Gunfire around the Gulf

the long version

"From 1861 to 1865, some of the most horrific land battles in history were fought at places called Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg. But while the soil ran with blood, it was the lesser-known naval battles raging for control of the Gulf of Mexico - the lifeline of supplies and weapons to the Confederacy - that would determine the outcome of the Civil War."--BOOK JACKET. "In this account, Jack D. Coombe combines meticulous research with a narrative to re-create the fierce naval battles for the ports around the Gulf, including those at New Orleans, Mobile Bay, and Vicksburg, with all the adventure and immediacy of a novel."--BOOK JACKET.