Publisher's Synopsis
The Battles of Ball's Bluff and Edwards Ferry occurred in Cotber 1861; twelve fitful hours of fighting ended in one of the worst defeats either side would suffer during the entire Civil War, wrecked a prominent Union general's career, and killed Col. Edward Baker-a sitting United States senator and one of President Abraham Lincoln's good friends. The news rocked a Northern populace already reeling from the recent disasters of Bull Run and Wilson's Creek. Based upon extensive firsthand research and a full appreciation of the battlefield terrain, A Little Short of Boats sets forth the strategy behind the combats that followed, and the colourful personalities involved. The bloody result, coupled with the disaster's political fallout, held the nation's attention for weeks. The battle's most important impact was also the least predictable; the creation of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War. Ostensibly formed to seek out the causes of the string of defeats, the Joint Committee instead pushed the political agenda of the"Radical Republicans" and remained a thorn in Lincoln's side for four long years. This fully revised and expanded sesquicentennial edition of Morgan's A Little Short of Boats will please Civil War enthusiasts who love tactical studies and remind them once again that very often in history, smaller affairs often have important and lasting consequences. About the Author Jim Morgan is a past president of the Loudoun County Civil War Roundtable, a member of the Loudoun County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, and a volunteer guide at Ball's Bluff for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.
