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Book Return to Bull Run

    Book Details:
  • Author : John J. Hennessy
  • Publisher : University of Oklahoma Press
  • Release : 1999-09-01
  • ISBN : 9780806131870
  • Pages : 628 pages

Download or read book Return to Bull Run written by John J. Hennessy and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 1999-09-01 with total page 628 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This comprehensively researched, well-written book represents the definitive account of Robert E. Lee's triumph over Union leader John Pope in the summer of 1862. . . . Lee's strategic skills, and the capabilities of his principal subordinates James Longstreet and Stonewall Jackson, brought the Confederates onto the field of Second Manassas at the right places and times against a Union army that knew how to fight, but not yet how to win."?Publishers Weekly "The deepest, most comprehensive, and most definitive work on this Civil War campaign, by the unchallenged authority."?James I. Robertson Jr., author of Stonewall Jackson

Book Battle at Bull Run

    Book Details:
  • Author : William C. Davis
  • Publisher : Doubleday
  • Release : 2012-06-06
  • ISBN : 0307817512
  • Pages : 431 pages

Download or read book Battle at Bull Run written by William C. Davis and published by Doubleday. This book was released on 2012-06-06 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two great, untested armies were readying for the first—and what many believed would be the last—major conflict between North and South. On the eve of July 21, 1861, one Northerner wrote: “The sky is perfectly clear, the moon is full and bright, and the air was still as if it were not within a few hours to be disturbed by the roar of cannon and the shouts of contending men.” So optimistic were the people in Washington that a crowd of civilians came from the city with picnic hampers to witness the crushing defeat of the upstart “rebels.” It was, says William C. Davis, “the twilight of America’s innocence,” and the following day the mood would shatter in a battle that confounded the expectations of both sides—the first Battle at Bull Run. William C. Davis has written a compelling and complete account of this landmark conflict. The Battle at Bull Run (or Manassas) is notable for many reasons. It was a surprise victory for the Confederacy, a humiliating defeat for the Union, and the first ominous indication that a long and bloody war was inevitable. It marked the first strategic use of railroads in history, and the first time the horrors of the battle were photographed for the folks back home. It was also a training ground for some of America’s most colorful military figures: P.G.T. Beauregard, Joe Johnston, Irvin McDowell and “Stonewall” Jackson. Drawing from a wealth of material—old letters, journals, memoirs and military records—Davis brings to life a vivid and vital chapter in American history.

Book Donnybrook

    Book Details:
  • Author : David Detzer
  • Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Release : 2005-09
  • ISBN : 9780156031431
  • Pages : 596 pages

Download or read book Donnybrook written by David Detzer and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2005-09 with total page 596 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Detailing the Battle of Bull Run from its origins through its aftermath, Donnybrook uses copious primary source material--including the recollections of hundreds of soldiers--to create an epic account. 8-page B&W photo insert.

Book The Battle of Bull Run

Download or read book The Battle of Bull Run written by Allison Lassieur and published by Capstone. This book was released on 2008-09 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A brief description of the events surrounding the Battle of Bull Run during the Civil War with historical details from the perspective of a Union soldier, a Confederate soldier, and a civilian.

Book The First Battle of Manassas

Download or read book The First Battle of Manassas written by John J. Hennessy and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2015-12-15 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On July 21, 1861, near a Virginia railroad junction twenty-five miles from Washington, DC, the Union and Confederate armies clashed in the first major battle of the Civil War. This revised edition of Hennessy's classic is the premier tactical account of First Manassas/Bull Run. • Combines narrative, analysis, and interpretation into a clear, easy-to-follow account of the battle's unfolding • Features commanders who would later become legendary, such as William T. Sherman and Thomas J. Jackson, who earned his "Stonewall" nickname at First Manassas

Book First Battle of Bull Run

    Book Details:
  • Author : Hourly History
  • Publisher : Independently Published
  • Release : 2022-06-20
  • ISBN :
  • Pages : 0 pages

