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To the Uttermost Ends of the Earth: The Epic Hunt for the South’s Most Feared Shipâand the Greatest Sea Battle of the Civil War
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56
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
45/100Critics
67/100Scholars
Author:
Phil Keith, Tom Clavin
Publisher:
Hanover Square Press
Date:
April 12, 2022
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. 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.
What The Reviewers Say
Despite its clunky, unfortunate title, To the Uttermost Ends of the Earth is a stellar retelling of Civil War naval history, focusing not on the blockade or the showier Monitor-Virginia duel, but on the lonely shadow war fought by the Alabama on American shipping.
After establishing backstories for the captains, their ships and key officers, Messrs. Keith and Clavin turn to the hunt. In a piece of detective work out of a Patrick O’Brian novel, Winslow narrows down the likely routes Semmes could take.
[A] dramatic account.
[A] sturdy account.
