In September of 1999 I visited the battlefield of Manassas. Prior to that I'd done a little bit of research to give me a clearer idea of what I would be seeing and how it fitted into the wider picture that was the Civil War. JoAnna McDonald's book was a great help in piecing together the events that were to become know as the First Battle of Manassas (or Bull Run depending on your preference).

"We Shall Meet Again" certainly gives an excellent overview of the battle, breaking down the different troop movements into stages that the reader is able to clearly follow. However, before the account of the battle itself, McDonald presents a useful introduction entitled 'Ways and Means' covering such aspects as weapons, flags and uniforms and the initial strategies and battle plans of First Manassas. Although only giving selective and limited information this initial section of the book acts as a useful backdrop for the events that were to come.

"We Shall Meet Again" essentially provides a step by step account of the battle. It does not provide nor does it attempt to provide an in-depth history. However, it is not to the detriment of "We Shall Meet Again" that it's remit is one of focus on the battle itself and not historical analysis of it. For such an analysis I would direct the reader to "Battle at Bull Run" by William C. Davis.

The maps and illustrations in the book are limited and could have done with expansion and further detail. Certainly they offer enough clarity to allow the reader to visually follow the action but I would have appreciated a little more.

An aspect of the book I found interesting were the photographs/drawings and writings of some of those involved in the fighting. Both these elements helped to humanise the events, reminding us that although the battle is now seen as an historical occurrence those that fought there were very real. If this is an area that interests you, "First Manassas - Voices of the Civil War" would be an ideal addition to your library.

"We Shall Meet Again" offers a good introduction to the First Battle of Manassas. Although the subject matter is quite specific - it's about one battle at the start of the war - it provided me with an insight into the not only the details of the battle but also the naivety of it's participants.

This is a good book to become familar with the first battle of Manassas. It has a good overview of the actions of the battle in chronilogical order, as well as who the main commanders were and the obsticles they faced. It also does a good job with information about those who fought in the battle -- the privates, sergents, and how they felt. The vignettes are very good, and allow you to understand exactly what it must of felt like to be there. The only things I didnt like abot the book was the lacluster emphasis on the illustrations. The drawings of the uniforms and flags look like "napkin" sketches photocopied for the book. The maps can be somewhat confusing, trying to follow the faint arrows and hash marks. Better labeling of the maps would have really helped. The only other nuisance was the censoring of a couple of curse words. I think, as adults, that we can handle history, uncensored. Other than that, it is a fine, play by play account of the first major battle of the Civil War,

Joanna McDonald has created an excellent account of the first battle at Bull Run Creek...I've not read a more comprehensive and at the same time extremely readable Civil War battle summary anywhere. Ms. McDonald combines detailed battle tactics with short "vignette" diversions that make this book a real treasure...and I don't think that you'll read any better battle description that puts you right into the fray...I was exhausted by the time I got to the federal retreat from Henry Hill. Each stage of the battle is covered in detail, but not overkilled, and is expertly supplemented by an extensive number of maps...I was initially a bit overtaken with all the maps, but later came to depend on them to cover the latest maneuver being discussed. McDonald does an excellent job at covering troop movements and strategy and then, just at the right time, interjects these short vignettes (little stories about the "everyday" soldier or group) that adds just the right perspective to give a poignant vision of that stage in the battle. To top it all off, Ms. McDonald closes the book with an effective epilouge that places the battle in the proper military and political context. In the final analysis, I would have to place this book into the "essential" Civil War reading category...certainly essential to understanding what happened at First Bull Run. I'm told that books by William C. Davis and John Hennessy on First Bull Run are the gauge by which all accounts of the battle are measured...I haven't read either of these, but I would be amazed if these are any better than this book and I enthusiastically recommend it!

