Tony Silber

Twelve Days (eBook, PDF)

How the Union Nearly Lost Washington in the First Days of the Civil War

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

In the popular literature and scholarship of the Civil War, the days immediately after the surrender at Fort Sumter are overshadowed by the great battles and seismic changes in American life that followed. The twelve days that began with the federal evacuation of the fort and ended with the arrival of the New York Seventh Militia Regiment in Washington were critically important. The nation's capital never again came so close to being captured by the Confederates. Tony Silber's riveting account starts on April 14, 1861, with President Lincoln's call for seventy-five thousand militia troops. Washington, a Southern slaveholding city, was the focal point: both sides expected the first clash to occur there. The capital was barely defended, by about two thousand local militia troops of dubious training and loyalty. In Charleston, less than two days away by train, the Confederates had an organized army that was much larger and ready to fight. Maryland's eastern sections were already reeling in violent insurrection, and within days Virginia would secede. For half of the twelve days after Fort Sumter, Washington was severed from the North, the telegraph lines cut and the rail lines impassable, sabotaged by secessionist police and militia members. There was no cavalry coming. The United States had a tiny standing army at the time, most of it scattered west of the Mississippi. The federal government's only defense would be state militias. But in state after state, the militia system was in tatters. Southern leaders urged an assault on Washington. A Confederate success in capturing Washington would have changed the course of the Civil War. It likely would have assured the secession of Maryland. It might have resulted in England's recognition of the Confederacy. It would have demoralized the North. Fortunately, none of this happened. Instead, Lincoln emerged as the master of his cabinet, a communications genius, and a strategic giant who possessed a crystal-clear core objective and a powerful commitment to see it through. Told in real time, Twelve Days alternates between the four main scenes of action: Washington, insurrectionist Maryland, the advance of Northern troops, and the Confederate planning and military movements. Twelve Days tells for the first time the entire harrowing story of the first days of the Civil War.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Potomac Books
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. Juli 2023
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781640125902
• Artikelnr.: 72428041

Autorenporträt

Tony Silber is the owner and publisher of Long Hill Media. He is a former newspaper reporter in Connecticut and founder of the M10 media brand. Silber also served as editor and publisher of Folio, a multichannel media brand focused on the success of magazine corporations and executives.

Inhaltsangabe

List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: Tuesday, April 23rd: ‘Why Don’t They Come?’ Day 10
Chapter 2: Sunday, April 14th: The Evacuation of Sumter Day One           
Chapter 3: Sunday, April 14th: Washington, the Secessionist City Day
One          
Chapter 4: Monday, April 15th: ‘If I were Beauregard I Would Take
Washington’ Day Two
Chapter 5: Monday, April 15th: Northern Militia in Tatters Day Two         
Chapter 6: Tuesday, April 16th: ‘Take Washington City Immediately’ Day
Three
Chapter 7: Wednesday, April 17th: Virginia’s Decision Day Four
Chapter 8: Thursday, April 18th: The First Defenders Day Five
Chapter 9: Thursday, April 18th: Washington Prepares for the Worst Day Five
Chapter 10: Thursday, April 18th: Indecision at the Navy Yard and Harpers
Ferry is Lost Day Five
Chapter 11: Friday, April 19th: The New York Seventh Departs Day Six
Chapter 12: Friday, April 19th: The Baltimore Riots Day Six
Chapter 13: Friday, April 19th: Insurrection in Maryland Day Six  
Chapter 14: Overnight, Friday, April 19th-Saturday, April 20th: Washington
Cut Off And Insurrection Rages In Maryland Days Six and Seven      
Chapter 15: Saturday, April 20th, 1861: A New Route to Washington Day Seven
Chapter 16: Saturday, April 20th: The Fortified Capital Day Seven
Chapter 17: Sunday, April 21st: Confederate Troops Move North Day Eight
Chapter 18: Sunday, April 21st: A Northern Convoy Departs Day
Eight                
Chapter 19: Sunday, April 21st: Brinksmanship in Washington Day Eight 
Chapter 20: Monday, April 22nd: A Torrent of Federal Resignations Day Nine
Chapter 21: Monday, April 22nd: General Butler, the Belligerent Brigadier
Day Nine
Chapter 22: Tuesday, April 23rd: Stalled in Annapolis Day 10       
Chapter 23: Tuesday, April 23rd: New York’s Irish Join the Fight Day 10 
Chapter 24: Wednesday, April 24th: The March of the 7th and 8th Regiments
Day 11      
Chapter 25: Thursday, April 25th: Washington is Saved Day 12
Chapter 26: Friday, April 26th—Monday, April 29th: The Aftermath
Notes
Bibliography
Index