struck." The publication of the letters of Roswell Lamson marks a major addition to Civil War literature. Featuring superb introductions to each section as well as informative notes that explain references in the correspondence to people, ships, land and sea battles, or homefront news, Lamson of The Gettysburg now joins the first rank of Civil War sources. One of the few accounts we have from the perspective of a navy officer, it is a book that everyone interested in the Civil War or in American naval history will want to read.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Oxford University Press, Incorporated
ISBN-10
0195116984
ISBN-13
9780195116984
eBay Product ID (ePID)
356745
Product Key Features
Book Title
Lamson of the Gettysburg : the Civil War Letters of Lieutenant Roswell H. Lamson, U. S. Navy
Number of Pages
272 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
1997
Topic
Letters, Military / United States, United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877), General, Military
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Biography & Autobiography, History, Literary Collections
Format
Hardcover
Dimensions
Item Height
1.2 in
Item Weight
20 oz
Item Length
9.4 in
Item Width
6.2 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
Dewey Edition
21
Reviews
"A rare correspondence from one who was part of the great blockade, and an absorbing contribution to Civil War literature."--Kirkus Reviews "An engrossing and remarkable collection about an overlooked but important aspect of the war."--Booklist "This intriguing collection of letters is for anyone interested in the role of the navy during the Civil War."--Library Journal "The McPhersons have put together a fascinating collection of wartime letters to and from Lamson, letters full of rich description, acute commentary, and human feeling."--North & South, "A rare correspondence from one who was part of the great blockade, and an absorbing contribution to Civil War literature."--Kirkus Reviews"An engrossing and remarkable collection about an overlooked but important aspect of the war."--Booklist"This intriguing collection of letters is for anyone interested in the role of the navy during the Civil War."--Library Journal"The McPhersons have put together a fascinating collection of wartime letters to and from Lamson, letters full of rich description, acute commentary, and human feeling."--North & South, "An engrossing and remarkable collection about an overlooked but important aspect of the war."--Booklist, "This intriguing collection of letters is for anyone interested in the role of the navy during the Civil War."--Library Journal, "A rare correspondence from one who was part of the great blockade, and an absorbing contribution to Civil War literature."-- Kirkus Reviews"An engrossing and remarkable collection about an overlooked but important aspect of the war."-- Booklist"This intriguing collection of letters is for anyone interested in the role of the navy during the Civil War."-- Library Journal"The McPhersons have put together a fascinating collection of wartime letters to and from Lamson, letters full of rich description, acute commentary, and human feeling."-- North & South, "This intriguing collection of letters is for anyone interested in therole of the navy during the Civil War."--Library Journal, "The McPhersons have put together a fascinating collection of wartimeletters to and from Lamson, letters full of rich description, acute commentary,and human feeling."--North and South, "The McPhersons have put together a fascinating collection of wartime letters to and from Lamson, letters full of rich description, acute commentary, and human feeling."--North and South, "A rare correspondence from one who was part of the great blockade, and an absorbing contribution to Civil War literature."--Kirkus Reviews
Lccn
97-011129
Dewey Decimal
973.7/5
Lc Classification Number
E595.G48l36 1997
Item description from the seller
Seller feedback (11,761)
- 6***6 (1373)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseThe book is exactly as described. The shipping was fast and the book arrived well packaged to protect it in shipping. The priced was reasonable. The seller gets a 5-star rating.
- 4***1 (1567)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseExcellent communications. I appreciated your discount on the price. Book received very quickly (Iowa to Virginia) in excellent condition. I would purchase again from Dave's Used Books and would recommend this fine A-1 eBay seller!
- j***j (118)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseBook arrived in excellent condition as described on Ebay. Great price, smooth transaction, timely shipping. Highly recommend this seller, would buy from again. A+++
Product ratings and reviews
More to explore :
- Civil War Antiquarian & Collectible Books,
- History Nonfiction Civil War Fiction & Books,
- Civil War Hardcover Nonfiction Books,
- Civil War Nonfiction Books Fiction & Inscribed,
- Civil War Science & Medicine Books,
- Civil War 1861-65 Antiquarian & Collectible Books,
- Nonfiction Civil War Fiction & Nonfiction Books in Spanish,
- Nonfiction Books in Russian Civil War Fiction Books,
- Nonfiction Civil War Fiction & Nonfiction Books in Irish,
- Biographies & True Stories Fiction Books & Civil War Nonfiction