Connery, a military historian, relates some of the well-known and lesser-known events of the Civil War in Northern Virginia in 1861, and the feeling of chaos and uncertainty during the period. The area, which included the estate of Robert E. Lee, was mostly farmland inhabited by the Pennsylvania Dutch, Quakers, and New Englanders who had recently moved to the area. He describes incidents such as the Occoquan Flag Incident, secessions from the Union, the invasion of Alexandria County by Union soldiers, the Battle of Dranesville, the birth of the Confederate flag and the "Battle Hymn of the Republic, and events in Fairfax County; Woodlawn, the Quaker House, and Hollin Hill; Fairfax Court House; Prince William County; and Loudoun County and the Battle of Ball's Bluff. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)