Book excerpt: This is a Civil War book about a little known engagement that took place two days before the important Battle of Monocacy which is referred to as the battle that saved Washington, D.C. from capture by the Confederates. The book follows the ragtag Confederate Army of the Valley commanded by the cantankerous General Jubal Early on its ill fated 1864 invasion of Maryland. It introduces the reader to the various players and the general background that would become part of this critical thirty day period in the Civil War. Special emphasis is placed on the Third Potomac Home Brigade and the role this unit of Marylanders would play in the events. The book follows Jubal Earlys army through the Shenandoah Valley, its eventual crossing of the Potomac River into Maryland and the reaction to this impending problem by two particular individuals, John Garrett of the Baltimore & Railroad and Union General Lew Wallace. It details the various engagements fought between the invading Confederates and the hastily assembled Union defenders leading up the fighting that occurred first on the morning of July 7th at Middletown, Maryland then culminating in spirited fighting during the afternoon and evening hours, in the farm fields just west of Frederick. The book continues with the military activities on July 8th and concentrates on the part that the Third Potomac Home Brigade plays in the Battle of Monocacy that transpires on July 9th. While concentrating on the military activities during this time period the book takes time to discuss the ransoms of three Maryland communities by the invading Confederates namely Frederick, Hagerstown and Middletown. To better inform the reader information is provided through maps, pictures and lists on units involved, their commanders, troop movement, period currency and transportation. When finished its hoped the reader will have a better understanding of the importance of the July 7th fighting, those that participated and the overall impact it had on the preparations for and the outcome of the Battle of Monocacy.