James Longstreet is the classic example of the man who lives too long and says too much. This fictive attempt to excuse his pitiful performances and to detract from Robert E. Lee (who was conviniently dead and therefore unable to defend himself when this book came out)is definitely worth reading as long as you keep in mind that what he's saying is probably a little left of the truth. Recently, there was strong evidence unearthed that Longstreet didn't even write this ode to himself. In short, a better and shorter version of the content of this book can be found in Shaara's "Killer Angels".

This is a fairly long book written by Longstreet a few years before his death as one of the longest living of the great generals of the Confederacy. He wrote many controversial articles prior to this book in the late 1870's that sparked controversy during the building of the Lost Cause syndrome. Since Longstreet does seem to have some memory issues with some battles such as Gaines Mill, parts of the book may be a little disappointing; however, he provides pretty good detail on his Gettysburg participation that is probably the most significant part of the book. The issue of what occurred on the morning of the second day of Gettysburg with Lee is in some conflict with previous testimony but Longstreet clearly states that there was no "sunrise attack order". He also defends his proposed move to the right but offers, what almost seems a publishers delight, a view that "Lee's blood was up" and there was no recourse but to attack. Unfortunately, Longstreet spends little time on his Tennessee campaign where in brutal winter conditions his wonderful command totters into disharmony. Although I wonder how much involvement Longstreet had with ghostwriters due to the loss of the use of his arm from the Wilderness, the demeanor seems consistent with "Old Pete". Perhaps if Longstreet followed D. H. Hill's view of never speaking ill of the dead, he would have a place in Richmond. In contrast to "Old Pete", D. H. Hill who was a cranky and outspoken critic during the war and but effective general, following his own rules Hill was rather boring in his lack of commentary. What is phenomenal about Longstreet is the great punishment he has taken from earlier CW writers about Gettysburg because of his post war views while in contrast Jackson was not held nearly as accountable for his failure to participate properly in the 7 Days battles where the war could have been won. Contrast Longstreet's role at the battle of Glendale with Jackson's

If Longstreet had died of his wounds at The Wilderness, he would be in the Pantheon with Lee and Jackson. If he'd never uttered a public word about The War, he might well be in that Pantheon. But after Lee's death, and in the humiliating pain of Reconstruction, Longstreet was the only surviving icon of the Army of Northern Virginia. Longstreet saw The War over and went on with his life. In doing so, he committed the unpardonable sin of renewing his old acquaintances, doing homage to the ruling party, and putting food on his family's table. As the lesser lights among the general officers began to seek a profit from their war, someone had to be blamed for the Army of Northern Virginia's failure. The Virginians wrote the history; the the Georgian, Longstreet, got the blame. Longstreet was an imperfect man and an imperfect commander, but neither Longstreet nor Lee lost the Battle of Gettysburg. Gallant Virginians get that honor. If Viginians Ewell, Early, and A. P. Hill had done anything useful on 2 July 63, American history might well be written with a different accent. By the time of this memoir, Longstreet was a wounded and defensive man under sustained and violent attack by the "Lost Cause" crowd in Virginia. Read his memoir in that context.

Private Edgar Warfield of the 17th Virginia Infantry starts his amazing story with the jovial and enthusiasm attitude shared by many Southern recruits embarking for a chance to fight off the Union stranglehold forming in early 1861. This newfound bundle of patriotic spirit is quickly humbled by the baptism of fire. Warfield is involved in many skirmishes and battles such as 1st Manassas, Seven Pines, 2nd Manassas, Sharpsburg and more. His descriptions or movements are a bit hard to follow though his story of daily camp life is excellent. The details of fighting and others in battle is a bit 'matter of fact' at times though he does share his opinions on subjects as comrades dying or being injured. His story is rather quick as there are 180 pages of material that he has put together. This book is a valuable asset for understanding soldier life and how one perceived war.

I got this book near the Henry House in Manassas, Virginia where young Pvt. Warfield fought. This is a great book for readers who really love to read about the rebellion. This book greatly expresses camp life for a young soldier in the Confederate army. If debating to get this book definetly get it.

