Glory in the Name 
A Novel of the Confederate Navy 
By James L. Nelson

     The novel opens with Samuel Bowater, a native of Charleston, S.C., calmly painting from life his view of the bombardment of Fort Sumter, the flashpoint of the Civil War. Both a southern patrician and a U.S. Navy officer, Bowater takes no sides politically, but through family connections he’s commissioned captain of a converted tugboat in the ragtag Confederate Navy. His crew is a small and well-drawn assortment of individuals, including Hieronymus Taylor, a prickly character who is as talented an engineer as a violinist. Wendy Atkins, also a painter, sparks the romantic interest.

    As the war explodes in the East, Mississippi planter Robley Paine sees his three sons off to war. Hearing confused accounts of their misfortunes in battle, Paine launches a mad campaign to fight the Yankees on his own. He buys and equips an ironclad river gunboat, then offers it to the Confederate Navy. Capt. Bowater arrives to take command only weeks before New Orleans is attacked in a spectacular sea battle.

   Glory in the Name reflects careful historical research, from the battles it recounts to the workings of steam-powered vessels. Nelson’s elegant style evokes both the perils and joys of life for the outgunned Confederate Navy. The characters are well-rounded, yet don’t tell all they know and feel. The result is a richly textured story, and one that leaves the reader wanting more. Nelson already has written two historical sagas, and this book begins a third. While an engaging read by itself, it lays a solid foundation for more to come.