Ironclad

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Documentary filmmaker and first novelist Mokin offers a good look at how the Union built the Monitor and in 1862 won a decisive victory over the Merrimack. The story highlights headstrong Swede John Ericsson, who designed the radical ironclad, while focusing on Navy secretary Gideon Welles, one of the few Lincoln loyalists in the Cabinet. Washington, D.C., in 1861-1862 is vividly shown: droves of U.S. military officers ``going south,'' popular fear and impatience (especially after Bull Run), the strange hesitancy of general-in-chief McClellan, the political and military intrigues. Unfortunately, Mokin pays less attention to the naval fireworks; the epochal battle of the two ironclad ships, when it finally comes, seems to be just warming up when it's suddenly over. A sure explanation of the foreign and domestic implications of the Union blockade, but don't blink during the sea battle. (May)

School Library Journal

YA-- A well-written, accurate history of the inception, building, and function of the first ironclad ships used in warfare. Mokin gives insight into the enormity of building a navy ``from scratch,'' along with a look at the workings of the Lincoln White House and the related war offices. He includes fascinating sidelines (how the toilets worked), details of the private lives of the main historical characters, and facts about Washington, D. C. during the Civil War to keep the information lively. --Peter Craig, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA

Booknews

A popular narrative of the early years of the Civil War. No index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)