Tempest at Ox Hill: The Battle of Chantilly (Hardcover)

by David A. Welker (Author) "Few of the many observers of the course of the American Civil War in early 1862 would have guessed that the two competing armies would..." (more)
Key Phrases: cavalry guides, flanking march, flanking move, New York, General Pope, General Stevens (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Exceptionally well-written...A valuable contribution to Civil War history...An example of how it should be done." -- On Point: The Journal of Army History Fall 2003

Product Description
The first-ever popular account of a tide-turning Civil War battle that saved the Union capital-but at a horrific price.

Every Civil War buff has heard of the Battle of Chantilly, the bloody 1862 engagement fought in a driving rainstorm only twenty miles from Washington that claimed the lives of two of the Union's most promising generals. Yet few have known the full story of courage and human drama because no one has ever produced a lively and historically accurate account of the battle-until now.

Tempest at Ox Hill compellingly evokes this pivotal battle of the war, in which the Union army faced annihilation after Robert E. Lee's overwhelming victory at Second Bull Run. At Chantilly, Virginia, on September 1, 1862, a small Union rearguard faced down some of Lee's best generals. The retreating main Union army, and Washington, were saved, but at a frightening human cost, including the deaths of two Union generals-the promising Isaac Stevens and the dashing Philip Kearny, a Mexican War veteran who had also served with Napoleon III's imperial guard. And around these two Union generals lay nearly twelve hundred American soldiers, both blue and gray, dead fighting for their chosen cause. Tempest at Ox Hill captures the moment, the courage, and the carnage unforgettably.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (December 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306811189
• ISBN-13: 978-0306811180
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,035,964 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A REVIEW BY MARC HAVENNER ON TEMPEST AT OX HILL (CHANTILLY), March 25, 2005

By	I. havenner "Marc F Havenner" (Bohannon Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of 3 books to have been written on this important but neglected battle in the past 3 years. Mr.Welker has done his homework in a book that emcompasses the battle from the days leading up to it to the aftermath. The book is beutifully written and researched in 12 chapters, a photo section, and an order of battle. A book on this battle is extremely rare and I would consider it as the only definitive record on the Battle of Ox Hill, along with He Hath Loosed The Fateful Lightning by Paul Taylor that you will find. Very informative, addicting and recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Coverage of the two battles of Chantilly, August 30, 2004

By	James Durney (Tampa Bay area) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

First this is a very readable, easy to follow history of a little known but important small battle in 1862. Second, this shows what will happen if we do not try and save our battlefields. Mr. Welker weaves the two into a single battle history with such skill that you will need to look for the second story.

Very well written, good maps and a complete introduction make this one of the best books on an ACW battle you will find.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great new Civil War Book, May 3, 2002

By A Customer

As a non-expert on Civil War history, I found this book to be very informative as well as very readable. I thoroughly enjoyed the biographical sketches of Generals Kearny and Stevens. The author raises thought provoking questions at the end.