Showing the Flag: The Civil War Diary of Moses Safford, USS Constellation

Bopp, Lawrence J. and Bockmiller, Stephen R.

ISBN 10: 1596290145 / ISBN 13: 9781596290143

Published by History Press, Charleston, SC, 2004

About this Item

8vo. 379pp. Bit of foxing to foreesge, bit of shelfwear to DJ.

Seller Inventory # MAIN015892I

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Showing the Flag: The Civil War Diary of Moses Safford, USS Constellation
• Publisher: History Press, Charleston, SC
• Publication Date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1596290145
• ISBN 13: 9781596290143
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st.
• Condition: VG+/VG+
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

About this title

Synopsis

From Baltimore natives Lawrence Bopp and Stephen Bockmiller comes Showing the Flag: The Civil War Naval Diary of Moses Safford, USS Constellation, a new perspective on the Civil War and life in the navy in the mid-19th century. As the Civil War raged at home, naval yeoman Moses Safford toured the Mediterranean on the USS Constellation, dispatched in 1862 to "show the flag," or defend American merchant shipping. An attorney and accomplished sailor before the war, Moses kept a diary in his seafarer's way, leaving us one of the most detailed accounts of life aboard a Civil War warship known to exist.

Published for the first time and including insightful annotations and biographical information, this personal journal documents life aboard a navy ship in a time of national turmoil. Although the diary was intended for his own edification and personal remembrance, Safford's writing brings the reader back in time and place and opens a window on the past, allowing a view of Civil War naval life through the eyes of a literate and master seaman.

About the Author

Stephen R. Bockmiller develops this county-wide history as a companion to his 2011 Arcadia publication Hagerstown in the Civil War. He has gathered images from local and regional libraries, historical societies, and private collections, including previously unpublished photographs provided by the descendants of veterans.