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Værker af John Lockwood

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Fødselsdato
1951
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Most accounts of the crisis leading up to the start of the Civil War typically end with the bombardment of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, an event that is generally regarded as the first shots of the conflict. Yet this conclusion ignores the equally dramatic aftermath of the bombardment. With war now a certainty, the Lincoln administration scrambled to prepare by issuing a call for troops. Yet as they did so the very structure of government was crumbling around them, as Southerners in the military and the federal bureaucracy resigned. Indeed the capital itself was vulnerable to a possible Confederate attack. This extraordinary period is the subject of John and Charles Lockwood's book, which chronicles the twelve-day period from the fall of Fort Sumter on April 13 until the arrival of reinforcements on April 25, a span of time when the government's survival seemed in question

The authors begin with a broad portrait of the situation facing Lincoln and his cabinet in the wake of the fort's surrender. The attack on the fort had united the North, yet the start of hostilities also exposed Washington's vulnerability, one enhanced by the secessionist sympathies of many in the population. As the commanding general Winfield Scott planned for the city's defense, fears of a Confederate assault prompted many citizens to flee. The nearby states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts quickly dispatched militia units to Washington, yet secessionist mobs in Baltimore and sabotage of the rails hindered their deployment. The immediate crisis ended only with the arrival of the Seventh regiment of the New York militia, which both bolstered the defenses and symbolized the reestablishment of the city's links to the rest of the Union.

The Lockwoods have provided a readable account of the panic that gripped Washington in the aftermath of Fort Sumter's fall. While ultimately demonstrating the overblown nature of the fears of attack, they nonetheless convey well the uncertainty that existed and the anxieties it fueled. As historians of Washington, their description of the city is particularly strong, providing a vivid study of what was still in many ways a sleepy Southern town with grandiose aspirations. This book is highly recommended to anyone seeking a snapshot of the nation's capital as it dealt with many of the first challenges of the war that had come.
… (mere)
 
Markeret
MacDad | 6 andre anmeldelser | Mar 27, 2020 |
Excellent history of a little-known aspect of the early war. Enjoyable for the non-specialist!
 
Markeret
JaniceLiedl | 6 andre anmeldelser | Mar 31, 2013 |
John Lockwood’s book “The Siege of Washington” looks at the twelve days after the fall of Fort Sumter when the nation's capital stood undefended in a sea of secessionists. Lockwood makes good use of diaries and memoirs to illustrate the claustrophobic sense of dread that the loyal citizens of Washington felt during those days. He manages to do this even though it is common knowledge that Washington did not fall to the armies of the slave South.

President Lincoln is shown to be a human, not a heroic, mythical being. He is shown in private moments wrestling with his sons and their friends, emotionally greeting the members of the “First Defenders”, shaking hands with every man in the regiment, as well as having the occasional outburst of temper, anger, and impatience. For me these glimpses of Lincoln the man sets this book far above other Civil War histories I have read.

The book is organized by day but occasionally jumps back or forward in time creating confusing gaps in the narrative. I understand that many of the personalities and events discussed need a background but perhaps there was a better way to handle that. My greatest issue with the book is over an omission, Lockwood mentions fairly early in the book an investigation done about the incidents in Baltimore but we never learn of the results. Yes, the investigation falls outside the twelve days covered in the book and I have complained about breaking the narrative but it, and other facts, could have been covered in an epilogue.

Overall the book was a entertaining and educational read and I would recommend it with only minor reservations.
… (mere)
½
 
Markeret
TLCrawford | 6 andre anmeldelser | Aug 6, 2012 |
At the time that the Union surrendered Fort Sumter and the war was starting, neither the Confederacy or the United States was prepared for war. Some of the southern states had yet to decide on secession (Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Kentucky) but the major issue for the North was the location of its capital. Washington City was surrounded by slave holding states. When Lincoln requested troops from the loyal states to defend the capital on April 15th, a crisis erupted. Baltimoreans attacked the troops as they attempted to transfer trains for the capital. Riots broke out.

The residents of Washington felt threatened for the first 12 days of the war until troops arrived for its defense. Any moment they expected the Confederate Army to attack, "blow up the Capitol and Treasury Building, to burn the President's house and other edifices, and to leave in the blackened wreck of the ruined city, proof to the world that the Union was ruined." Others in the Confederacy felt that occupation of Washington and conversion of the city to the Confederate Capital held the benefits of establishing "instant legitimacy" for the new nation as well as recognition around the world. This would help the Confederacy negotiate loans and if the Union Government officials were captured, the war could possibly be ended quickly with little bloodshed.

However, the South was not prepared to make that step toward Washington. Arms were scarce in Virginia and Maryland. The Union destruction of the arsenal at Harper's Ferry had double blow - the destruction of the arms that the Virginians were hoping to capture as well as the morale of not defeating the Union troops that had been stationed there.

The details of the problems of getting the troops to Washington for its defense as well as the issues of housing, feeding, and sanitation are remarkable. The reader can almost feel and smell the air of fear throughout this book.

I've been reading a great number of Civil War books, but wish that I had found this one first. It would have been a great start, explaining the issues that effected both sides militarily as well as the social issues of the surrounding area. As a Marylander, I realize that my state fell below the Mason-Dixon line, but never realized until I read this book that there were actually skirmishes when the citizens tried to support the Confederacy. Most of all for me, it helped to enlightened me as to the areas in my home state that were directly affected by the war other than the battlefields.

A definite for anyone who wants to see the problems that greeted the Union and the Confederacy at the very beginning of the Civil War.
… (mere)
3 stem
Markeret
cyderry | 6 andre anmeldelser | Aug 12, 2011 |

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