Defend this old town

"With its title echoing the cry raised in Williamsburg as the Federal army approached in May 1862, Carol Dubbs's narrative sweeps us into the lives of the residents of this small historic city from the secession of Virginia in 1861 to Lee's surrender four years later. Williamsburg's Civil War ordeal has never before been told in such depth.". "Located midway on the only land route between Richmond and the Union-held Fort Monroe, on the tip of the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg hosted Confederate troops for the first year of war while defensive earthworks were built across the area. After the Battle of Williamsburg on May 5, 1862 - a bloody dash neither side sought but each claimed as victor - Union forces began an occupation that lasted with only short interruptions until the end of the war. Now the closest Federal outpost to the Confederate capital, Williamsburg became a conduit for both blue and gray espionage and smuggling operations, as well as a base for Union raids on Richmond. Those resident - white and black - who had not fled, remained to stubbornly defend their homes.". "Maps, period photographs, orders of battle, and a bibliography complete this substantial, comprehensive, and entertaining work. A riveting war epic of local scale and human dimensions, Defend This Old Town is certain to engage anyone who enjoys good history."--BOOK JACKET.