To the Uttermost Ends of the Earth: The Epic Hunt for the South's Most Feared Ship-and the Greatest Sea Battle of the Civil War

by Phil Keith, Tom Clavin

Overview

The enthralling story of the greatest Civil War battle at sea by the award-winning and bestselling historians Phil Keith and Tom Clavin.

On June 19, 1864, just off the coast of France, one of the most dramatic naval battles in history took place. On a clear day with windswept skies, the dreaded Confederate raider Alabama faced the Union warship Kearsarge in an all-or-nothing fight to the finish, the outcome of which would effectively end the threat of the Confederacy on the high seas.

Authors Phil Keith and Tom Clavin introduce some of the crucial but historically overlooked players, including John Winslow, captain of the USS Kearsarge, as well as Raphael Semmes, captain of the CSS Alabama. Readers will sail aboard the Kearsarge as Winslow embarks for Europe with a set of simple orders from the secretary of the navy: "Travel to the uttermost ends of the earth, if necessary, to find and destroy the Alabama."

Winslow pursued Semmes in a spectacular fourteen-month chase over international waters, culminating in what would become the climactic sea battle of the Civil War.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780369705839
Publisher:	Hanover Square Press
Publication date:	04/12/2022
Sold by:	HARLEQUIN
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	406,806
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Phil Keith is an award-winning author and former navy aviator. During three tours in Vietnam, he served with distinction and was awarded, among other decorations, the Purple Heart, Air Medal, Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Commendation Medal. His book Blackhorse Riders won the 2012 USA Best Book Award for Military History; was a finalist for the 2013 Colby Award; and earned a 2013 silver medal from the Military Writers Society.

Tom Clavin is the author of eighteen nonfiction books and has worked as a newspaper and website editor, magazine writer, TV and radio commentator, and reporter for the New York Times covering entertainment, sports and the environment. Four of his books have been New York Times bestsellers: Dodge City; and, with Bob Drury, The Heart of Everything That Is, The Last Stand of Fox Company and Halsey’s Typhoon.

Editorial Reviews

01/24/2022

Keith and Clavin follow All Blood Runs Red with this dramatic account of the Confederate raider CSS Alabama and its showdown against the steam “sloop of war” USS Kearsarge. As the authors explain, the vastly outnumbered Confederate Navy was unable to break the Union’s blockade of Southern ports or mount its own blockade. Instead, Confederate commanders sought to disrupt the federal war effort by attacking Union merchant ships. With Capt. Raphael Semmes at the helm, the crew of the Alabama chased down and boarded almost 300 vessels, captured 64 Union ships (“with all but twelve set aflame”), and cost the North more than $6 million in lost cargo. U.S. Navy secretary Gideon Welles charged Capt. John Winslow—a former friend and bunkmate of Semmes’s—with traveling “to the uttermost ends of the earth” to find and destroy the Alabama. It took 14 months, but the Kearsarge finally tracked down the worn-out Confederate vessel off the coast of Cherbourg, France, in June 1864, and sunk it in little more than an hour. Keith and Clavin spin a spirited tale of high-seas adventure and bring both Semmes and Winslow to vivid life. Naval history buffs will be enthralled. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for All Blood Runs Red

“A whale of a tale, told clearly and quickly. I read the entire book in almost one sitting.” —Thomas E. Ricks, New York Times Book Review

“An engaging portrait of a true free spirit.” —Christian Science Monitor

"A dazzling biography." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“An excellent and significant portrait of a long forgotten, now rightfully reclaimed hero.” —Booklist, starred review

“Two intrepid authors and researchers…team up in this dogged effort to excavate the facts of the amazing life of Eugene Bullard.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Recommended for readers who enjoy compelling biography and fast-paced narrative.” —Library Journal

“Breathtaking… Even a slice of Bullard’s life would make for a compelling biography. Keith and Clavin cover it all, bringing a singular American figure out of obscurity.” —Tampa Bay Times

From the Publisher

2021-12-29
Sturdy account of the Civil War’s most significant naval battle.

Keith and Clavin, co-authors of All Blood Runs Red, once again join forces in this naval history that emphasizes commerce raiding and the lives of the captains of the vessels involved. Commissioned a midshipman for the Confederate Navy at age 16, Raphael Semmes eventually became commander of the fearsome raider CSS Alabama. At the time, British law forbade supplying warships to “belligerents,” but officials paid little attention as Southern agents found a shipbuilder willing to construct a vessel purportedly for private use. The ship sailed to the Azores, where another ship loaded with military supplies completed its conversion; on Aug. 24, 1862, it officially became the Alabama. Over the following two years, it captured perhaps 65 Union merchantmen. This barely touched the massive Union economy, but by 1863, pressure from infuriated ship owners persuaded the government to take action. The authors follow with a biography of John Winslow, captain of the Alabama’s nemesis, the USS Kearsarge. Both Semmes and Winslow had largely undistinguished prewar careers, but Winslow, a North Carolinian, stuck with the Union and received orders to track down the Alabama. Unfortunately for him, “when Alabama was in the Atlantic the chances of her heaving into view of the Ke­arsarge were infinitesimally small.” After more than a year, Winslow decided to pay special attention to ports along the English Channel, which Semmes seemed to prefer for resupply. Sure enough, in June 1864, the Alabama docked at Cherbourg, and Winslow and crew got to work. Although they produce a gripping read, Keith and Clavin do not overdramatize the battle. After years at sea with no major overhaul, the Alabama was no match for the well-prepared Kearsarge, whose modern guns pummeled it mercilessly, sinking it. Winslow was a hero, and in the South, so was Semmes. Both lived modest but prosperous lives into the following decade.

Despite the breathless title, this is an accomplished history of an iconic battle.

Kirkus Reviews