Mr. Miles's book is one of the most complete history/tour guides of the Civil War's first years in the East I have ever read/used. Not only does he cover the major battles, but he takes you off the beaten track to sites ordinarily passed over. His histories of the battles and leaders are informative and his guides to the battlefields are very thorough. The only things keeping the book from getting five stars are a few slight inaccuracies in directions to sites and a couple of small factual errors. All of these errors are relatively minor, and only diehard battlefield trampers like myself will even notice them.

Rocks and War, a new publication by Dr. E-an Zen and Dr. Walker, is an interesting new perspective on the 2nd Bull Run/Second Mansass Campaign of 1862. In this book, they discuss topographic mapping, geologic provinces, and even the hardness of rocks that Confederate soldiers threw at advancing Union troops. The application of military geology to the campaign and battle show how land forms were used by both sides in their tactics both to their advantage, and to their disadvantage. The book has a number of interesting tidbits, such as how maps or the lack of them contributed to the sucess and confusion of the armies. Or how the Union troops used gullies and other landforms in their retreat from Chinn Ridge to Henry Hill. I recommend this book for anyone with an interest in this campaign, as it gives added insights and information into the "whys" and "wherefores" of the actions and reactions of the two armies. And its a good read. I look forward to seeing more books showing the military geology of different Civil War campaigns.

This is the third book I have read from the Combined Books 'Great Campaign' series and I must admit also the best so far. Although it only offers a concise account of the events leading up to the battle, the battle itself and the aftermath (all in 256 odd pages) it is still a very good read. The author offers an excellent story about this blotched campaign with 14 good maps to help follow the action and a number of topical sidebars for further information (I liked the one about the oldest surviving soldiers of the battle!). This is a well researched and well presented book and it was pleasure to read. I am sure that there are a number of very detailed books covering this battle/campaign and the author offers a number of good choices for further reading. For example; 'Return to Bull Run' by John Hennessy and 'Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain' by Robert Krick, however this book wets your appetite for taking the plunge and aquiring a more in depth volume or it may certainly satisfy your interest with just this account. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a decent account of this battle. One point in regard to this book is that a small number of typo errors were noticed which should have been picked up by the editor, but once again it did not detract from the value of the book, a good story!

Second Manassas might have been Robert E. Lee's Greatest Victory as author John Langellier asserts, but it is often neglected in Civil War history as "the other" battle fought at Bull Run rather than as a seminal event. This addition to the Osprey Campaign series is a solid overview of the campaign of Lee versus Pope in the summer of 1862 in north-central Virginia. In accordance with the standard Osprey format, the book begins with a short section on the origins of the campaign and a campaign chronology.

In a welcome departure from the short-shrift methods of other recent Osprey campaign titles, Dr. Langellier actually puts some meat on the bone concerning opposing commanders. A full 9 excellent pages are spent discussing Generals Pope, Halleck, Banks, McDowell, Sigel, Lee, Longstreet, and Jackson. The section on opposing plans is a bit short at two pages, but adequate. Likewise, the section on opposing armies is somewhat brief at three pages, but covers aspects specific to the campaign, like Duryee's Zouaves and the Iron Brigade. The campaign narrative begins with two short chapters on the preliminary actions at Cedar Mountain and Brawner's Farm. The actual Battle of Second Manassas is covered in 25 pages, followed by a short postscript and notes on the battlefield today. An excellent order of battle is provided for both armies in the final appendix. There are five 2-D maps (Virginia in July 1862, the Battle of Cedar Mountain, the road to Second Manassas, the Battle of Groveton, and Lee's flanking movement to Chantilly) and three 3-D "Bird's Eye View" maps of the Battle of Second Manassas. Three battle scenes depict the truce at Cedar Mountain, the Iron Brigade at Brawner's Farm and the stand of Starke's Louisiana brigade at the Railroad cut. The photographs are decent - particularly if one likes portraits of civil war generals and scenes of torn-up railroads - but rather bland, given the level of civil war illustrations and artwork available.