Download or read book First Battle of Bull Run written by Hourly History and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2022-06-20 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the remarkable history of the First Battle of Bull Run... When Union and Confederate forces met at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, each side was confident of victory. The Northern and Southern Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis each hoped for a triumph that would bring a swift and decisive end to the Civil War that split the United States into two warring nations. Union General Irvin McDowell was the first of a succession of commanders who failed to deliver victories for the North. The South could boast of the military brilliance of General Thomas Jackson, who earned the nickname "Stonewall" for his exploits at Bull Run, but in truth, both sides exposed their limitations in the battle. To the North's dismay, the chaotic retreat of the fleeing Union Army proved that an easy conclusion to the conflict was unlikely. For the South, the failure to pursue the fleeing Yankee troops robbed the Confederacy of the opportunity to force the Northern government to accept Southern independence. For both, the battle presaged a long and bloody war, with casualties far beyond what had ever been endured in American history. Discover a plethora of topics such as Strategy Skirmishes at Blackburn's Ford The Battle Begins The Great Skedaddle The War Tourists Union Defeat And much more! So if you want a concise and informative book on the First Battle of Bull Run, simply scroll up and click the "Buy now" button for instant access!

Book A Single Grand Victory

    Book Details:
  • Author : Ethan Sepp Rafuse
  • Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
  • Release : 2002
  • ISBN : 0842028765
  • Pages : 244 pages

Download or read book A Single Grand Victory written by Ethan Sepp Rafuse and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2002 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This series offers to students of the Civil War, either those continuing or those just beginning their exciting journey into the past, concise overviews of important persons, events, and themes in that remarkable period of America's history."--BOOK JACKET.

Book Debacles at Bull Run

    Book Details:
  • Author : Charles River Charles River Editors
  • Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
  • Release : 2017-12-19
  • ISBN : 9781981858354
  • Pages : 162 pages

Download or read book Debacles at Bull Run written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-12-19 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes pictures of important people, places, and events. Includes maps of the battles. Analyzes the generalship of the battles' most important leaders, including Lee, Longstreet, McDowell, Pope, Stonewall Jackson, and more. Includes descriptions of the fighting from the post-battle reports and memoirs of some of the leading generals, including Pope, Lee, Jackson, Longstreet, and others. Includes a Bibliography of each battle for further reading. After Fort Sumter, the Lincoln Administration pushed for a quick invasion of Virginia, with the intent of defeating Confederate forces and marching toward the Confederate capitol of Richmond. Lincoln pressed Irvin McDowell to push forward. Despite the fact that McDowell knew his troops were inexperienced and unready, pressure from the Washington politicians forced him to launch a premature offensive against Confederate forces in Northern Virginia. McDowell's strategy during the First Battle of Bull Run was grand, and in many ways it was the forerunner of a tactic Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet executed brilliantly on nearly the same field during the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862. McDowell's plan called for parts of his army to pin down Beauregard's Confederate soldiers in front while marching another wing of his army around the flank and into the enemy's rear, rolling up the line. McDowell assumed the Confederates would be forced to abandon Manassas Junction and fall back to the next defensible line, the Rappahannock River. In July 1861, however, this proved far too difficult for his inexperienced troops to carry out effectively. The Second Battle of Bull Run (August 28-30, 1862) was one of the most decisive battles fought during the Civil War, and it was also one of the most unlikely. Less than three months before the battle, Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Northern Virginia had been pushed back nearly all the way to Richmond by George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac, so close that Union soldiers could see the church steeples of the Confederate capital. And yet, at the end of Second Manassas, Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia found itself in the field unopposed about 20 miles away from the Union capital of Washington D.C. How could such a remarkable reversal of fortunes take place so quickly? After Lee succeeded the wounded Johnston, he pushed McClellan's Army of the Potomac away from Richmond and back up the Peninsula in late June, only to then swing his army north to face a second Union army, John Pope's Army of Virginia. Needing to strike out before the Army of the Potomac successfully sailed back to Washington and linked up with Pope's army, Lee daringly split his army to threaten Pope's supply lines, forcing Pope to fall back to Manassas to protect his flank and maintain his lines of communication. At the same time, it left half of Lee's army (under Stonewall Jackson) potentially exposed against the larger Union army until the other wing (under James Longstreet) linked back up. Thus, in late August 1862, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Virginia found themselves fighting over nearly the exact same land the South and North fought over in the First Battle of Bull Run 13 months earlier. Debacles at Bull Run comprehensively covers both campaigns, the events that led up to the battles, the fighting itself, and the aftermath of both battles. Accounts of the battles by important participants are also included, along with maps of the battles and pictures of important people, places, and events. You will learn about First Manassas and Second Manassas like you never have before, in no time at all.

