The Siege Of Washington: The Untold Story Of The Twelve Days That Shook The Union (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
This was a very interesting window into a little known piece of our national history. It was from a pro-union insider's perspective. The Confederates are viewed as extremists and the unionists are considered patriots. The old canard that the victors write the history books proves true here. I enjoyed reading it immensely even though it slowed down toward the end and seemed to drag. However, the majority of the book was very interesting with tremendous detail.This is the story of what happened in the District of Columbia in the days immediately following the fall of Ft. Sumpter. Most people expected the South to march into DC and take over the seat of government. Once General Robert E. Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia, he ordered a defensive-only posture. He never considered seizing the union government. Rather, he saw in the conflict the desire for free association and State Sovereignty. As he correctly foresaw, if the Union won out, the States would only be united by force. No longer would there be a free association of states. At this point in time, the Federal Government effectively became a National Government having crushed the 10th amendment and any attempt by the states to leave the union. Yes, slavery was a key issue in the dispute between the states, but this should not mask the states vs union dynamic that was irrevocably altered through this conflict. Lincoln clearly chose to use authority he did not have in order to force states to do thing they did not want to do and the balance of power tipped toward the new nationalized government structure. This is a great take on what the beginning of the Civil War was like in Washington, DC. Essentially after Fort Sumter and as Virginia seceded, lots of people in Washington were afraid that the Confederates would attack Washington, which was largely undefended. Most of the federal army was out west, and militias in the Northern states took a long time to arrive. The lovely people of Baltimore, adhering to Maryland's slave state categorization, did their best to stop the progress of trainloads of troops heading south, killing several troops, sabotaging rail lines and telegraph lines, and generally being awful. So DC tried to raise a home guard to protect the White House, Treasury, and other inhabitants. The extra star gets taken off because the authors wait until the end to detail how Jefferson Davis and other Confederate leaders didn't want to, and weren't able to attack DC, despite the urgings of some lieutenants and private citizens.I most enjoyed it for the historical picture of DC, which was fun and informative.
What do You think about The Siege Of Washington: The Untold Story Of The Twelve Days That Shook The Union (2011)?
Excellent history of a little-known aspect of the early war. Enjoyable for the non-specialist!
—Hala
A fascinating history of several weeks that scared the wits out of my home town.
—kantion
A different take on the historical details on the Civil War.
—Katty
