Dissonance - by David Detzer (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

For two weeks in 1861, Washington, D.C., was locked in a state of panic. Would the newly formed Confederate States of America launch its first attack on the Union by capturing the nation's capital? Would Lincoln's Union fall before it had a chance to fight?

Wedged between Virginia and Maryland--two states bordering on secession--Washington was isolated; its communications lines were cut, its rail lines blocked. Newly recruited volunteers were too few and were unable to enter the city. A recently inaugurated Lincoln struggled to form a plan--defense or attack?

In this final chapter of his trilogy on the Civil War, David Detzer pulls the drama from this pivotal moment in American history straight from the pages of diaries, letters, and newspapers. With an eye for detail and an ear for the voices of average citizens, he beautifully captures the tense, miasmic atmosphere of these first chaotic days of war.

From the Back Cover

"A highly readable, comprehensive, and thoughtfully written examination of a pivotal moment in our greatest national tragedy."--Civil War Book Review
For two weeks in 1861, Washington, D.C., was locked in a state of panic. Would the newly formed Confederate States of America launch its first attack on the Union by capturing the nation's capital? Wedged between Virginia and Maryland--two states bordering on secession--the city was isolated; its communications lines were cut, its rail lines blocked. A recently inaugurated Lincoln struggled to form a plan--defense or attack?
David Detzer pulls the drama from this pivotal moment in American history straight from the pages of diaries, letters, and newspapers, beautifully capturing the tense, miasmic atmosphere of these first chaotic days of war.
"Like a big-budget Hollywood movie director, Detzer works with a large cast of leading and featured characters. Like a 19th-century novelist, he relies on memorable physical description to help readers keep the actors and action straight."--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"The conclusion of Detzer's popular trilogy on the first hundred days of the Civil War finds the Union gripped by fear that the Confederacy will capture Washington and end the war almost before it has started."--The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
David Detzer is professor emeritus of history at Western Connecticut State University. He is the author of Donnybrook; Allegiance; The Brink: Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962; and Thunder of the Captains, about the Korean War. He lives in Connecticut.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR DONNYBROOK

"Detzer establishes himself as the premier historian of the war's first months, as Donnybrook follows his thoughtful, much acclaimed Allegiance. The result: an elegantly written book that engages from first word to last . . . First-rate history presented with great literary merit."-AMERICA'S CIVIL WAR

"This is history as it should be written."-THE SEATTLE TIMES