Lincoln Takes Command: The Campaign to Seize Norfolk and the Destruction of the CSS Virginia

by Steve Norder

Overview

On a rainy evening during the Civil War’s second May, President Abraham Lincoln and two of his cabinet secretaries boarded the revenue cutter Miami and sailed to Fort Monroe in Hampton Roads, Virginia. There, for the first and only time in our country’s history, a sitting president assumed direct control of military forces, land and sea, to launch a campaign with wide-ranging consequences. This fascinating and multi-dimensional slice of the war and its effect on the president is but little-known. Thankfully, that gap in the war’s historiography has been ably filled by Steve Norder’s Lincoln Takes Command: The Campaign to Seize Norfolk and the Destruction of the CSS Virginia.

Lincoln recognized the strategic possibilities offered by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s ongoing Peninsula Campaign and the importance of seizing Norfolk, Portsmouth, and the Gosport Navy Yard. For five days that May, the president spent time on sea and land, studied maps, spoke frankly with military leaders, suggested military actions, and—in his quiet, respectful way—issued direct orders to subordinate commanders. His participation set in motion a host of actions that included the naval bombardment of a Confederate fort, the sailing of Union ships up the James River toward the enemy capital, an amphibious landing of Union soldiers followed by an overland march that expedited the capture of Norfolk, Portsmouth, and the Gosport Navy Yard, and the hastening of the destruction of the Rebel ironclad CSS Virginia. Salmon P. Chase, Lincoln’s treasury secretary, described all this as a “brilliant week’s campaign.” Hailed as a military and civilian leader of consequence, the president returned to Washington in triumph. Some close to the president even urged him to assume direct command of the nation’s field armies.

Norder deeply mined newspapers and draws upon a host of primary sources, including letters, diaries, official reports, and memoirs. This rich use of firsthand materials, coupled with fascinating explanatory footnotes, photos, and original maps, allows for a fresh perspective and interesting insights.

Despite the large number of books that have been penned about Lincoln, his presidency, and his struggles during the Civil War, the fascinating week discussed in Lincoln Takes Command—which helped shape a wartime president—has never been told in such fine detail. The successes that crowned his short time in Hampton Roads changed the nation’s commander in chief by giving him a better understanding of, and more confidence in, his ability to see what needed to be accomplished. This insight helped sustain him through the rest of the war.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611214574
Publisher:	Savas Beatie
Publication date:	01/03/2020
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	1,093,397
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Steve Norder has worked as a genealogist, teacher, author, newspaper reporter, and book editor. He has a strong interest in researching and writing about the tragic Civil War years, and his work has appeared in many places, including Civil War Times, Illustrated. Steve is originally from Iowa but currently resides in Georgia, where he is a member of the Civil War Round Table of Atlanta.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Preface xv

Timeline of Events; November 1860 - May 1862 xix

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Monday, May 5, and Tuesday, May 6, 1862 13

Chapter 2 Wednesday, May 7, 1862 33

Chapter 3 Thursday, May 8, 1862 57

Chapter 4 Friday, May 9, 1862 82

Chapter 5 Saturday, May 10, 1862 105

Chapter 6 Sunday, May 11, 1862 143

Chapter 7 Monday, May 12, 1862 169

Chapter 8 Aftermath 179

Appendix 1 Biographic Vignettes 211

Appendix 2 Ship Directory 239

Bibliography 267

Index 279

List of Maps

Hampton Roads

Roads to Norfolk

List of Photos/Illustrations

Abraham Lincoln frontis The destruction of the Gosport Navy Yard xix

The launch of Ericsson's iron ship xxvi

The CSS Virginia sits in dry dock xxvii

CSS Virginia sinks the USS Cumberland xxix

The USS Monitor versus the CSS Virginia xxx

Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase 4

Brig. Gen. Egbert L. Viele 14

Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton 15

Editorial Reviews

"Recommended for those interested in combined arms operations during the Civil War, fans of lesser known actions occurring at the same time as 'main events,' and those looking to fill gaps in their knowledge."

TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

"...a superb addition in understanding the dramatic shifting of the war’s shape and scale in the year after the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter."

Naval Historical Foundation

"A unique and very special contribution."

Midwest Book Review

"Norder tells this tale well, adequately covering the Confederate side of the matter, and explains technical issues that may be unfamiliar to most readers. In addition, Norder includes an appendix with brief profiles of many of the people who took part in these events, most of whom are today largely forgotten."

The NYMAS Review

"Very accessible. . . . a commendable end result of much original research, which can be rare in the crowded study of the Civil War."

Emerging Civil War

‘’Recommended for its wargaming potential.’’

Miniature Wargames