Browning Robert M. Jr. - Lincolns trident : the West Gulf Blockading Squadron during the Civil War

An old English proverb states, Gratefulness is the poor mans payment. For historians, this is an appropriate phrase because we always owe unpayable debts to those who help us. Assistance, encouragement, and support from colleagues, friends, and institutions all shape the final product. The assistance of the staff at the National Archives was key in the completion of this book. Susan Abbott, Mary Ladner, Becky Livingston, and particularly Rick Peuser and Mark Mollan were instrumental in this project. Thanks also go to the staff at the Library of Congress who made many resources available. The staff at the Naval History and Heritage Command, in particular Glen Helm and the library staff, and Chuck Haberlein, Ed Finney, Lisa Crunk, and Robert Hanshew of the photographic division, were superb. The staffs of many other institutions were critical as well. Thanks go to Bill Edwards-Bodmer and Bill Barker at the Mariners Museum; Heather Smedberg at the Mandeville Special Collections Library at the University of California, San Diego; Molly Kodner from the Missouri Historical Society Library; Dr. Jennifer Bryan, Dorothea Abbott, and David DOnofrio at the Special Collections at the United States Naval Academy, and Tim Salls at the New England Historic Genealogical Society. I would like to thank Robert Clark at the FDR Presidential Library and the staff of the Morgan Library; Ed Frank from Special Collections at the Ned R. McWherter Library, University of Memphis; and David Kuzman and Albert King in Special Collections and University Archives at Rutgers University. John Stinson and Don Mennerich from the Manuscripts and Archives Division at the New York Public Library; Chris Baer at the Eleutherian Mills, Hagley Foundation; Lita Garcia at the Huntington Library; and Nicolette Schneider and Diane Cooten at the Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University, provided important documents and information. Silva Blake from the Historic New Orleans Collection; Melissa Smith from the Manuscripts Department, Special Collectionsat Tulane University; and Ted OReilly at the New York Historical Society aided this project greatly. Special thanks go to Nick Wyman in Special Collections, John C. Hodges Library, University of Tennessee; and Jim Cheevers at the US Naval Academy Museum, who both provided critical Farragut correspondence. Thanks go to the Chicago Historical Society; AnnaLee Pauls at Princeton University; and Erin OBrien and Amelia Abreu at the Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin, for their help. Connie Hammond and the Western Reserve Historical Society Library and Archives, and John Coski at the Museum of the Confederacy, were both extremely helpful. Beth Bigley and Barbara Firich and the Interlibrary Loan staff at the Prince William County Library helped me throughout the writing of this manuscript and I cannot thank them sufficiently for their assistance. Thanks also go to Skip Theberg and John Cloud at NOAA for their help with historic maps. Others who helped include John Koster, Ed Cotham, Stauffer Miller, and Jim Delgado. I appreciate the special assistance and patience of Joseph Powell, Dan Waterman, Dawn Hall, and Jon Berry at the University of Alabama Press. I would like to give special thanks to Bill Still, Bob Holcombe, Steve Wise, Bill Thiesen, Kevin Foster, Scott Price, and Chris Havern for reviewing the manuscript. Their help has definitely made the final product better. Last, and most important, is the help, patience, assistance, and support I received from my wife, Susan. Without her, I am not sure this book would have ever seen publication.