A VAST AND FIENDISH PLOT: THE CONFEDERATE ATTACKON NEW YORK CITY

Book ID/图书代码： 14780009B32153

English Summary/英文概要： Publishers Weekly：One of the Civil War’s more alarming might-have-beens is reconstructed in this absorbing…history. Johnson (Civil War Blunders) recounts the attempt by Confederate secret agents to burn down Manhattan on the night of November 25, 1864, using what they called “Greek fire” – an incendiary concoction that ignited spontaneously on contact with air. The conspiracy went up in a puff of ineptitude – the fires, set in rooms at various hotels around the city, fizzled from lack of oxygen because the arsonists left the windows closed – but the author’s meticulous study of Manhattan’s 19th-century flammability shows how easily it could have launched a city-wide inferno. Johnson makes the incident an index of the war’s soaring intensity, setting it in the context of the Union Army’s burnings of rebel cities and farms, the bumbling efforts of Confederate agents in Canada to foment insurrection in the North, and the pro-Southern sympathies of prominent New Yorkers who connived at the arson plot…Johnson’s comprehensive account of this usually footnoted episode shows how close it came to becoming a major tragedy. Photos.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 一八六四年十一月二十五日，正值美国内战，南方邦联间谍密谋于曼哈顿市区实施纵火。为达到目的，他们采用了一种名为"希腊火药"的易燃混合物 -- 此种物体一经空气接触便可迅速自燃；但由于人为失误，这场密谋最终未能得逞 -- 策划者曾企图在市内多家宾馆之中点燃火药，但由于未将窗户敞开致使屋内空气流通不足，这一疏忽直接导致了计划的流产。但经过研究后，作者指出，事实上十九世纪的曼哈顿，拥有相当大的火灾隐患，倘若局面失控，整个城市极有可能会变为人间炼狱透过此事件，作者向我们揭示了当时美国内战，于各个层面都已达到了白热化的程度；北方联邦焚烧了南方众多的城市与庄园，而南方邦联则企图于加拿大境内挑起针对北部的叛乱；而当时的纽约城中，普遍弥漫着一股对于南方联邦的怀柔态度，绝大多数人对于曼哈顿纵火阴谋都保有默许的态度... (AW)

Awards/获奖情况：Praise A VAST AND FIENDISH PLOT：
“A fresh and intriguing addition to Civil War literature. Johnson shows how Southerners sought to take revenge on a ‘sister city’ they felt betrayed them after the outbreak of hostilities in 1861."---Brion McClanahan, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Founding Fathers

“Fresh, insightful analysis of an amazing turn of events that nearly set New York City ablaze during the Civil War. Readers will be enthralled by the fast-paced narrative and clear writing that transports them into a dangerous and murky world.”---David J. Eicher, author of The Longest Night

"The history of the Confederate attempt to take the war to New York City with a behind-the-lines attack is a remarkable story overlooked by many students of the Civil War. . A Vast and Fiendish Plot is sure to keep the reader’s interest."---Rod Gragg, author of Confederate Goliath: The Battle of Fort Fisher

“Johnson opens up a new chapter in the annals of Civil War history, as he shines much-needed light on a serious Confederate threat that played out in New York in November of 1864. A must have for everyone’s Civil War bookshelf.”---Marc Leepson, author of Saving Monticello, Flag and Desperate Engagement

“The attack of the Confederate secret service in November 1864 on New York City has never received this detailed a treatment. The book covers the planning, attack and aftermath in a very readable, informative manner.”---James Durney, reviewer for The Order of Civil War Obsessively Compulsed blog

"This fascinating, exhaustively researched saga ranges from battlefields to backrooms as Johnson recounts the tale of an intrepid band of Confederate agents. In prose that travels at breakneck speed, we meet a colorful cast of swashbucklers, knaves, and conspirators. A rousing good read."---Fergus M. Bordewich, author of Bound for Canaan: The Underground Railroad and the War for the Soul of America

“Clint Johnson meticulously details a long-neglected chapter of Civil War history. His well-researched volume yields a vivid, fast-paced account of the intriguing Confederate attempt to cause mayhem, confusion, and destruction. Johnson weaves a fascinating story that is sure to captivate readers.”---Daniel W. Barefoot, author of Spirits of ’76: Ghost Stories of the American Revolution

“Absorbing, meticulous, comprehensive.”---Publishers Weekly

“The historical material is largely novel and clearly presented. . . .An interesting addendum to the Civil War library.”---Kirkus Reviews

About the Author/作者介绍： Fascinated by the American Civil War since the fourth grade, Clint Johnson has written eight books on the subject, including the acclaimed Civil War Blunders. Originally from Florida, he counts Confederate soldiers from Florida, Georgia, and Alabama among his ancestors. He is active as a Civil War reenactor and has portrayed soldiers from both the South and the Union. In researching Pursuit, he spent months studying letters, diaries, and the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion. A graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism, he lives in the mountains of North Carolina with his wife, Barbara. Please visit his website: clintjohnsonbooks.com.
本书作者 Clint Johnson，佛罗里达大学新闻学专业毕业，从小学四年级起，他便对美国内战史极为着迷；围绕这一题材，其先后共编写了多达八本书籍，其中包括有著名的 Civil War Blunders 一书. 读者还可访问其个人网站 clintjohnsonbooks.com

Format:照片

Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE

Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE

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