Lee's Bold Plan for Point Lookout: The Rescue of Confederate Prisoners That Never Happened

by Jack E. Schairer

Overview

In July 1864, while hemmed in by Grant at Richmond, General Robert E. Lee conceived a bold plan designed not only to relieve Lynchburg and protect the Confederate supply line but also to ultimately make a bold move on Washington itself. A major facet of this plan, with the addition of General Jubal Early's forces, became the rescue of the almost 15,000 Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout, a large Union prison camp at the confluence of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. With international recognition hanging in the balance for the Confederacy, the failure of Lee's plan saved the Union and ultimately changed the course of the war.

This work focuses on the many factors that contributed to this eventual failure, including Early's somewhat inexplicable hesitancy, a significant loss of time for Confederate troops en route, and aggressive defensive action by Union General Lew Wallace. It also discusses various circumstances such as Washington's stripped defenses, the potential release of imprisoned Southern troops and a breakdown of Union military intelligence that made Lee's gamble a brilliant, well-founded strategy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786435555
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	10/14/2008
Pages:	265
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.54(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Retired attorney Jack E. Schairer lives near Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to professional articles, his previous work includes a novel and a book of poetry.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface     

1. Introduction     
2. Lee Was an Audacious Man     
3. Plans to Capture Washington and Point Lookout     
4. Trevilian Station     
5. General Hunter Fails to Move in the Shenandoah Valley as Directed     
6. Lee’s Bold Plan, Phase I     
7. Early’s Fateful Decision     
8. Washington’s Defenses Undermanned     
9. Point Lookout Prison Camp Vulnerable to Attack     
10. Early Tarries on the Upper Potomac     
11. A Lack of Shoes Causes Delay     
12. Grant Fails to Meet Early’s Threat     
13. Early Hindered by Lack of Cooperation with Mosby     
14. Washington’s Defenses Depleted by Removal of Troops to Maryland Heights     
15. Seaborne Attack on Point Lookout in Conjunction with Early’s Forces Called Off     
16. Wallace Aggressively Contests Early’s Move to Frederick     
17. General Ransom Costs Early Time     
18. Hunter and Howe Fail to Move to Threaten Early     
19. Confederates Fail to Secure Bridge at Monocacy Junction     
20. Early Delayed by Battle of the Monocacy     
21. Johnson-Gilmor Raid Toward Baltimore and Point Lookout     
22. Wallace’s Retreat to Baltimore Aids Early’s Advance on Washington     
23. Hot Weather Slows Early’s Move on Washington     
24. Early Loses Opportunity to Enter Washington at Fort Stevens     
25. Veteran Reserve Troops and Convalescing Officers Help Defend Washington     
26. Quartermaster Employees Serve in Washington’s Defense     
27. Lack of Intelligence on Washington Defenses Handicaps Early     
28. Actions at the Blair Mansions a Minor Factor in Early’s Failure to Enter Washington     
29. McCook’s Force Outside Fort Stevens Deters Early’s Assault     
30. Convalescing Union Troops Help Defend Washington     
31. Lincoln Under Fire at Fort Stevens     
32. Foreign Recognition of the Confederacy and Lincoln’s Problematic Reelection     
33. Epilogue: Early Reconsidered     

Chapter Notes     
Bibliography     
Index