'Twelve Days' by Tony Silber
One of history’s great what is concerns what might have happened if the Confederates had seized Washington D.C. in the opening weeks of the Civil War. The South could easily have taken the capital, defended only by a company of Marines and a few ragtag regiments of militia, and filled with traitors who welcomed a Confederate victory. Civilians fled the city, military officers and federal workers resigned (a few shot themselves) and only Abraham Lincoln’s determination held the line.
In Twelve Days, Tony Silber explores the reasons for the Confederacy’s failure to capture the capital. His lively account details the often-prosaic reasons for the outcome, which amount to Southern slowness and the North’s greater speed. The Confederacy’s best commander at the outbreak of war, Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, thought federal forces would counter-attack at Charleston after Fort Sumter fell. Virginia politicians debated before leaving the Union and Maryland politicians argued before staying in. The loyal states responded to Lincoln’s call for militia to put down the rebellion and troops from across the North poured into Washington. His appeal “to all loyal citizens … to maintain the honor, the integrity, and the existence of our National Union” was answered—just in time.
