Siege of Washington, D.C., written expressly for little people

by Francis Colburn Adams

YOU, my son, have heard, and perhaps read, how Rome was once saved by a goose. There were, as you know, my son, a great many geese abroad during the siege of Washington; but it was not through any act of theirs that the city was saved. As I love you dearly, my son, so is it my first desire to instruct you correctly on all subjects in which the good of our great country is concerned. Before concluding my history of this remarkable siege, I shall prove to your satisfaction that Washington was saved, and the fate of the nation determined, by a barrel of whisky.

66 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1867

About the author

Francis Colburn Adams (1850–1891), American author. Also wrote under Pheleg Van Truesdale.

Reviews

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published in 1867, I thought this author had a unique perspective in everything regarding the Civil War that he described, being fresh in his mind, not in decades' hindsight, or learned from history books. I enjoyed this book very much, and in spite of its age, i felt it easy to read and understand. Mr. Adams employed humor, not towards the tragedy of the war itself, nor no disrespect for loss of all the brave lives, but for the repeated mistakes that our govermental staff made, which in many ways, only served to lengthen the war, or lose more life. I do believe that this book should be on the list of every American student of history, as it adds an invaluable, fresh new take on that terrible war, from someone who actually lived through it.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history of the Siege of Washington D.C. (and to a lesser extent, of the Civil War in general), written only a few years after the war ended, and intended for children (the narrator addresses "my son!" continually, so apparently imagined *boys* to be the children in question). The wry and occasionally rueful tone lends itself to humor and even hilarity at points, but it is somewhat dated in diction and register. Also, this edition has no illustrations, but the text constantly refers to the illustrations meant to accompany the text, so, 3/5 . . .