The Siege of Washington

On April 14, 1861, the day Fort Sumter fell to Confederate forces, Washington, DC was ripe for invasion. Only a few hundred soldiers were stationed in the city, and a rebel army rumored at 20,000 men was not far off. In The Siege of Washington, John and Charles Lockwood offer a minute-by-minute account of the twelve days when the fate of the Union hung in the balance. Drawing from rarely seen primary documents, this compelling history places the reader onthe scene, brilliantly capturing the tense, precarious first days of America's Civil War.

John Lockwood is the National Mall Historian and writes frequently about the history of the nation's capital. Charles Lockwood is the author of ten books, including Bricks and Brownstone. The authors were born and raised in Washington.

Preface
Prologue: "On to Washington!"
Monday, April 15: "The Capital Can't Be Taken"
Tuesday, April 16: "The Uprising of the North"
Wednesday, April 17: "Independence or Death"
Thursday, April 18: "Between Many Fires"
Friday, April 19: "Minute Men of '61"
Saturday, April 20: "Lincoln is in a Trap"
Sunday, April 21: "A Real State of Siege"
Monday, April 22: "Enveloped by the Traitors"
Tuesday, April 23: "Fight, Sir, Fight!"
Wednesday, April 24: "The Destiny of the Capitol . . . Suspended by a Hair"
Thursday, April 25: "The Seventh Have Come!"
Epilogue: "Jeff Davis Shan't Get It Without Trouble"
Acknowledgments, Notes, Photo Credits, Index