Brown Water Warfare: The U.S. Navy in Riverine Warfare and the Emergence of a Tactical Doctrine

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Throughout history, rivers have been vital arteries of transportation, commerce, and communication and, consequently, are key military areas in times of conflict or war. Brown Water Warfare is the first history of riverine warfare as conducted by the U.S. Navy. R. Blake Dunnavent traces the evolution of riverine warfare in U.S. military operations from its informal inception in the 18th century to its establishment as a formal doctrine in the 20th century. As the key to understanding the emergence, development, and later adoption of this particular military strategy, he examines the conflicts in which riverine tactics figured prominently: the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Second Seminole War, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Rio Grande Patrol, the Philippine-American War/Yangtze River Patrol, and the Vietnam War. Dunnavent provides descriptions of these campaigns and demonstrates that lessons had to be learned anew in virtually every case. Only with the escalation of the conflict in Vietnam did naval leaders come to consider riverine forces an important component of their task force and begin to develop a formal doctrine. The collective lessons learned from two centuries of riverine operations spanning the globe, ultimately codified in doctrine, are the focus of this volume. Materials from the National Archives, Navy Operational Archives, Marine Corps Archives, Library of Congress, and private collections serve as the basis of his investigation. Engravings, drawings, photographs, and detailed maps enable the reader to visualize the events described in each chapter.