Return to Bull Run : The Campaign and Battle of Second Manassas

A comprehensive account of the Second Manassas campaign reveals the stories of the men who participated in the battle and traces the misjudgments and ill-conceived tactics that led to defeat for Union forces

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. While Pope, supported by President Lincoln, sought to bring the war home to Virginia, Lee proposed to carry the war to the North. Lee befuddled, then defeated Pope in a campaign of masterful maneuvering that rivaled Chancellorsville as the Army of Northern Virginia's greatest achievement. Hennessey, a National Park Service historian, expertly depicts the horror and confusion of battle, highlighting the difficulties of controlling a Civil War battle once it had begun. 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. History Book Club dual main selection.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This book's rather unimaginative title cloaks a fascinating look at a very important topic: the Second Battle of Bull Run. The battle, fought in August 1862, was a disastrous punctuation to the Union's summer threat to Richmond and facilitated Robert E. Lee's first northern invasion in the fall. Hennessy tells the story well for both scholar and general reader; unfortunately, the battle has been neglected, and such a good book on it is doubly welcome. Particularly interesting are the author's untanglings of the Union Army's egregious performance, orchestrated by its commander, John Pope, a supercilious braggart, and his singularly insubordinate subordinates. This fine book belongs in all libraries. History Book Club main selection.
- Fritz Buckallew, Univ. of Central Oklahoma Lib., Edmond
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.