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Battle on the Bay: The Civil War Struggle for Galveston. By Edward T. Cotham Jr. (Austin: University of Texas Press, I998. Pp. ix, 24I. $37.go, cloth; $I6.95, paper.)
While there have been various articles written about the Civil War struggle for control of Galveston Bay, this reviewer believes that this volume will be recognized as the definitive study about the topic. The struggle began in I86i when the first Union gunboats appeared to enforce the Union's blockade of the bay. The blockade was part of Flag Officer David Farragut's responsibility. He was ordered to seal off the Southern ports on the Gulf Coast from southern Florida to the Rio Grande. Galveston was most important, being one of the best natural harbors on the Gulf.
After Farragut took New Orleans in I862, Galveston Bay became even more important; it became a major lifeline for the Confederacy. Blockade runners who could reach the bay...