He Hath Loosed the Fateful Lightning: The Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly), September 1, 1862 [Hardcover]

Paul Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2003

Spectacular displays of lightning, thunder crashing so loud that it masked the roar of the cannon, a torrential downpour with gale-force winds; these were the hallmarks of the fateful September 1, 1862, Battle of Ox Hill. Only two days after the Confederate victory at Second Manassas, Stonewall Jackson’s vaunted "foot cavalry" would attempt to flank the retreating Union army and place Washington in their sights. An unplanned collision by the two armies near the Virginia plantation called "Chantilly" would prove to be a bloody and costly postscript to the Northern Virginia Campaign of 1862.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

With one-half of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia only 20 miles from Washington, D.C., a spirited flanking attack led by Union General Isaac Stevens, and then continued by General Philip Kearny, helped to save the nation’s capital from possible rebel attack.

About the Author

Paul Taylor is the compiler and coauthor of the book Discovering the Civil War in Florida: A Reader and Guide. When he moved to Virginia in 1998 he learned of the small, oasislike Ox Hill Battlefield Park, tightly nestled within much surrounding commercial development. A three-year journey of what the author calls "literary archeology" ensued with the result being this book. Married and the father of three, he is currently developing his third work, a New York regimental history.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 179 pages
• Publisher: White Mane Publishing Company (July 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572493291
• ISBN-13: 978-1572493292
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,402,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Taylor is an insurance professional and an award-winning author of five books on the American Civil War. Visit his author's website at www.paulrtaylor.com.

His blog, "With Sword and Pen," is described as "A Celebration of First Edition, Rare, Small Press, and Collectible Books Pertaining to the American Civil War." Check it out at http://swordandpen-prt.blogspot.com/.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific book on a overlooked battle, August 2, 2004

By 

D. BUTTACAVOLI (Hasbrouck Hts NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: He Hath Loosed the Fateful Lightning: The Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly), September 1, 1862 (Hardcover)

Paul Taylor has done a tremendous job in presenting this over looked but extremely important battle that too often gets caught up as a one or two paragraph afterthought of the Second Manassas Campaign.
Taylor offers a good narrative in explaining the significance of the action here.Prior to reading this book I knew very little about General Issac Stevens decisivness and bravery that day,and how his actions probably saved Pope further destruction. I particularly liked that he tells you the modern highway designations of the ninetenth century roads. This helps the reader understand and follow the scope of the action as sadly,as the Author points out, the Battlefield has been obliterated by Urban Sprawl and is no longer recognizable. He has also added some rare photo's throughout.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Account of the Battle of Ox Hill, November 7, 2005

By 

Brett R. Schulte "Civil War Buff" (Southwestern IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: He Hath Loosed the Fateful Lightning: The Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly), September 1, 1862 (Hardcover)

In this book, Taylor describes the small but fierce Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly), which occurred only two days after the Second Battle of Manassas, and the results and consequences of the battle. Taylor's book is one of three books that have covered the battle of Ox Hill in the past five years. The others include David Welker's Tempest at Ox Hill: The Battle of Chantilly and Charles V. Mauro's The Battle of Chantilly (Ox Hill: A Monumental Storm). At first I was a little hesitant about buying this one because White Mane Books published it. White Mane has been known in the past to publish books that used questionable or non-existent research. In any event, I decided to give this one a chance based on its own merits. Taylor describes the Second Manassas Campaign prior to Chantilly in an introductory chapter, and then moves on to cover August 30-September 2 in the rest of the book, with an emphasis on the actual tactical maneuvers during the Battle of Ox Hill on September 1. The book is rather short at only 179 pages. There are 8 maps, with a good mix of strategic and tactical maps. However, the maps do not go into the level of detail I usually prefer. All in all, this was a fairly standard account of the battle. I believe a more definitive account can probably be written.

This was a solid but not spectacular account of the Battle of Ox Hill. I would by no means call this the definitive study on Chantilly. The length of the book alone prevents that. However, the battle, the events leading up to it, and the aftermath are clearly described in an engaging way. I don't agree with all of the author's opinions, but his three years of research and his bibliography show that those opinions were based on a careful study of many available resources. Anyone interested in the Second Manassas Campaign or Phil Kearny & Isaac Stevens will enjoy this book. I recommend it, but this is not the final word on the battle. 179 pp., 8 maps.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A blow-by-blow recounting and reconstruction, December 12, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: He Hath Loosed the Fateful Lightning: The Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly), September 1, 1862 (Hardcover)

Researched and written by Civil War expert Paul Taylor, He Hath Loosed The Fateful Lightning is a dramatic study of the September 1, 1862 Battle of Ox Hill during the American Civil War. Set during a violent storm with lightning and thunder so loud it overwhelmed the noise of canons firing, this unplanned conflict between North and South in a Virginia plantation called "Chantilly" would extract a terrible toll from both sides. A meticulous, exhaustively researched, blow-by-blow recounting and reconstruction, He Hath Loosed The Fateful Lightning is an impressive and enthusiastically recommended addition to any personal, academic, or community library Civil War Studies collection.