The Civil war may be mainly remembered for its infamous land battles, such as Gettsyburg, Manassas, and Shiloh, but its naval engagements announced a new kind of naval warfare, with the first-time use of ironclads, submarines, and torpedoes, and the introduction of newer and more powerful naval artillery. The conflict saw the use of paddle-driven river boats, steam warships, ram ships, sloops, cruisers, and the development of new ironclad ships such as low-lying monitors. Arranged by type of ship, Ships of the Civil War provides concise coverage of some of the most famous warships of the era, including: the seminal duel between the ironclads CSS Virginia and the USS Monitor, the Confederate raider Alabama's demise off the USS Kearsage; and one of the first successful actions by a submarine, when CSS Hunley exploded a mine beneath the Federal gunboat USS Housatonic. The book also includes blockade runners, such as A.D. Vance and Hope; raiders, such as CSS Sumter and USS Quaker City; and cruisers, like the CSS Tallahassee, which spectacularly raided northern waters, destroying dozens of Federal merchantmen in the process. Filled with colorful artworks, expertly written background, and useful specifications of more than 120 fighting ships of the era, Ships of the Civil War is a handy guide to an often ignored aspect of the great struggle between North and South.