Customer Reviews

Monocacy: The Battle That Saved Washington

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Mr. Cooling's book presents a chronological evaluation of the events that preceeded and occurred after the Battle of Monocacy. Starting with why Lee ordered the last gasp invasion of the north, to the modern efforts to preserve the battlefield. All aspects of these events are presented but not evaluated. For example, why didn't Washington believe the people of the area when they reported that Jubal Early was in Maryland? Mr. Cooling also presents a wonderful driving tour for people who want to see and expirennce the places of the Battle of Monocacy. The appendicies go into great detail about the Ohio National Guard which fought at Monocacy, and the issues all the govenor's of the various Union states had to face when called to defend Washington. Perhaps if Jubal Early had not stalled outside of Washington, Monocacy would be celebrated as one of the greatest Confederate victories of the war.

This is a very interesting treatment of an often times overlooked battle.

Monocacy was the high water mark of the Confederacy's third and final invasion of the North. The chronological sequencing enables the author to tell a very balanced story, one that reflects not only the inadequacies of both sides during this engagement, but also reflects each side's total commitment to the death throes then currently occurring around Richmond and Petersburg.

Excellent maps with even better text, the author impresses upon the reader just how close a thing this really was. Best summed up by a Union soldier who simply said, "Early was late," Cooling really captures the essence of this campaign. It was desperate, on both sides.

The historical scholarship of this book is superb; it is well written and extremely well documented, using rarely cited letters and memoirs from the individuals involved. It is an excellent description of a complicated campaign, with a thorough study of the motives, expectations, and outcomes of the movement of armies; political interference, personality clashes, misinterpreted orders, disobedience to orders, and acting without orders; leadership, bravery and cowardice, battlefield decisions and their outcomes, and the final results. Read this. You are a soldier; you are an officer. You understand what you are up against, you know what is expected of you and why you must march or die.
The horrible part comes from the physical state of the book. My copy was brand new. I was the first person who had ever opened it. The spine cracked. The glue broke, and clumps of pages fell out. Holding it together while trying to read it was an ordeal. The book is an oversized paperback. Its pages were not sewn nor attached to its cover except by sparse, brittle glue. If the volume had been properly manufactured, I would have rated it five stars in respect to its author. I have paperback books, some quite big and fat, that have held together perfectly, even when treasured and reread for years. The production of this edition is a disgrace. I hope my copy can somehow be rebound. The text is well worth the effort.