Dr. Langellier's campaign narrative is solid and hits all the main points. Certainly, the inept performance of Union General John Pope was clearly the proximate cause of the Federal defeat at Second Manassas. There is no attempt at analysis in this account, although certainly not necessary from the command angle. In terms of the principles of war, the Confederates enjoyed the virtues of the offensive, maneuver, security and surprise, while the Union leaders seemed content to ignore the threat until too late. However, a bit more analysis on the role of supporting units, particularly artillery, would have been helpful. Overall, Second Manassas provides a decent overview of this often-neglected campaign.

As a history teacher and Civil War buff, I was intrigued by the premise of a mystery set during the Battle of Manassas. Needless to say after reading this book, I felt let down. It starts off well, with interesting characters and a readable plot. But, after the third chapter I started to laugh at the number of famous people the main character knows or just happens to run into along his journey to solve the crime. The name dropping got ridiculous after a while. The book would have been much better if it had not been "littered" with so many famous names such as Belle Boyd, Alexander Gardner, John Wilkes Booth, and Abraham Lincoln. Even though Washington City was smaller during the war, ther is no way one person could have known so many famous people without being someone of note himself as the protaganist is not in this book. I look forward to the next book in the series just to see if the author continues this practice of "historical name dropping." The challenge of writing a first rate mystery set during the Civil War is daunting. I admire the author and his use of historical fact to complement the mystery, but it might be more difficult this way instead of using entirely fictitious characters because most Civil War buffs (his audience, I assume) know so much about the real people it becomes distracting to the story. It did for me.

Harrison Raines has found himself in a hard spot. A Virginia native, he's loyal to his state and family. But he also opposes slavery. Living in Washington doesn't make finding his desired neutrality any easier to find.

When a friend insists on going to watch the first, and certainly the only, battle in the Civil War, Harry reluctantly accompanies her. Instead of a quick victory, they are shocked when the Union soldiers flee right past them. The next morning, the retreat is being blamed on one Major shot down during the last moments of the battle. But Harry is convinced that the man was really murdered. He's hired by the man's family to learn the truth and redeem his name. With his carefully guarded neutrality on the line, Harry sets out to find the truth, wherever that may lead, including a smuggling plot that the victim may have been involved with.

I was very impressed with this mystery debut. The story is obviously well researched; I was completely transported back to 1861 while reading it. The plot moves forward at a leisurely pace, but throws some great twists in as the story progresses. Still, it is possible to follow exact what happens if you're paying attention. The characters were interesting and realistic, and the use of real people added just the right amount of fun to the proceedings without being too far fetched.

As a fan of US history, I'm looking forward to more books in this series that is part mystery and part political intrigue. The mix looks to be just right for many more entertaining books.

By July 1861, Fort Sumter is part of the history books and the country is preparing for the battle that will mark the savagery of the Civil War. Everyone knows that a battle is set for Manassas, but there is a festive atmosphere surrounding the upcoming event. Both sides plan victory parties and entourages make the fight appear to be a carnival not a bloody engagement.

Harrison "Harry" Raines is a Virginia blue blood who broke ranks with his family over the slavery issue. He observes the battle with a different perspective because he knows hell is about to enter the no longer United States. He watches a northern major George Pleasants act the role of hero, but the South wins and the man is dead. The DC crowd blames George for the debacle. However, some powerful individuals ask Harry to discover the truth about how George really died.

Michael Killian has triumphantly opened his Civil War mystery series at the BATTLE OF MANASSAS. The story line reflects strong research that includes trivia that adds period depth to the plot. The flawed and guilt-ridden Harry is a wonderful hero who sub-genre fans will adore. Civil War buffs will gain much pleasure from this novel. The author's Herculean task to write a series of mysteries that chronologically follow the war to its conclusion gives this series a fascinating twist.

