Publisher's Synopsis
Recollections of a Naval Life is a memoir written by John McIntosh Kell in 1900. Kell was a naval officer who served in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. In this book, he recounts his experiences serving on two of the most famous Confederate ships, the Sumter and the Alabama.Kell begins by describing his early life and how he came to join the navy. He then goes on to detail his time on the Sumter, a commerce raider that operated in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Kell describes the ship's encounters with Union vessels and the challenges of maintaining a blockade-running operation.The second half of the book focuses on Kell's time on the Alabama, another commerce raider that operated in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Kell describes the ship's successful raids on Union shipping and its eventual defeat by the USS Kearsarge in a famous naval battle off the coast of France.Throughout the book, Kell provides insights into the strategy and tactics of the Confederate Navy, as well as the day-to-day life of a sailor during the Civil War. He also reflects on the politics and ideology that motivated the Confederate cause.Recollections of a Naval Life is a valuable primary source for anyone interested in the history of the American Civil War or naval warfare in the 19th century. Kell's personal experiences and observations offer a unique perspective on this turbulent period in American history.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
