Silver Spring and the Civil War

Robert E. Oshel PhD

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9781626194175
• eBook ISBN: 9781625849571
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

On July 11, 1864, some residents cheered and others watched in horror as Confederate troops spread across the fields and orchards of Silver Spring, Maryland. Many fled to the capital while General Jubal Early's troops ransacked their property. The estate of Lincoln's postmaster general, Montgomery Blair, was burned, and his father's home was used by Early as headquarters from which to launch an attack on Washington's defenses. Yet the first Civil War casualty in Silver Spring came well before Early's raid, when Union soldiers killed a prominent local farmer in 1862. This was life in the shadow of the Federal City. Drawing on contemporary accounts and memoirs, Dr. Robert E. Oshel tells the story of Silver Spring over the tumultuous course of the Civil War.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• 1. Montgomery County as Civil War Looms
• 2. Silver Spring Before the War
• 3. The Civil War Comes to Silver Spring: 1861–1863
• 4. Prelude to General Early’s Arrival in Silver Spring: May–July 1864
• 5. On to Rockville! Panic in Washington!: Sunday, July 10, 1864
• 6. Washington’s Defenses
• 7. Early’s Next Stop, Silver Spring: Monday, July 11, 1864
• 8. Preparations for Attack: Monday Night, July 11–12, 1864
• 9. Skirmishes: Tuesday, July 12, 1864
• 10. Early’s Retreat
• 11. The Battle’s Aftermath
• 12. A Final Role for a Silver Spring Resident
• 13. Memorials to the Fallen and the War’s Final Silver Spring Casualty
• Appendix: How Many Troops Did Early Have at Silver Spring?
• Notes
• Bibliography
• About the Author