The Tale Untwisted: General George B. McClellan, the Maryland Campaign, and the Discovery of Lee's Lost Orders

by Gene M. Thorp, Alexander B. Rossino

Overview

The discovery of Robert E. Lee’s Special Orders No. 191 outside of Frederick, Maryland, on September 13, 1862, is one of the most important and hotly disputed events of the American Civil War. For more than 150 years, historians have debated if George McClellan, commander of the Union Army of the Potomac, dawdled after receiving a copy of the orders before warily advancing to challenge Lee’s forces atop South Mountain.

In The Tale Untwisted, authors Gene Thorp and Alexander Rossino document in exhaustive fashion how “Little Mac” in fact moved with uncharacteristic energy to counter the Confederate threat and take advantage of Lee’s divided forces, seizing the initiative and striking a blow in the process that wrecked Lee’s plans and sent his army reeling back toward Virginia.

This study is a beautifully woven tour de force of primary research that may well be the final word on the debate over the fate and impact of the Lost Orders on the history of the 1862 Maryland Campaign.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781954547445
Publisher:	Savas Beatie
Publication date:	01/03/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	55 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Gene M. Thorp is an award-winning cartographer and writer who worked at The Washington Post for 15 years. His freelance maps can be found in numerous books on the New York Times bestseller list and throughout major museums and parks. Gene currently works at the U.S. Department of State.
Alexander B. Rossino, PhD, is an award-winning scholar living in Maryland. He is the author of numerous articles and several books, including Their Maryland: The Army of Northern Virginia from the Potomac Crossing to Sharpsburg in September 1862 (Savas Beatie, 2021).

Editorial Reviews

Thorpe and Rossino tell the story in a clear, engaging style, with numerous primary references, supported by many splendid maps. Their analysis lends depth and texture to our understanding of the role of the " Lost Orders" in the campaign. The Tale Untwisted, which is likely to prove contentious, is highly recommended, a "must have" for anyone interested in the Eastern Theatre, Antietam, or George McClellan.

The NYMAS Review

This well-documented and logical explanation of the controversial Lee’s ‘Lost Orders’ debate finally puts the actions of General George McClellan in a proper context. Before a single Union soldier took a step in response to any order based on finding S.O. 191, Lee remarked that he found the Union army ‘advancing more rapidly than convenient.’ Now we know why.

Thomas G. Clemens

A clear, extremely well-researched study exploring when Lee’s famous ‘Lost Orders,’ S.O. 191, came into McClellan’s possession and how he responded to them. It is good history and anyone with an interest in the 1862 Maryland Campaign will find it a fascinating and illuminating read.

D. Scott Hartwig

Who Lost the Lost Orders? is the greatest single mystery of the Civil War. But chasing its answer has frequently distracted attention from the larger mystery of what George B. McClellan did with the discovery of the Lost Orders. For almost a century-and-a-half, opinion has followed McClellan’s legion of critics in blaming him for ‘dawdling,’ even with the greatest intelligence coup of the war in his hands. Gene Thorp and Alexander Rossino beg, very pointedly, to differ. In The Tale Untwisted, they offer an alternative view, with McClellan in heated pursuit of the Confederate army, managing a badly demoralized and hastily improvised Army of the Potomac and deploring a lackluster surrender of Harpers Ferry that ought never to have occurred.

Allen C. Guelzo

…Thorp and Rossino offer readers a masterful summary of the period September 7-15. Clarity abounds in the narrative, but the book's dynamic and highly detailed maps (many of which are two-page spreads) provide what amounts to a daily military chessboard. In research, argumentation, and overall presentation, Thorp and Rossino's study shows how going about the process of changing minds influenced by generations of printed misinformation is properly done. Theirs is a refreshing and essential new addition to the 1862 Maryland Campaign literature.

Civil War Books and Authors

Thorp and Rossino make a very persuasive case for McClellan having received the Lost Orders in mid-afternoon and sending his dispatch to Lincoln at midnight on September 13, 1862. If I were writing my Antietam book today, I would follow their account.

James M. McPherson