Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Series 1, Volume 1. Page: IX
xvii, 890 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this book.
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INTRODUCTION.
Mr. Wise having received orders to sea duty, was relieved by Lieuten-
ant-Commander Richard Rush, U. S. Navy, in June, 1893. Upon taking
charge of the office, the present Superintendent found that ample mate-
rial had been prepared to begin the work of compilation and publica-
tion. Having made a careful examination of the documents, a plan of
compilation was drawn up which was submitted to the Secretary of the
Navy for his approval, with the recommendation that Congress be
asked to authorize and provide for the early publication of the work.
The Department having approved this recommendation, Congress
directed the commencement of the publication in accordance with the
plan submitted, making an appropriation for this purpose (act approved
July 31, 1894).
In preparing to publish the records it became apparent that for pur-
poses of reference it would be more convenient to separate the subject
of operations from administrative matter; and yet much of this latter
material was found to be of exceptional value, especially that relating
to the construction and outfit of the fleet. The extraordinary expan-
sion of the Union Navy from a peace footing in 1861, when it was com-
posed of small squadrons of ships widely separated in distant parts of
the globe, to the enormous war fleet of 1865, numbering over 600 ves-
sels of all descriptions, which maintained an effective blockade on a
coast line of over 3,000 miles, presents in itself an interesting subject
of professional and historical research. Equal interest is attached to
the construction of the Confederate Navy, which, although small, gave
exhibition of marvelous energy and ingenuity with the limited resources
at its disposal. The papers relating to the creation of these two fleets
are therefore of such special importance that it has been thought best
to comprise them in a separate series (Series II). By this arrangement
the subject of the general operations afloat (Series I), which is the
main object of the work, is given a separate and principal place. It
is the intention of the Department to introduce throughout the volumes
of both series illustrations of each class or type of vessels referred to,
in order to preserve the identity of these ships as they actually
appeared during the war.
The plan of publication thus outlined includes only the use of such
material as may be certified to be contemporaneous naval records of
the war, and is divided into three series, in the following order of
arrangement:
I. The first series embraces the reports, orders, and correspondence,IX
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Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion: General Index (Book)
General index listing persons, naval units, ships, battles, and major subject headings mentioned in the "Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion" volumes. Listings include the numbers for the series (Roman numerals) and volume (Arabic numbers) where the reference(s) can be found.
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United States. War Department. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Series 1, Volume 1., book, 1894; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth192836/m1/12/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.