The History, Civil, Political and Military, of the Southern Rebellion, Vol. 2
The History, Civil, Political and Military, of the Southern Rebellion, Vol. 2

Author: Orville James Victor

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2016-10-12

Total Pages: 568

ISBN-13: 9781333922382

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Excerpt from The History, Civil, Political and Military, of the Southern Rebellion, Vol. 2: From Its Incipient Stages to Its Close; Comprehending, Also, All Important State Papers, Ordinances of Secession, Proclamations, Proceedings of Congress, Official Reports of Commanders, Etc., Etc Victor Hugo, in his wonderful word-picture of Waterloo, says: There is a certain mo ment when the battle degenerates to the combat; when it individualizes itself, and disposes Of the whole in details, which, as Napoleon remarks, 'belong to the biography of the regiment rather than to the history of the field'. The historian, hence, has the privilege Of general ization. He can catch only the ensemble of. The con ict; nor, is it permitted the narrator conscientious for the truth, to eliminate more than the outward form of the frightful shape (cloud) called a battle. We have sought, in our exposition Of campaigns and battles, to paint the whole - all that the future will be concerned in - avoiding those particulars Of detail which must have cumbered the narrative and have confused the reader's perceptions. We can afford to leave to others the work Of writing the biographies of regiments: our province is to present the history Of the War for the Union in its more comprehensive and general sense. In a few instances - where the heroism Of men came out clear against the battle-cloud like a Signet of glory - we have permitted the pen to trace the picture in detail. Such episodes serve to intensify the general impression which it is the historian's task to produce, and, hence, are admissible. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."

Twelve Days
Twelve Days

Author: Tony Silber

Publisher: U of Nebraska Press

Published: 2023-07

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 1640125906

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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.