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.

Download or read book The Greatest Civil War Battles the First Battle of Bull Run First Manassas written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by . This book was released on 2013-10-15 with total page 40 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.

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.

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.

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

Download or read book The First Battle of Manassas written by Captivating History and published by . This book was released on 2021-07-06 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the story of the first official battle of the American Civil War, the First Battle of Manassas, in this captivating book on what transpired on that fateful day of July 21st, 1861. The causes of the American Civil War, which lasted from April 1861 to May 1865, were many and complex. At the heart of the disagreement, however, was slavery. The Southern states of the newly formed but illegal Confederacy were prepared to fight the US federal government to the death to retain their right to keep slaves for their plantations. The election of President Abraham Lincoln in late 1860, whose open intention was to abolish slavery, created a military upheaval south of Washington, DC, and civil war ensued. Although other attacks and skirmishes between the North and South occurred before the summer of 1861, it was the First Battle of Manassas (also known as the First Battle of Bull Run) on July 21st of that year that marked the first official engagement of the long war to come. Unfolding in northeastern Virginia, not far from the American capital, seventy thousand men met across the Bull Run River, equally divided between their loyalties to Washington and Richmond-the Confederacy's capital. The armies were the largest raised by America until that time, but most of the soldiers were "green" and untried. Both Northerners and Southerners alike had rushed into the engagement, both overconfident and underprepared. On that fateful day, men, who had until so recently been friends and allies, fought against one another to the bitter end because their leaders were not prepared to negotiate on their ideals. Although the South was victorious at the First Battle of Manassas, in truth, over the course of the four-year-long bloody and destructive Civil War, everyone became the loser. In this book, you will learn: Why the American Civil War began. What events led up to the First Battle of Manassas. Who the main characters of Manassas were. What transpired over the days surrounding the battle. The outcome and consequences of Manassas. How Manassas was one of the first causes that defined the course of American history. Scroll up and click the "add to cart" button to learn more about the First Battle of Manassas!

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.

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: 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. The author 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.

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.

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.

Download or read book Thirteen Months at Manassas Bull Run written by Don Johnson and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2013-09-19 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Civil War history focuses on Prince William County, Virginia, where two of the war's greatest engagements were fought, thirteen months apart. The First and Second Battles of Manassas are described in profound detail but so are the lives of resident families as a cloud of despair hangs over their lands. The book captures the experiences of leaders and privates, the good and the bad, while revealing horrific accounts of civilian victims, largely undisclosed until the writing of this book.

Download or read book The Battle of First Bull Run written by Larry Hama and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2006-08-15 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first battle of the Civil War is descibed in graphic format.

Download or read book Fort Sumter First 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 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures of important people, places, and events. *Includes maps of the battles. *Includes accounts of the fighting at Fort Sumter and First Bull Run by important generals and leaders who fought there. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. After the Southern states seceded and formed the Confederacy in the wake of Abraham Lincoln's election, Americans on both sides waited anxiously to see if the North would fight to preserve the Union. The Confederacy's hope of being let go in peace ended at 4:30 a.m. on the morning of April 12, 1861, when Confederate Brigadier-General P.G.T. Beauregard ordered the first shots to be fired at the federal garrison defending Fort Sumter in the Charleston Harbor, effectively igniting the Civil War. For nearly 36 hours, Beauregard's Confederates unleashed a general bombardment from 43 guns and mortars positioned at various points across the Harbor. Unable to effectively reply or defend themselves, Major Robert Anderson raised the white flag early in the afternoon of April 13, bringing the first battle of the Civil War to a close. No casualties were suffered on either side during the dueling bombardments across Charleston Harbor, but ironically two U.S. Army soldiers were killed by an accidental explosion during the surrender ceremonies. Fort Sumter is popularly remembered today as the first fighting of the Civil War, and a relatively painless battle at that, but much of the history before April 12 that led to the shelling of the fort is often overlooked. The federal garrison had been stationed there months before the fight, carefully watching the secession of South Carolina, the buildup of Confederate forces in the region, and the actions of the Buchanan Administration and incoming Lincoln administration in the weeks leading up to the bombardment. 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. 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, but Confederate reinforcements, some of which arrived by train in the middle of the battle, evened up the armies' strength and turned the tide, causing the Union army to panic and break in a rout back to Washington. Today First Bull Run is remembered as the first important land battle of the Civil War, but 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. Fort Sumter & First Bull Run comprehensively covers all of the events that led up to the the two historic battles, the fighting that took place, and their aftermath and legacies. Along with pictures and a Bibliography, you'll learn about the Civil War's first battles like you never have before.

