Joseph Brown and His Civil War Ironclads

“Smith has produced a number of excellent books on Civil War naval operations...and this new book continues that trend...a thorough history of both Joseph Brown, an antebellum entrepreneur with political connections to Abraham Lincoln, and his efforts to design, construct, and equip three of the ironclad gunboats produced by the Union for operations on the Mississippi River...a plethora of maps, illustrations, and charts...recommended”—Choice; “fact-filled and generously illustrated, comprehensive...in-depth...exemplary”—Civil War News; “if it sailed on the brown water of America’s Western rives during the Civil War and flew the Stars and Stripes of the Union Navy, Myron Smith more than likely knows about it. He has staked out an underappreciated, albeit critical, aspect of the Union’s military strategy in the West...its efforts to gain control of the region’s rivers and use them as nautical highways into the heart of the Confederacy”—America’s Civil War; “impressive”—The NYMAS Review; “prolific body of work...profound contribution to Civil War naval history...documents at unprecedented depth the men and machines involved in countless riverine operations conducted throughout the inland west...heavily laden with maps, photos, and drawings...a fine job...most significant contribution to Civil War naval studies published over the past twenty-five years”—Civil War Books and Authors; “Smith has produced yet another very good book on warships.... This is without a doubt the most detailed work these three ships and their builder are likely to get.”—TOCWOG-A Civil War Blog; “documents the life and career of Joseph Brown, a miller and steamboat captain who built three ironclad gunboats for the US War Department”—ProtoView.