Located midway on the only land route between Richmond and the Union-held Fort Monroe, on the tip of the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg hosted Confederate troops for the first year of war while defensive earthworks were built across the area. After the Battle of Williamsburg on May 5, 1862 -- a bloody clash neither side sought but each claimed as victor -- Union forces began an occupation of the town that lasted with only short interruptions until the end of the war. Those residents who had not fled remained to stubbornly defend their homes.
Dubbs scripts a compelling chronicle of these events, interweaving quotes from diaries, letters, memoirs, and military memoranda to bring immediacy to her subject. Balancing the grim experiences of combat, shortages, tending the dead and wounded, the college's burning, restive servants, typhoid breakout, and isolation from the rest of the Confederacy are some lighter interludes: the Union marshal who arrived with his saddlebags packed with shoes and dresses to win the good opinion of the town's females; the first taste of freedom for blacks; and the issuance of travel passes -- including one to an especially sharp-tongued matron, with the order never to return.
Maps, period photographs, order of battle, and a bibliographycomplete this substantial, comprehensive, and entertaining work. Defend This Old Town is certain to engage anyone who enjoys good history.
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Located midway on the only land route between Richmond and the Union-held Fort Monroe, on the tip of the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg hosted Confederate troops for the first year of war while defensive earthworks were built across the area. After the Battle of Williamsburg on May 5, 1862 -- a bloody clash neither side sought but each claimed as victor -- Union forces began an occupation of the town that lasted with only short interruptions until the end of the war. Those residents who had not fled remained to stubbornly defend their homes.
Dubbs scripts a compelling chronicle of these events, interweaving quotes from diaries, letters, memoirs, and military memoranda to bring immediacy to her subject. Balancing the grim experiences of combat, shortages, tending the dead and wounded, the college's burning, restive servants, typhoid breakout, and isolation from the rest of the Confederacy are some lighter interludes: the Union marshal who arrived with his saddlebags packed with shoes and dresses to win the good opinion of the town's females; the first taste of freedom for blacks; and the issuance of travel passes -- including one to an especially sharp-tongued matron, with the order never to return.
Maps, period photographs, order of battle, and a bibliographycomplete this substantial, comprehensive, and entertaining work. Defend This Old Town is certain to engage anyone who enjoys good history.
Imprint | Louisiana State University Press |
Country of origin | United States |
Release date | June 2002 |
Availability | Supplier out of stock. If you add this item to your wish list we will let you know when it becomes available. |
Authors | Carol Kettenburg Dubbs |
Dimensions | 229 x 152 x 38mm (L x W x T) |
Format | Hardcover |
Pages | 440 |
Edition | illustrated edition |
ISBN-13 | 978-0-8071-2780-3 |
Barcode | 9780807127803 |
Categories | |
LSN | 0-8071-2780-9 |