The book describes how the American capital transformed from a "raw country town" into the powerful capital of a reunited nation during the Civil War years. Leech provides a narrative history rich with anecdotes, focusing on the everyday politics and social realities of the city.
Descriptions range from the political intrigues, corruption, and social scenes involving figures like Mary Todd Lincoln to the grim reality of public buildings repurposed as hospitals and barracks.
The book features "cameo portraits" of many historical figures who were in the city during the war, including Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Clara Barton, Walt Whitman, and Louisa May Alcott.
It won the 1942 Pulitzer Prize for History, making Margaret Leech the first woman to receive that award. Critics have praised it as perhaps the best single popular account of Washington during the Civil War.