GDG- Alonzo's Brother

[Dennis Lawrence]

>
>
>REVIEW:
>
>H-NET BOOK REVIEW
>Published by H-CivWar at h-net.msu.edu (June 2008)
>
>
>Robert J. Schneller Jr. _Cushing: Civil War SEAL_. Brassey's 
>Military Profiles Series. Series Editor Dennis E. Showalter. 
>Washington, D.C.: Brassey's, 2004. 119 pp. $19.95 (cloth), ISBN 
>1-57488-506-5; $12.95 (paper), ISBN 1-57488-6967-7.
>
>
>Reviewed for H-CivWar by Douglas W. Cupples, Department of History, 
>The University of Memphis
>
>
>Robert J. Schneller Jr., a historian at the U.S. Naval Historical 
>Center, offers a well-written and concise military biography of one 
>of the most important naval figures as well as one of the Civil 
>War's most intriguing and charismatic leaders, William Baker Cushing 
>(1842-74).  Part of Brassey's Military Profiles series, this 
>biography is a superb short book in a valuable series that does not 
>attempt to accomplish too much.  Schneller has written several other 
>books on the United States Navy, including _A Quest for Glory: A 
>Biography of Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren_ (1996), for which he 
>received the 1996 John Lyman Book Award in Biography from the North 
>American Society for Oceanic History; and _Farragut: America's First 
>Admiral_ (2002), also part of Brassey's Military Profiles series.
>
>Despite the important role played by both Confederate and Union 
>navies, the navies are too often eclipsed by the Homeric scale of 
>the land war.  In fact, the _Official Records of the Union and 
>Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion_ (1894-1922) is less 
>than one-fourth the size of the comparable _The War of the 
>Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and 
>Confederate Armies_ (1880-1901) and less than one-half the size of 
>the recently published supplement to the latter (_Supplement to the 
>Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies_ [1994]).  None 
>of the Civil War's naval engagements, for example, has garnered the 
>attention of Gettysburg, and even the revolutionary clash between 
>the USS _Monitor_ and the CSS _Virginia_ usually focuses on the 
>transition from wood and sail to iron and steel rather than its 
>effects on the overall campaigns.  Yet, as Schneller indicates, 
>Cushing, along with David Glasgow Farragut and David Dixon Porter, 
>contributed as much to the final Union victory as did any other 
>military figure.
>
>Cushing did not have a seafaring background.  Appointed to the 
>United States Naval Academy from Wisconsin, he was the brother of 
>Alonzo Cushing, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at 
>West Point, who died a hero's death at the Battle of 
>Gettysburg.  Although the brothers shared many of the same qualities 
>desired in a military leader, William was prone to an impetuosity 
>that, at times, bordered on insubordination.  He had a tendency to 
>bully those with whom he disagreed, and he manifested a racist 
>attitude toward blacks, which seemed extreme even for that era.  He 
>was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1857 but was 
>forced to resign before graduating.  With the outbreak of the war in 
>April 1861, however, the navy's need for officers resulted in his 
>appointment as acting master's mate on the USS _Minnesota_.  Cushing 
>found that life on a large ship of the line was too constraining as 
>his overbearing personality often caused problems with his 
>superiors.  Nonetheless, his abilities had not gone without notice; 
>he was promoted to lieutenant in July 1862.  For the next two years, 
>Cushing's flair for special operations was developed and honed to a 
>fine perfection culminating with the destruction of the _Albemarle_ 
>and the elevation of his status as a legitimate U.S. naval 
>hero.  After getting past the chivalric duel between the CSS 
>_Alabama_ and the USS _Kearsarge_, perhaps the best-known naval 
>event is the bold attack and sinking of the Confederate ironclad ram 
>_Albemarle_ by a small party of sailors led by Lieutenant Cushing on 
>October 27, 1864.  Cushing continued to serve with distinction for 
>the remainder of the war and even led a ground assault of sailors 
>and marines against Fort Fisher in 1865.  After the war, he 
>commanded the USS _Wyoming_ to prevent Spanish authorities in Cuba 
>from killing American sailors.  In 1874, his health declined and he 
>suffered a mental collapse, which soon was followed by his death in 
>December of the same year.
>
>Unfortunately, the subtitle of this biographical sketch is 
>misleading.  I would correct the tendency to conflate 
>nineteenth-century terminology with that of the present day.  Such 
>terms as "Seal" "Green Beret," etc., are best reserved for the 
>historical contexts in which they were developed and used.  Although 
>the intention is generally understood, the term is a contemporary 
>one that denotes a specific branch of Navy Special Operations in the 
>current service.  This service division did not exist during the 
>Civil War, and it is best to use terms that are historically accurate.
>
>This minor issue of terminology should not detract from the value of 
>this well-written and informative book. These types of biographical 
>studies are useful contributions to the volume of works available to 
>Civil War readers, whether amateur or professional 
>historians.  Adding greater depth than dictionary or encyclopedic 
>entries, they provide insight and character development.  Schneller 
>has offered a concise and cogent biography of one of the war's most 
>interesting warriors.
>
>
>
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