As a longtime historian of the Civil War, William C. Davis has written extensively about the conflict. This is one of his earliest works, a study of the campaign fought in northeastern Virginia in the summer of 1861. Davis's skills as a writer are on full display, as he provides an entertaining narrative that details the events of the battle as best he can. The book suffers, though, from a paucity of maps; those provided are only for the battle itself, and these are of inferior quality. This is the only serious criticism of the book, however, which remains the best single-volume study of the first major clash between the Union and the Confederacy. ( )

This is a very servicable account of the Battle of Bull Run. Nothing amazing. All the usual suspects are there. At the end of the book the Confederates still win, and the Yankees still run away. ( )

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