Rebels at the Gate: Lee and McClellan on the Front Line of a Nation Divided

by W. Hunter Lesser

Rebels at the Gate is the dramatic story of the first Union victories of the Civil War and the events that caused Virginians to divide their state. In a defiant act to sustain President Lincoln's war effort, Virginia Unionists created their own state government in 1861―destined to become the new state of West Virginia.

Genres: Civil War, American Civil War, History, Nonfiction, Civil War Eastern Theater, Military History, Military Fiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[David Elkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to be a Civil War buff to dig this deep in the now relatively obscure campaign that made West Virginia a state. Mr. Lesser does a solid job of covering the battles and the politics that influenced the results that lead to the first state created out of an existing state. He not only touches on the two most important Generals that fought in the 1861 struggle, but does a superb job of touching on the locals impacted, the soldiers who suffered on Cheat Mountain to the politicians that struggled with great constitutional questions.

Worth a read if you are a student of the American Civil War

[Peter Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe not quite 4-stars, but certainly 3.5 and I will round up! Just for the fact that it covered a theater long-ignored or bypassed in most Civil War histories. But these early campaigns (both political and military) of 1861 in what was western Virginia, were crucial to the outcome of the war. The loss of the Baltimore and Ohio RR to the CSA would have been a severe blow to the US war effort and was perhaps the most critical aspect of the military campaign. The terrain, in what is present day West Virginia, was likely the most difficult of any theater of the entire war. They call it the Mountain State for a reason! The weather was perhaps the worst of the war as well. It was wet, incredibly wet with one account speaking of rain on 37 out of 43 days in July and August 1861. The accounts speak of snow on the summit of Cheat Mountain (el. 4,848 ft) on August 13th (an occurrence that is footnoted and supported by multiple sources) and frost on August 16th. A Indiana soldier wrote that it was as cold as December in August! Significant fighting took place well into December 1861 with the battle of Alleghany Mountain in Pochahontas County. Snow,rain, wind and bitterly cold temperatures frequently occurrred. No down jackets and snow boots, these armies were pitifully under equipped for a mountain winter campaign (especially the CSA). And both armies were of course utterly inexperienced yet undertook marches that almost defy belief across the rugged terrain. Several 'small' battles by later standards were fought and the North managed to capture enough territory to allow the political drama of secession take place. Secession that is of West Virginia from Virginia! This was perhaps of more import than the military campaign. In an act of stunning hypocrisy the North and Lincoln permitted, in fact encouraged what it denied the southern states as whole. Lincoln apparently had his qualms on that very point but decided that the wartime imperative demanded it. Overall the book filled a real gap in my own understanding of the 'late unpleasantness'. It is heavily footnoted and referenced along with nice glossy photos. The book does wander down some byways that detract from the pace of the narrative and the maps are completely subpar, a serious omission in any book dealing with land battles and especially in the tortured terrain of, well Virginia!

[Gilbert Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good history in a geographical area largely ignored in Civil War history.

It is hard to get histories of the war in West Virginia. This book fits the bill and does the job nicely.

[Dan Grimm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written book about an overlooked part of the Civil War.

[Donald Gillespie · Rating 4 out of 5]

well documented history of early part of civil war in western virginia

[Doug McNair · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable narrative history of the first year of the Civil War in what would become West Virginia. The book shifts back and forth between the military and political conflicts that resulted in the creation of the new state, with lots of detail on many major and minor participants in the conflict. Highly (and often overly) detailed, it will appeal to those who want lots of information on this oft-overlooked chapter of the war.

[Matthew Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, but it gets lost in the it's own research. There is such a thing as being too specific and too research intensive and this fits the bill. The tiniest of details are given which actually bogs down the flow of the reading. The writing is well done and interesting, but leave the miniature details to regimental histories.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great resource on the first campaigns in the Eastern Theater in the area that would become West Virginia. It is interesting to see the early activities of Lee and McClellan knowing the reversal of fortunes of each that would eventually occur in the Civil War.