Fighting for Time: The Battle of Monocacy

by Glenn H. Worthington

In the summer of 1864, General Jubal A. Early led about 15,000 Confederates on a daring sweep through Maryland. The savage battle proved to be one of the most decisive engagements of the Civil War. The hard-marching Confederate troops of General Early were embarked on a desperate gamble - an invasion of the North meant to take the pressure off Robert E. Lee's besieged forces at Petersburg. Early's goal was nothing less than the seat of the Federal Government, Washington, D.C. Glenn Worthington, a youthful witness at Monocacy, recounts in rich detail the see-saw fighting as lines of blue and gray swept across the rolling pasture land and wheat fields of central Maryland. Replete with official reports of the engagement, and the anecdotal recollections and memoirs of participants.

Genres: Civil War, History

396 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1932

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the book before I visited the battlefield, the joint result was that it was not difficult to envision the scene that took place at Monocacy almost 150 years ago. The book is a must read, I think for any American Civil War buff.

[Henry Davis IV · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Even as a traveler passes unmoved over fields of fame, or through cities of ancient renown, — unmoved because utterly unconscious of the lofty deeds which there have been wrought, of the great hearts which spent themselves there" (Worthington, page xi [original source unlisted]). So starts Glenn Worthington's tale of the battle that "saved Washington," the Battle of Monocacy. Although Worthington's book lacks the rigor of a professionally written history, the personal experience he adds to this topic about both the battle and how it should be remembered make this book a good piece of regional history. Written to convince Congress and Maryland state politicians to follow through on their commitment to preserve the Monocacy Battlefield, this book details how Union Major General Lew Wallace (of later Ben Hur fame) fought a delaying action on July 9th, 1864 against Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early during Early's campaign to capture Washington, D.C. Despite being significantly outnumbered, Wallace was able to delay Early's forces by at least 24 hours which allowed General Grant enough time to move an entire corps from the siege lines at Petersburg, Virginia to Washington, D.C. via boat. These forces were able to successfully blunt Confederate assaults at Fort Stevens in what is presently North West Washington, D.C. along 13th Street. Aside from the battle itself, Worthington discussed Early's follow-on plans to free Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout, Maryland and thus build combat power to continue his campaign. If Early had successfully captured Washington, it is possible the Confederacy may have gain the recognition it craved from European countries like France or Great Britain and, thus, scored a huge political victory Union forces would be hard-pressed to undo on the battlefield. If you are interested in the Civil War's strategic aspects or just have the good fortune to live in the Mid-Atlantic, I highly recommend this folksy but very readable account. For well read students of the War Between the States, just the fact that Brian C. Pohanka (noted historian and reenactor who left us far too early) revised Worthington's original work in such and elegant manner makes this a worthy read.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Civil War Battle that saved Washington DC and there are not many accounts of this battle. Glenn H. Worthington changes that with this volume.

Well documented narrative which details the days leading to, the day of, and the days after the battle.