firepower that Confederate captains wo uld not challenge her in the res tricted waters of C harlesto n H arbor. She could put from ten to fifteen rimes as much metal per h our onto a target as a coastal M oni to r iro ncl ad could. H er 4" solid armor provided effective protection, making her especially valuable in naval gunfire reduction of forts pro tecting C harleston. Later she bro ught her strength to bear in the U ni on's successful amphibious assault on Fort Fisher. Roberrs's book cove ring the birth, life and death of a unique vessel is a wo rthy addition to any naval library. B RADFORD
D. SMITH
Pleasan tville, New York FDR and the US Navy, edi ted by Edward ]. Marolda (S t. Martin 's Press, New York NY, 1998, 202pp , notes, index, ISBN 03 12-2 11 57-0; $49. 95hc) T his collection of eleven papers presented by distinguished biographers and historians at a 1996 conference on "Franklin D. Roosevelt and the US Navy" traces Roosevelt's long association with the N avy, fro m his days as Assistant Secretary o f the Navy (19 13-2 1) through his service as president until his death in 1945-an association sometimes cooperati ve, at other ri mes te nse, and occasionally stormy. T he perspectives presented here take in Roosevelt's role in modernizing the Navy's organization, shaping naval strategy and upgrading the status of the enlisted m an. Several contributors describe the differing tactics he used-at times getting involved to the point of "meddling" in internal m atte rs, at times remaining aloof and avoid ing diffic ul t issues and distas teful decisions. H is politically based pattern of placing perso nal frie nds in key positions is also noted. T he sum of th e individual contri butio ns creates a balanced picture of o ne aspect of FDR's crucial role in 20th -century Am erican history, revealing som e sho rt comin gs as we ll as impr ess ive strengths. T his book portrays FDR's m anner of dealing with people and questio ns; it documents how he achieved his obj ectives, but seldom sheds much light on how he developed those obj ectives. CAPTAIN HAROLD ]. SUTPHEN
Chesapeake Rumrunners of the Roaring Twenties, by Eric M ills (Tidewater Publishers, Centreville M D , 2000 , 192pp, illus, SEA HISTORY 97, SUMME R 2001
notes, bibli o, index, ISBN 0-87033-5 18-9; $25.95hc) Eric Mills has produced a significant contribution to the scanty literature of the Prohibition period, those wild thirteen years between 1920 and 1933 when our country was nominally "dry." T his book ranks alongside Carse' s Rum Row, Van de Water's The Real McCoy, Mo ray's The Diary of a Rum-Runner and the few others written years ago . It brings new knowledge to the subject and is very entertaining to boo r. The book quotes the Puritan Increase Mather, who stated in 1673 that "Drink is in itself a creature of God, and to be received with thankfulness. " W ith the aid of radio, the silver-tongued orator, former pro-baseball player and heavy boozer Billy Sunday, and the axe-wielding wa rriorqueen Carry Nation of the Women's Christian Temperance U ni on spent 25 years challenging that statement. G radually the movement rook on a life of its own, and, on 16 January 1920 at midnigh t, the 18th Amendment to our Constitution became law, making the co untry legally dry, and insuring a new and profi table industry: rum runmng. Other authors have covered the East Coas t in general, with emphasis on Rum Row, the supply ships lyin g just off our three-mile limit fro m Maine to Florida acting as wholesalers . Mills concentra tes on the inshore and onshore activities in Chesapeake Bay and th e D el marva Atlantic Coast. The book ch ro nicles in detail many episodes of derring-do as the "gothrough guys," with their small, high-speed boats, barded the local co ps and the Coast G uard to satisfy the infini te thirst of the people. Finally, on 5 December 1933, it was over and that glo ri ous celebration known as Repeal-a wild parry up and down the coast las ti ng for days-was on. T his well told story offers a fascinating look at an improbable period in our history.
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Chesapeake Rumrunners of the Roaring Twenties reviewed in this issue of Sea History
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