SKU: 5179556661

Desperate Engagement: How a Little-Known Civil War Battle Saved Washington, D.C., and Changed American History

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Desperate Engagement: How a Little-Known Civil War Battle Saved Washington, D.C., and Changed American HistoryMarc Leepson, critically acclaimed author of Flag: An American Biography, examines the Battle of Monocacy a crucial and singular moment in the Civil War with his trademark historical detail and enlivening voice The Battle of Monocacy, which took place four miles south of Frederick, Maryland on a blisteringly hot day in 1864, was a full field engagement between some 12,000 battle hardened Confederate troops led by the controversial Jubal Anderson

Marc Leepson, critically acclaimed author of Flag: An American Biography, examines the Battle of Monocacy---a crucial and singular moment in the Civil War---with his trademark historical detail and enlivening voice

The Battle of Monocacy, which took place four miles south of Frederick, Maryland on a blisteringly hot day in 1864, was a full-field engagement between some 12,000 battle-hardened Confederate troops led by the controversial Jubal Anderson Early, and some 5,800 Union troops, many of them untested in battle, under the mercurial Lew Wallace. When the fighting ended, Early had routed Wallace in the northernmost Confederate victory of the war.

Two days later, on another brutally hot afternoon, the foul-mouthed, hard-drinking Early sat astride his horse outside the gates of Fort Stevens in the upper northwestern fringe of Washington, D.C. He was about to make one of the war's most fateful, portentous decisions: whether or not to order his men to invade the nation's capital.

Once manned by tens of thousands of experienced troops, Washington's ring of forts and fortifications that day were in the hands of a ragtag collection of walking wounded Union soldiers, the Veteran Reserve Corps, along with what were known as hundred days' men---raw recruits who had joined the Union Army to serve as temporary, rear-echelon troops. It was with great shock, then, that the city received news of the impending rebel attack. With near panic filling the streets, Union leaders scrambled to coordinate a force of volunteers.

But Early did not pull the trigger. With his men exhausted after the fight at Monocacy and the ensuing march, Early paused before attacking the feebly manned Fort Stevens, giving Union General Ulysses Grant just enough time to send thousands of veteran troops up from Richmond. In the battle that followed, Abraham Lincoln became the only sitting president in American history to come so close to military action that he was fired upon by the enemy.

Historian Marc Leepson shows that had Early arrived in Washington one day earlier, the ensuing havoc easily could have brought about a different conclusion to the war. He uses a vast amount of primary material, including memoirs, official records, newspaper accounts, diary entries and eyewitness reports in a reader-friendly and engaging description of the events surrounding what became known as "the Battle That Saved Washington."



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: 06/10/2008
ISBN: 9780312382230
Pages: 303
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.90d
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SKU: 5179556661

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Caitlin Sullivan
Boise, US
★★★★★ 1
Not what is expected
Size: Small, Color: Black-red, Size: Small, Color: Black-red
There are buttons on the back that go all the way down that personally in my opinion ruins the style!! Will be returning because that is not what I expected.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2026
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JayeT
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 3
Faded Glory 😂 3.5 rating
Size: XX-Large, Color: Black-red, Size: XX-Large, Color: Black-red
Sooo faded I didn’t even want to try it on. And very dusty and ashy looking but only the red. It’s as if they had someone wear and wash it and return it and they took the red side and buttoned it onto another color and shipped it out. Guess these sellers like faded clothes. I wouldn’t buy certain colors seeing ppl talking about how the color doesn’t even last even upon its arrival. But if you have dye it’s your best bet to have some on hand when you order or even good for DIY projects. Good thing is I did try it on and it fits and feels like good quality with good weight to it. May have to go up a size I’m a female with big breast. Seems like it may last, just not the color. Good stitch work buttons seem sturdy. Yea these shirts would be great for DIY work
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Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2026
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Valarie hatcher
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
Great jacket
Size: X-Large, Color: Black-red
My son loves this jacket
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Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2026
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Robbie H.
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
That it fits good and doesn't feel cheaply made
Size: 36W x 30L, Color: Blue
Very nicely made and comfortable to!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026
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Technopath
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
Feel that flex without feeling that rubbery texture.
Size: 36W x 30L, Color: Black
These fit great! The texture isn't wuite like denim, more like a soft tablecloth, but that's quite alright. They have a flex that I need. Sometimes with "slim fit" stretch jeans, I feel a bit restrained in my thighs, this time, instead of ordering my usual size, I went up a notch. I can just wear a belt if I need to. I can fully articulate my legs in this set, in the stretchiness doesn't feel like weird rubbery velvet. They look good, they feel good. I imagine they'll last a bit longer than some of my other stretch jeans that had spandex or whatever in them.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2026

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