Harriet Klausner

I had high expectations for a book titled "Manassas" but in the end was very disappointed. I thought the characters were not compelling, the action unfocused, and the story (its central drama itself a trite metaphor for the impending Civil War!) not very interesting. I just wanted it to be over so I could start another book.

My primary criticism, however, is that the title is extremely misleading. I hoped in the reading to be transported to the summer of 1861 and there experience in the mind of some interesting character the marching, the tedium, the heat, and finally, the battle as a 19th Century soldier might have experienced it. What were his thoughts, his memories, his dreams about to be shattered in war? Instead, the Brannon family's story lines seemed entirely removable from the events of the day. This tale of a county sheriff and his family's modest adventures could have been just as easily set in 1851, or in some other state with less at stake in the impending conflict. What little history that manages to intrude is accurate, but comes about in asides to a few newspaper accounts the Brannons read, and in merely a few pages of setting up the battle scene.

Maybe "Manassas" holds together better in its series, but it doesn't stand up well on its own. For a better series of Civil War historical fiction, featuring more complex characters, motives, and more complete history, I recommend Bernard Cornwell's four-volume Starbuck Chronicles series. Unlike "Manassas," Cornwell's books transported me to the 1860s.

A vivid account of the Brannon family swept up in the choas of a war on the horizon. James Reasoner is a gifted writer with a knack for making you care deeply for his characters. Reasoner always holds a special place in his heart for the common man caught up in extraordinary events and times! His books will grab you by the throat and not let you go until all the way through. While there is just a little on the battle of Manassas at the end of the book, the events leading up to it will keep you turning the pages. My only complaint is there were really no good stopping points where I could put it down! I was compelled to keep on reading and found to my dismay that the book ended long before I was ready! I am now reading the second book and encourage James to write faster. I'm going to need that third book pretty soon and I have to know what is going to happen next to these well crafted characters. Don't miss out on this exciting series if you love to read!

MANASSAS, the first volume in James Reasoner's The Civil War Battle Series, introduces us to the Brannons, a farming family from Culpepper, VA. The family consists of the widowed matriarch, Abigail, her five sons, Will, Mac, Cory, Titus, and Henry, and her daughter, Cordelia.

MANASSAS is more of a prelude to the War, setting the stage for troubles to come. As county sheriff, Will Brannon, the eldest, has to deal with the trouble-making Fogarty clan. His problems with the Fogartys will follow him into battle at Manassas, as the war begins.

The book is fast-paced and well-researched. This is a novel, and, as such, will not necessarily please those historical purists who insist on complete accuracy. However, the story is gripping, and the violence sometimes graphic. For anyone interested in the time period, or the War itself, this is very entertaining reading.

In his introduction to Battling for Manassas, former NPS historian Ed Bearss correctly notes that this book ought to be "must reading" for public officials, developers, and preservationists who will eventually find themselves on opposite sides of debates about the preservation of land for historic sites, especially controversies that affect land near the nation's battlefields. Joan Zenzen has done a fine job of researching and writing this administrative history of Manassas National Battlefield Park. She has not only made sense of the paper records that flourish luxuriantly around government agencies, but she has also interviewed key players on both sides of the more recent of the many controversies that have swirled around the park. Zenzen's prose is serviceable if unexciting. A heavier editorial hand might have reduced the number of awkward phrasings and passive voices. Still, in literary style it ranks in the top five percent of National Park Service administrative histories, a notoriously pedestrian genre. A more serious criticism is that the book does not compare the land-use controversies at Manassas with those at other American historic sites, at least beyond limited analogies to Gettysburg and Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania. Perhaps that is just as well. Because it lies just outside the Beltway in an area inhabited by the rich, famous, and the politically potent, Manassas is hardly a reliable model for what might happen in similar circumstances at other American battlefields.