First in Defense of the Union: The Civil War History of the First Defenders

When their nation called, these men were the first to respond. . . Following the capitulation of Fort Sumter and in response to President Lincoln's first call to arms in April, 1861, the men of the Ringgold Light Artillery, National Light Infantry, Washington Artillery, Logan Guards, and Allen Infantry, departed their Pennsylvania homes and families and marched into history as the First Defenders, for they were the first volunteer troops to reach Washington after the start of America's Civil War. Despite this distinguished achievement and regardless of their place in American history, little is known and much less has been written about these men and the companies they comprised. With First in Defense of the Union, Civil War historian John David Hoptak fills this void in historiography and brings the story of the First Defenders vividly to life by relying heavily upon the soldiers' letters and diaries to tell of their enlistment into service, their harrowing march through Baltimore, their arrival in the nation's capital, and their three month term of service with the Federal forces.