Donnybrook : The Battle of Bull Run, 1861

Rating:
Summary: First Bull Run Well Done
Review: Detzer's Donnybrook is the best American Civil War campaign history I have had the pleasure to read. It chronicles the evolution of the First Battle of Bull Run from the fierce gleam of determination to fight to the dusty denouement of defeat. Detzer has an eye for detail & he excels at painting a word portrait of what the experience was like for all the combatants of both sides from the common soldier to commanding general. He colors the painting with rich descriptions of the topography & blends the effects of the elements to give a portrait of battle that transports the reader there in the hot summer heat & dust of Nothern Virginia, July, 1861. It is Clausewitz's friction & fog of war brought to life in the Civil War. Neither side had expected a clash of arms as bold & as violent as happened to occur. Each side expected the other to fold in the face of bold determination. The result was not as one-sided as many historians argue. No one wants to read a history of a rout & Detzer's Donnybrook creates suspense about the outcome of a battle which deserves the fine description he crafts.

A valid criticism of this fine history is the absence of detailed maps. The editors decided not to include maps the author wanted. However there is a single map from the era included in the illustrations that contains all the relevant information if one uses some magnification. I started to use maps from other sources but found this old map & the single map on both front & back covers to be sufficient. Of course I wanted more maps but to avoid this fine work because of this ommision would be a sad mistake. It is so good that it towers above many of the fine popular histories of campaigns & battles of the Civil War, maps or not
.

Rating:
Summary: Nice... but no maps!
Review: Donnybrook recounts the story of the first battle of Bull Run, inclusive of the months leading up to it and the days immediately following it. The writing is good; the battle descriptions give a real flavor of the confusion of the combatants at all levels. Comparing the action here with battles later in the war is very instructive in terms of seeing how all levels of the military matured with experience.

In terms of weaknesses, the dearth of maps is very unfortunate. Readers interested in following the action will - unless they already know the geography - need a supplemental map. Donnybrook contains just a single map (albeit printed twice), and that map lacks sufficient details and labeling to identify the majority of the critical sites mentioned in the text. Finally, the author scatters through the text a few uncalled for snide and/or cynical remarks about the motives and/or morality of various of the characters.

A good introduction to the first Battle of Bull Run.

Rating:
Summary: No maps but still well worth picking up
Review: If you have read David Detzer's book Allegiance then you are already familiar with his wonderful writing style. Detzer is really a talented writer and Donnybrook definately lives up to his previous works. It's well researched and well written.

One of the nice things about Detzer's work here is that like with Allegiance, it's not just the story of the Xs and Os of the battle but the political and social atmosphere surrounding it. In the end the reader is left with not just a better understanding of the battle itself but the political pressures involved.

One point I especially enjoyed was the book dealt rather heavily with General Patterson and his failed attempt to hold Johnston's forces in the valley so they could not reinforce Beauregard at Manassas Junction. Detzer shows pretty convincingly that General Winfeld Scott's confusing orders had as much as anything to do with Johnston's ability to escape Patterson and join Beauregard.

My only criticism of this book is that there are no maps of the battle. There is a general map of the Eastern Theater inside the front cover but that's all. While Detzer does a wonderful job in describing the battle and the actions of the units I still think he should have included at least a few to help the reader better understand the movements of the armies.

If you are someone familiar with the battle before reading the book, this shouldn't be a problem. If you are rather new to the battle you might want to look up a map of the battlefield online when reading it. Either way, this is still a fine book so don't let the lack of maps keep you from picking this one up.


Rating:
Summary: NO MAPS!
Review: You had better have a good understanding of the battlefield becuse the the book has no maps. I can not understand how a publisher would release a battle history or an author would want his book damaged so. If you know enough about the battle to not need maps, this text will not impress you. If you need maps, the text will help you get lost. Either way, you have spent $28 on a semi-good book.

This is a shame as Mr. Detzer's "Allegiance" was excellent and I was looking forward to this book.