Book First Bull Run 1861

    Book Details:
  • Author : Alan Hankinson
  • Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
  • Release : 2013-06-20
  • ISBN : 1846035929
  • Pages : 96 pages

Download or read book First Bull Run 1861 written by Alan Hankinson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-06-20 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A detailed, illustrated account of the beginning of the Civil War. At Bull Run, two inexperienced, ill-trained and poorly led armies clashed in the opening engagement of the American Civil War. Culminating in a stalwart defensive fight by Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson's Virginia Brigade, this is the story of the Confederacy's first victory. Alan Hankinson investigates the personalities of the principal commanders and examines the opposing armies, showing how the widely varying uniforms of different units caused mistakes of identity which affected the battle at crucial points. Weapons, intelligence and the almost universal inexperience of troops on both sides are all discussed, helping to explain the events of the battle itself.

Book At the Battle of Bull Run

Download or read book At the Battle of Bull Run written by Eric Braun and published by Capstone. This book was released on 2018 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores various perspectives surrounding the first Battle of Bull Run in the Civil War. Readers are immersed in the action as their choices guide the narrative.

Book Debacles at Bull Run  the Battles of First Manassas and Second Manassas

Download or read book Debacles at Bull Run the Battles of First Manassas and Second Manassas written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by . This book was released on 2013-09-05 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes pictures of important people, places, and events. Includes maps of the battles. Analyzes the generalship of the battles' most important leaders, including Lee, Longstreet, McDowell, Pope, Stonewall Jackson, and more. Includes descriptions of the fighting from the post-battle reports and memoirs of some of the leading generals, including Pope, Lee, Jackson, Longstreet, and others. Includes a Bibliography of each battle for further reading. After Fort Sumter, the Lincoln Administration pushed for a quick invasion of Virginia, with the intent of defeating Confederate forces and marching toward the Confederate capitol of Richmond. Lincoln pressed Irvin McDowell to push forward. Despite the fact that McDowell knew his troops were inexperienced and unready, pressure from the Washington politicians forced him to launch a premature offensive against Confederate forces in Northern Virginia. McDowell's strategy during the First Battle of Bull Run was grand, and in many ways it was the forerunner of a tactic Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet executed brilliantly on nearly the same field during the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862. McDowell's plan called for parts of his army to pin down Beauregard's Confederate soldiers in front while marching another wing of his army around the flank and into the enemy's rear, rolling up the line. McDowell assumed the Confederates would be forced to abandon Manassas Junction and fall back to the next defensible line, the Rappahannock River. In July 1861, however, this proved far too difficult for his inexperienced troops to carry out effectively. The Second Battle of Bull Run (August 28-30, 1862) was one of the most decisive battles fought during the Civil War, and it was also one of the most unlikely. Less than three months before the battle, Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Northern Virginia had been pushed back nearly all the way to Richmond by George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac, so close that Union soldiers could see the church steeples of the Confederate capital. And yet, at the end of Second Manassas, Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia found itself in the field unopposed about 20 miles away from the Union capital of Washington D.C. How could such a remarkable reversal of fortunes take place so quickly? After Lee succeeded the wounded Johnston, he pushed McClellan's Army of the Potomac away from Richmond and back up the Peninsula in late June, only to then swing his army north to face a second Union army, John Pope's Army of Virginia. Needing to strike out before the Army of the Potomac successfully sailed back to Washington and linked up with Pope's army, Lee daringly split his army to threaten Pope's supply lines, forcing Pope to fall back to Manassas to protect his flank and maintain his lines of communication. At the same time, it left half of Lee's army (under Stonewall Jackson) potentially exposed against the larger Union army until the other wing (under James Longstreet) linked back up. Thus, in late August 1862, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Virginia found themselves fighting over nearly the exact same land the South and North fought over in the First Battle of Bull Run 13 months earlier. Debacles at Bull Run comprehensively covers both campaigns, the events that led up to the battles, the fighting itself, and the aftermath of both battles. Accounts of the battles by important participants are also included, along with maps of the battles and pictures of important people, places, and events. You will learn about First Manassas and Second Manassas like you never have before, in no time at all.

