John M. Coski

Michael, David, Ginger and I toured here on a visit to Richmond on 6/25/2012.

Good description with excellent photos and illustrations of the Confederate executive mansion.

All in all a nifty little history of the men, ships, and institutions that constituted Confederate naval power in Richmond. The irony is that the Confederacy performed miracles in creating a real naval squadron on the James River, but by the time the moment of truth came the technological shock of 1862 (the improvised ironclad ram) had been eclipsed by the mature turret ships of the Union.

Coski has written a great book describing the history, uses and controversies surrounding the Confederate battle flag. He takes a measured look at arguments from flag defenders and those who find its display offensive, and arrives at a reasonable some reasonable compromises. Interesting and thoughtful.