Book Review: ‘Civil War Biographies from the Western Waters’

Myron J. Smith, Jr. has done a real service to genealogists by compiling this biographical dictionary of 956 Confederate and Union naval personnel as well as others closely allied to the war effort – politicians, steamboat pilots, government officials and others.

These brief personal histories focus on those that served during the war on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. “Included in this biographical encyclopedia are Union and Confederate naval officers down to the rank of mate; enlisted sailors who won the Medal of Honor, or otherwise distinguished themselves or who wrote accounts of life on the gunboats; army officers and leaders who played a direct role in combat along Western waters.” Although Smith’s work is impeccably thorough, search Genealogy Bank’s Civil War documents and records as they may contain supplementary information.

The author, Myron J. Smith, Jr. is professor emeritus and former library director at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tennessee.

This book is highly ecommended. Smith has helpfully included separate indexes for the names of the ships and battles, as well as the military or civilian affiliation of the persons named. There are 149 photos, appendices, a bibliography and index.

Civil War Biographies from the Western Waters: 956 Confederate and Union Naval and Military Personnel, Contractors, Politicians, Officials, Steamboat Pilots and Others. By Myron J. Smith, Jr. McFarland (Jefferson, North Carolina), 2015. 340 pages.

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-6967-3
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-4766-1698-8
Softcover (8.5 x 11)

Related Book Review Articles:

• Books for Genealogists: ‘African American Historic Burial Grounds and Gravesites of New England’
• New Book: ‘The Boy Who Fell off the Mayflower’
• North Carolina Civil War Obituaries