More than 800 men lost their lives and 2,700 were wounded. Confederate
General Thomas J. Jackson earned his legendary nickname 'Stonewall' here
as fellow Confederate General Barnard Bee, later fatally wounded in the
battle, shouted, 'Yonder stands Jackson like a stone wall!' Both the
North and the South believed that a single victory in this first major
battle would decide the war before it barely started. Yet the first
battle of Manassas, or Bull Run, has not received nearly the same
attention as the other major clashes of the Civil War.
A Single Grand Victory is a highly readable, concise, comprehensive
narrative by Ethan S. Rafuse, professor of history at the United States
Military Academy at West Point. Rafuse worked as a park ranger at Bull
Run, where he gained great familiarity with the site and the literature
on this battle. His new book incorporates insights offered in recent
scholarship on Civil War military, political, and cultural history.
The author describes the factors that led President Abraham Lincoln to
order an offensive against Confederates at Manassas Junction at a time
when his most prominent military men advised against it. The war
policies of both the Union and Confederate sides are explained. Rafuse
offers descriptions and analysis of the individuals involved and the
circumstances that influenced the manner in which the campaign was
conducted. He covers the critical events and operational and tactical
decisions that shaped the campaign's course and outcome.
In addition, A Single Grand Victory provides insights into American life
in the nineteenth century by examining what motivated men to fight in
1861 and describing what led both North and South to expect the war
would be a short one. Southerners had anticipated that one victory like
Bull Run would persuade the North to abandon the effort to restore the
Union by force. Northerners believed support for the Confederate
rebellion was so shallow that one battle would end the war.
Civil War buffs will enjoy this lively new book that expands our
understanding of the conflict at Bull Run and gives a clear account of
the military history of the confrontation.
