Rebels at the Gate: Lee and McClellan on the Front Line of a Nation Divided

Rebels at the Gate is the dramatic story of the first Union victories of the Civil War and the events that caused Virginians to divide their state. In a defiant act to sustain President Lincoln's war effort, Virginia Unionists created their own state government in 1861―destined to become the new state of West Virginia.

W. Hunter Lesser has had a 20-year career as an archaeologist and is involved with many archaeological and historical preservation groups, including the Civil War Preservation Trust, Trust for Public Land and the National Park Service. Recently, he acted as a technical advisor for the Conservation Fund’s The Civil War Battlefield Guide. He lives in West Virginia.