Book The Early Morning of War

    Book Details:
  • Author : Edward G. Longacre
  • Publisher : University of Oklahoma Press
  • Release : 2014-10-22
  • ISBN : 0806147601
  • Pages : 885 pages

Download or read book The Early Morning of War written by Edward G. Longacre and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2014-10-22 with total page 885 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Union and Confederate forces squared off along Bull Run on July 21, 1861, the Federals expected this first major military campaign would bring an early end to the Civil War. But when Confederate troops launched a strong counterattack, both sides realized the war would be longer and costlier than anticipated. First Bull Run, or First Manassas, set the stage for four years of bloody conflict that forever changed the political, social, and economic fabric of the nation. It also introduced the commanders, tactics, and weaponry that would define the American way of war through the turn of the twentieth century. This crucial campaign receives its most complete and comprehensive treatment in Edward G. Longacre’s The Early Morning of War. A magisterial work by a veteran historian, The Early Morning of War blends narrative and analysis to convey the full scope of the campaign of First Bull Run—its drama and suspense as well as its practical and tactical underpinnings and ramifications. Also woven throughout are biographical sketches detailing the backgrounds and personalities of the leading commanders and other actors in the unfolding conflict. Longacre has combed previously unpublished primary sources, including correspondence, diaries, and memoirs of more than four hundred participants and observers, from ranking commanders to common soldiers and civilians affected by the fighting. In weighing all the evidence, Longacre finds correctives to long-held theories about campaign strategy and battle tactics and questions sacrosanct beliefs—such as whether the Manassas Gap Railroad was essential to the Confederate victory. Longacre shears away the myths and persuasively examines the long-term repercussions of the Union’s defeat at Bull Run, while analyzing whether the Confederates really had a chance of ending the war in July 1861 by seizing Washington, D.C. Brilliant moves, avoidable blunders, accidents, historical forces, personal foibles: all are within Longacre’s compass in this deftly written work that is sure to become the standard history of the first, critical campaign of the Civil War.

Book Origins of rebellion to the Battle of Bull s Run

Download or read book Origins of rebellion to the Battle of Bull s Run written by Benson John Lossing and published by . This book was released on 1866 with total page 802 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book The Greatest Civil War Battles

    Book Details:
  • Author : Charles River Charles River Editors
  • Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
  • Release : 2018-02-14
  • ISBN : 9781985465985
  • Pages : 94 pages

