“The Stone Fleet”

E529043

“The Stone Fleet” is a Civil War–themed poem by Herman Melville, included in his collection *Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War*, that reflects on the Union’s deliberate sinking of old ships to blockade Confederate ports.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
“The Stone Fleet” canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf literary work
poem
author Herman Melville
countryOfOrigin United States
firstPublication Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War
firstPublicationYear 1866
genre Civil War poetry
war poetry
hasAuthorialContext Melville’s postwar reflections on the Civil War
hasCriticalReception discussed in Melville scholarship on Battle-Pieces
noted for its ironic treatment of military policy
hasPerspective Union
historicalEventDepicted Union stone fleet operation
historicalPeriod American Civil War
includedIn standard editions of Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War
language English
literaryCollection Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War
literaryForm lyric poem
literaryMovement American Romanticism
American realism (transitional)
linked to: Realism
meter irregular
partOf Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War
relatedWorkByAuthor Shiloh: A Requiem
The March into Virginia
The Portent
rhymeScheme irregular
setDuring Union blockade of Charleston
subject American Civil War
Charleston Harbor
New England whaling ships
Union Navy
Union blockade of Confederate ports
blockade strategy
naval warfare
sinking of obsolete ships
theme decay and obsolescence
futility of war measures
impermanence of power
memory and historical judgment
moral ambiguity of war
tone reflective
somber
usesImageryOf harbor obstructions
stone-laden hulks
sunken ships

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War hasPart “The Stone Fleet”