First Bull Run (Campaign)

Rating:
Summary: The ideal battlefield companion if you visit Manassas
Review: "First Bull Run 1861: The South's First Victory" by Alan Hankinson is part of the "Classic Battles" series published by Osprey Military in England (of course all Civil War buffs will appreciate the irony that the book's subtitle suggest the title should have been "First Manassas 1861"). Like all of the volumes in this series, "First Bull Run 1861" presents a brief description of the issues that prompted the war, an assessment of each commander's campaign strategy, the complete order of battle for each side, and then details the progress of the battle in four stages: the initial encounter at Blackburn's Ford; the initial flanking move by the Federals; the fight for Henry Hill; and the ultimate route of the Union forces. The volume includes more than 90 illustrations including contemporary etchings and drawings, charts and color plates, and an excellent set of three-dimensional maps of the battle especially focusing on the pivotal attacks on Henry Hill. The book concludes with a brief guide to the Manassas battlefield today and even detailed suggestions for war gamers. There are certainly more detailed descriptions of this first major battle of the Civil War, all of which are listed in the back of the book, but you are not going to find a more user-friendly book on how for the first time the Confederate Army defeated a larger Federal Army. If you happen to visit the battlefield, this is definitely the one book you would take with you.

Rating:
Summary: The ideal battlefield companion if you visit Manassas
Review: "First Bull Run 1861: The South's First Victory" by Alan Hankinson is part of the "Classic Battles" series published by Osprey Military in England (of course all Civil War buffs will appreciate the irony that the book's subtitle suggest the title should have been "First Manassas 1861"). Like all of the volumes in this series, "First Bull Run 1861" presents a brief description of the issues that prompted the war, an assessment of each commander's campaign strategy, the complete order of battle for each side, and then details the progress of the battle in four stages: the initial encounter at Blackburn's Ford; the initial flanking move by the Federals; the fight for Henry Hill; and the ultimate route of the Union forces. The volume includes more than 90 illustrations including contemporary etchings and drawings, charts and color plates, and an excellent set of three-dimensional maps of the battle especially focusing on the pivotal attacks on Henry Hill. The book concludes with a brief guide to the Manassas battlefield today and even detailed suggestions for war gamers. There are certainly more detailed descriptions of this first major battle of the Civil War, all of which are listed in the back of the book, but you are not going to find a more user-friendly book on how for the first time the Confederate Army defeated a larger Federal Army. If you happen to visit the battlefield, this is definitely the one book you would take with you.