Season of Fire: The Confederate Strike on Washington [Hardcover]

Joseph Judge (Author), Katherine Tennery (Illustrator), John P. Monahan (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1997

Chronicles the Confederate advance on Washington, led by Jubal Early, which included the battle at Monocacy River and fighting in the District of Columbia where President Lincoln came under fire at Fort Stevens. 61 b&w illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In 1864 Confederate general Jubal Early, outraged by Union depredations in the Shenandoah Valley, launched a bold but futile raid on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. With this event as the central focus of his narrative, Judge has written a fascinating and riveting account of men in battle. He masterfully maintains both dramatic tension and historical accuracy by relating the events through the memoirs of the actual participants. Judge explains the military maneuvers in language that laypersons can easily grasp, and his portrayals of the key participants breathe life into the account. Among the more memorable players are Early, the Yankee-hating unrepentant rebel; Lew Wallace, who attempts to block Early's advance and whose literary bent will later lead to the century's best-selling novel; and George Davis, a Vermonter whose icy calm and audacity under fire won him the Medal of Honor. This is a fine recounting of a relatively obscure but quite interesting series of events, and both the general reader and Civil War aficionados will enjoy it. Jay Freeman

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Howell Press Inc.; 1st edition (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883522005
• ISBN-13: 978-1883522001
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,792,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great coverage of the Confederate's last big invasion, February 21, 2004

By 

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Season of Fire: The Confederate Strike on Washington (Hardcover)

Season of Fire proves to be a well written and well researched book on Confederacy's last effort to do something meaningful by trying to attacked Washington DC. Led by General Jubal Early, the Confederate forces came pretty close to success and the authors were correct in saying that even if the occupation of Union capitol would only be momentary, the political and morale cost would be devastating for the north. While hindsight make this campaign almost a sideshow, the book revealed how close it really was to being a main event.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Season of Fire: The Confederate Strike on Washington, March 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Season of Fire: The Confederate Strike on Washington (Hardcover)

This book is must reading for anyone interested in Civil War history or who lives in the areas between Monocacy Junction and Washington, D. C. where this action occurred. The book provides a detailed synopsis of the action and is loaded with details of the local history, much of which remains intact for anyone interested in retracing the course of Early's raid.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good synopsis of the 1964 valley campaign., May 29, 1999

By 

Daniel Hurley (Chesapeake, VA.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Season of Fire: The Confederate Strike on Washington (Hardcover)

Mr. Judge does history a great justice by writing the history of the Invasion of Washington from its inception. He covers the early phase from a confederate defeat at Cloyds Mountain in Pulaski County just south of Blacksburg (VA. Tech), takes you to Lynchburg and Early's arrival and the subsequent journey to Washington D.C. Gives the reader the complete field of study of the campaign. Wonderful description of future Baltimore Police Chief Harry Gilmore who was a colorful confederate calavary leader as well as a vivid description of the hidden valley of the Shennodoah, Fort Valley.