The Confederacy’s Last Northern Offensive

By spring 1864, the administration of Abraham Lincoln was in serious trouble, with mounting debt, low morale and eroding political support. As spring became summer, a force of Confederate troops led by Lieutenant General Jubal Anderson Early marched north through the Shenandoah Valley and crossed the Potomac as Washington, D.C., and Maryland lay nearly undefended. This Civil War history explores what could have been a decisive Confederate victory and the reasons Early’s invasion of Maryland stalled.

Steven Bernstein has written for America’s Civil War, the Washington Times, and numerous other journals and newspapers. He lives in Gainesville, Virginia.

Steven Bernstein
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 244
Bibliographic Info: 24 photos, maps, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-5861-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5998-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
1. Northern Civilian Sentiment, Spring 1864 3
2. Two Generals Gamble 12
3. Economic Warfare—Southern Style 34
4. A Pyrrhic Victory 41
5. The Road to Silver Spring 58
6. A Raid to Nowhere 77
7. Back to Virginia 90
8. Chambersburg—Twice Sacrificed 105
9. Debacle at Moorefield 125
10. Northern Victory in Sight 134
11. Failure in the Shenandoah Country 155
12. Ordeal by Fire 182
13. Epilogue—Winter 1865 201
Appendix: Hagerstown Ransomed 209
Chapter Notes 211
Bibliography 223
Index 229

• “An important addition…this book has a WOW! + rating”—The Lone Star Book
• “The work presents a discussion of social, political and economic circumstances as well as a detailed war narrative of the movement of troops and decisions of generals”—SciTech Book News
• “A book that combines vivid battle scenes with insightful consideration of the political balance of the Civil War’s decisive year. It is a book for both the Civil War buff, and the student of American history.”—Charles Bracelen Flood, author of 1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History