Compelled to Fight: The Secession Crisis in Rockbridge County, Virginia

Description

The American Civil War continues to stir passion and fascination for many readers. While there are hundreds of books about the war itself, few delve into the mysteries of why a once united nation was torn apart in a war that has not been exceeded on this continent for its bloodiness and destruction.

In Compelled to Fight, the causes of the Civil War are examined through Rockbridge County, Virginia—a microcosm of antebellum Virginia—and touches upon why this Union-loving people in the most critical border state abandoned hope of compromise and cast their lot with the South. Rittenburg presents the who’s-who of Lexington, VMI, W&L, Rockbridge County, and the local events that led to ultimate secession. Compelled to Fight is 500 pages, illustrated and indexed.