Download or read book The Greatest Civil War Battles written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-02-14 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures of important people, places, and events. *Includes maps of the battle. *Analyzes the generalship of the battle's most important leaders, including Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, and John Pope. *Includes descriptions of the fighting from the post-battle reports and memoirs of some of the leading generals, including Stonewall Jackson, Longstreet, Pope, Lee, and more. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "A splendid army almost demoralized, millions of public property given up or destroyed, thousands of lives of our best men sacrificed for no purpose. I dare not trust myself to speak of this commander as I feel and believe. Suffice to say...that more insolence, superciliousness, ignorance, and pretentiousness were never combined in one man." - Union II Corps Commander Alpheus Williams The Second Battle of Bull Run (August 28-30, 1862) was one of the most decisive battles fought during the Civil War, and it was also one of the most unlikely. Less than three months before the battle, Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Northern Virginia had been pushed back nearly all the way to Richmond by George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac, so close that Union soldiers could see the church steeples of the Confederate capital. And yet, at the end of Second Manassas, Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia found itself in the field unopposed about 20 miles away from the Union capital of Washington D.C. How could such a remarkable reversal of fortunes take place so quickly? After Lee succeeded the wounded Johnston, he pushed McClellan's Army of the Potomac away from Richmond and back up the Peninsula in late June, only to then swing his army north to face a second Union army, John Pope's Army of Virginia. Needing to strike out before the Army of the Potomac successfully sailed back to Washington and linked up with Pope's army, Lee daringly split his army to threaten Pope's supply lines, forcing Pope to fall back to Manassas to protect his flank and maintain his lines of communication. At the same time, it left half of Lee's army (under Stonewall Jackson) potentially exposed against the larger Union army until the other wing (under James Longstreet) linked back up. Thus, in late August 1862, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Virginia found themselves fighting over nearly the exact same land the South and North fought over in the First Battle of Bull Run 13 months earlier. When Pope's army fell back to Manassas to confront Jackson, his wing of Lee's army dug in along a railroad trench and took a defensive stance. Pope spent the first two days of the battle concentrating on Jackson's men, which unwittingly opened up the Union army's left flank for Longstreet's wing, which marched 30 miles in 24 hours to reach the battlefield by the late afternoon of August 29. Lee used Longstreet's wing on August 30 to deliver a devastating flank attack before enough reinforcements from the retreating Army of the Potomac reached the field, sweeping Pope's Army from Manassas and forcing the Union soldiers into yet another retreat from Manassas to Washington D.C., a scene eerily reminiscent of the First Battle of Bull Run. The Greatest Civil War Battles: The Second Battle of Bull Run comprehensively covers the campaign and the events that led up to the battle, the fighting itself, and the aftermath of the battle. Accounts of the battle by important participants are also included, along with maps of the battle and pictures of important people, places, and events. You will learn about the Second Battle of Bull Run like you never have before, in no time at all.

Book The Greatest Civil War Battles

    Book Details:
  • Author : Charles River Charles River Editors
  • Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
  • Release : 2018-02-14
  • ISBN : 9781985458321
  • Pages : 72 pages

Download or read book The Greatest Civil War Battles written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-02-14 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes pictures of the battle's important generals and locations. Includes several maps of the battle. Includes accounts of the fighting written by important generals like McDowell, Longstreet, Sherman, Beauregard, and more. Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "Today will be known as BLACK MONDAY. We are utterly and disgracefully routed, beaten, whipped by secessionists." - George Templeton Strong, Northern diarist After the Battle of Fort Sumter in April 1861 ignited the Civil War, many in the North expected a relatively quick victory, including Abraham Lincoln. Days after the smoke had cleared in Charleston Harbor, the Lincoln Administration pushed for a quick invasion of Virginia, with the intent of defeating Confederate forces and marching toward the Confederate capitol recently relocated to Richmond. Despite the fact commanding general Irvin McDowell knew his troops were inexperienced and unready, pressure from the Washington politicians forced him to launch a premature offensive against Confederate forces in Northern Virginia. McDowell's strategy during the First Battle of Bull Run was grand, and in many ways it was the forerunner of a tactic Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet executed brilliantly on nearly the same field during the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862. McDowell's plan called for parts of his army to pin down Beauregard's Confederate soldiers in front while marching another wing of his army around the flank and into the enemy's rear, rolling up the line. McDowell assumed the Confederates would be forced to abandon Manassas Junction and fall back to the next defensible line, the Rappahannock River. In July 1861, however, this proved far too difficult for his inexperienced troops to carry out effectively. As the first major land battle of the Civil War, the First Battle of Bull Run made history in several ways. McDowell's army met Fort Sumter hero P.G.T. Beauregard's Confederate army near the railroad junction at Manassas on July 21, 1861, just 25 miles away from Washington D.C. Many civilians from Washington came to watch what they expected to be a rout of Confederate forces, and for awhile it appeared as though that might be the case. However, Confederate reinforcements under General Joseph E. Johnston's Army, including a brigade led by Thomas Jonathan Jackson, arrived by train on the eve of the battle, evening up the numbers between Union and Confederate. Shoring up the Confederates' left flank, Jackson's brigade helped reverse the Union's momentum and ultimately turn the tide, along with Confederates that arrived by train during the middle of the battle itself. As the battle's momentum switched, the inexperienced Union troops were routed and retreated in disorder back toward Washington in an unorganized mass. With over 350 killed on each side, it was the deadliest battle in American history to date, and both the Confederacy and the Union were quickly served notice that the war would be much more costly than either side had believed. The Greatest Civil War Battles: The Battle of First Bull Run (First Manassas) comprehensively covers the campaign and the events that led up to the battle, the fighting itself, and the aftermath of the battle. Accounts of the battle by important participants are also included, along with maps of the battle and pictures of important people, places, and events. You will learn about the First Battle of Bull Run like you never have before, in no time at all.