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 2014-10-30 with total page 625 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

Download or read book Maps of First Bull Run written by Bradley Gottfried and published by Savas Beatie. This book was released on 2009-06-11 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bradley M. Gottfried's The Maps of First Bull Run: An Atlas of the First Bull Run (Manassas) Campaign, including the Battle of Ball's Bluff, June - October 1861 is the eagerly awaited companion volume to his bestselling The Maps of Gettysburg (2007, two editions, four printings), part of the ongoing Savas Beatie Atlas Series. The Maps of First Bull Run breaks down the entire operation (and related actions) into numerous map sets or "action-sections" enriched with more than fifty full-color original full-page maps. These cartographic originals bore down to the regimental and battery level and include the march to and from the battlefield and virtually every significant event in between. At least two--and as many as seventeen--maps accompany each "action-section." Keyed to each piece of cartography is a full facing page of detailed text describing the units, personalities, movements, and combat (including quotes from eyewitnesses) depicted on the accompanying map, all of which make the story of First Bull Run come alive. This original presentation makes it easy for readers to quickly locate a map and text on virtually any portion of the campaign. Readers will maneuver with Confederate and Union armies in the Shenandoah Valley, march with General McDowell's Federals to the plains of Manassas, and fight blow-by-blow through the battle up to its stunning climax on Henry House Hill and the final retreat from the battlefield all the way to Washington. The smaller but important Battle of Ball's Bluff is also covered in the same fashion, as is the skirmish at Lewinsville. Serious students will appreciate the extensive and authoritative endnotes, bibliography, and complete orders of battle. They will also want to bring the book along on their trips to the battlefields. Perfect for the easy chair or for walking hallowed ground, The Maps of First Bull Run is a seminal work that, like his earlier Gettysburg study, belongs on the bookshelf of every serious and casual student of the Civil War. About the Author: Bradley M. Gottfried, Ph.D., is the President of the College of Southern Maryland. An avid Civil War historian, Dr. Gottfried is the author of five books, including Brigades of Gettysburg: The Union and Confederate Brigades at the Battle of Gettysburg (2002) and The Maps of Gettysburg (2007). He is currently working with co-editor Theodore P. Savas on a Gettysburg Campaign encyclopedia.

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 681 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This crucial campaign receives its most complete and comprehensive treatment in Edward 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.

Download or read book 1861 written by Adam Goodheart and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2012-02-21 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A gripping and original account of how the Civil War began and a second American revolution unfolded, setting Abraham Lincoln on the path to greatness and millions of slaves on the road to freedom. An epic of courage and heroism beyond the battlefields, 1861 introduces us to a heretofore little-known cast of Civil War heroes—among them an acrobatic militia colonel, an explorer’s wife, an idealistic band of German immigrants, a regiment of New York City firemen, a community of Virginia slaves, and a young college professor who would one day become president. Their stories take us from the corridors of the White House to the slums of Manhattan, from the waters of the Chesapeake to the deserts of Nevada, from Boston Common to Alcatraz Island, vividly evoking the Union at its moment of ultimate crisis and decision. Hailed as “exhilarating….Inspiring…Irresistible…” by The New York Times Book Review, Adam Goodheart’s bestseller 1861 is an important addition to the Civil War canon. Includes black-and-white photos and illustrations.