I'm John Batchel with my friend Patrick O'Donnell. His new book is The Unvanquished,

the untold story of Lincoln Special Forces, The Manhunt for Mosby's Rangers.

Jeb Stewart is wounded, and he is very good and very easy to work with for John Sincleton Mosby.

There is another man we need to introduce who is not easy to work with because he's cantankerous

and likes to keep his own counsel. His name is Early, Jubal Early. And he's got a cavalry force

that is very likely to have won the war but for the accidents of

warfare. Patrick, what is important to know about Jubal Early and John Mosby?

Chubal Early is considered General Lee's mean old dog. He's cantankerous. It's not friendly. And in terms of

the relationship between Mosby and Jubilee, they don't like each other. They can't stand each other.

And this is an unfortunate thing for the Confederacy, because had the two work together in more

coordination, the capital may have fallen.

And what happens is during the Battle of Lynchburg, which is in the summer of 1864,

Lee rushes reinforcement to the city, and they repel an even larger force under General Hunter,

the Union commander, who instead of retreating towards

Washington to protect it, he retreats back into West Virginia. And it's a death march. You know,

the scouts are there. It's a really, you know, there's, it's hot. Many men just die of dehydration.

But the way to, to, to, to, the way to Washington, D.C. is open.

And they march through the Shenandoah up towards Maryland. And this is the back door for the Confederacy to the nation's capital.

And they fight in Maryland at a place called Monocacy. And this is where the author of

Ben Hur is, you know, makes a valiant stand, which burns an hour, burns a day of time.

Welles is his name. And he's watching on his clock how many hours he's buying for the defense of Washington.

It's very brave of him. It is. It's extremely brave. They lose the battle, but they burn up time. And early marches as quickly as he can. It's unfortunately for early, I should say, and fortunate for the union the um it's it's it's it's

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