Book  We Shall Meet Again

    Book Details:
  • Author : JoAnna M. McDonald
  • Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
  • Release : 2000
  • ISBN : 0195139380
  • Pages : 248 pages

Download or read book We Shall Meet Again written by JoAnna M. McDonald and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2000 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A noted historian illuminates all aspects of the event that launched the Civil War--the Battle of Manassas, or Bull Run. Through the diaries and letters of men involved in battle and over 200 halftone photos of the soldiers, the horrors of war are conveyed with realism and compassion. Featured are more than 45 maps.

Book The Greatest Civil War Battles  the Second Battle of Bull Run  Second Manassas

Download or read book The Greatest Civil War Battles the Second Battle of Bull Run Second Manassas written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by . This book was released on 2013-10-15 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures of important people, places, and events. *Includes maps of the battle. *Analyzes the generalship of the battle's most important leaders, including Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, and John Pope. *Includes descriptions of the fighting from the post-battle reports and memoirs of some of the leading generals, including Stonewall Jackson, Longstreet, Pope, Lee, and more. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "A splendid army almost demoralized, millions of public property given up or destroyed, thousands of lives of our best men sacrificed for no purpose. I dare not trust myself to speak of this commander as I feel and believe. Suffice to say...that more insolence, superciliousness, ignorance, and pretentiousness were never combined in one man." - Union II Corps Commander Alpheus Williams The Second Battle of Bull Run (August 28-30, 1862) was one of the most decisive battles fought during the Civil War, and it was also one of the most unlikely. Less than three months before the battle, Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Northern Virginia had been pushed back nearly all the way to Richmond by George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac, so close that Union soldiers could see the church steeples of the Confederate capital. And yet, at the end of Second Manassas, Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia found itself in the field unopposed about 20 miles away from the Union capital of Washington D.C. How could such a remarkable reversal of fortunes take place so quickly? After Lee succeeded the wounded Johnston, he pushed McClellan's Army of the Potomac away from Richmond and back up the Peninsula in late June, only to then swing his army north to face a second Union army, John Pope's Army of Virginia. Needing to strike out before the Army of the Potomac successfully sailed back to Washington and linked up with Pope's army, Lee daringly split his army to threaten Pope's supply lines, forcing Pope to fall back to Manassas to protect his flank and maintain his lines of communication. At the same time, it left half of Lee's army (under Stonewall Jackson) potentially exposed against the larger Union army until the other wing (under James Longstreet) linked back up. Thus, in late August 1862, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Virginia found themselves fighting over nearly the exact same land the South and North fought over in the First Battle of Bull Run 13 months earlier. When Pope's army fell back to Manassas to confront Jackson, his wing of Lee's army dug in along a railroad trench and took a defensive stance. Pope spent the first two days of the battle concentrating on Jackson's men, which unwittingly opened up the Union army's left flank for Longstreet's wing, which marched 30 miles in 24 hours to reach the battlefield by the late afternoon of August 29. Lee used Longstreet's wing on August 30 to deliver a devastating flank attack before enough reinforcements from the retreating Army of the Potomac reached the field, sweeping Pope's Army from Manassas and forcing the Union soldiers into yet another retreat from Manassas to Washington D.C., a scene eerily reminiscent of the First Battle of Bull Run. The Greatest Civil War Battles: The Second Battle of Bull Run comprehensively covers the campaign and the events that led up to the battle, the fighting itself, and the aftermath of the battle. Accounts of the battle by important participants are also included, along with maps of the battle and pictures of important people, places, and events. You will learn about the Second Battle of Bull Run like you never have before, in no time at all.