Wolf of the Deep

Reader was almost enough to get me to abandon this book. He reads, at least initially, every clause like it was a bullet-point in a PowerPoint presentation. Eventually, I acclimated to the reader. Semmes was an interesting person, but not so interesting that I think anyone would have written his biography, had he not been captain of CSS Alabama. I read military histories of the American Civil War because, in my civilian, non-historian opinion, they show the progression from nice uniformed-army-vs-uniformed-army warfare to modern total warfare. What I found in this book was the grandmother of the U-boat.

Authoritative & very readable. Captain Semmes emerges as something of a cypher in this book - a fighting philosopher with a bad marriage. The voyage of the Alabama is amazing, daring and destructive. There are a huge number of lessons and analogues here for our current global war. The CSS Alabama, wi......more

One of the most fascinating historical accounts that I've ever read. Well researched and dense but riveting and easily readable. Beginning with no knowledge of Seemes' or the Alabama (and cautious picking the book up), I'm glad I chose to read and learn about this part of Civil War history. The auth......more

A detailed history of Raphael Semmes and the CSS Alabama taken mostly from Semmes's personal diary. The author holds the man to be impressive but condemns him for backing the southern cause, nevertheless the history is presented fairly and plainly.......more

A good relatively short biography on the ship, the captain, and the broader context all this is taking place in. Anther good place to hear about the story is from the "Portraits of Blue and Grey" history podcast.......more

Great read for the Civil War fan or someone with the interest in merchant raiders.......more