{"product_id":"opening-manassas-the-iron-brigade-stonewall-jackson-and-the-battle-on-brawners-farm-august-28-1862-9781611217612","title":"Opening Manassas: The Iron Brigade, Stonewall Jackson, and the Battle on Brawner's Farm, August 28, 1862","description":"In the fading light of August 28, 1862, an untested Union brigade of Wisconsin and Indiana men fought an unexpected 90-minute stand-up clash with the Confederate veterans of Stonewall Jackson on the Virginia farm fields of John Brawner. The Rebels recalled a Wisconsin man that day \"yelling like demons [in] a roaring hell of fire.\" Despite its fascinating origins and far-reaching consequences, surprisingly little has been penned about this remarkable engagement. \u003ci\u003eOpening Manassas: The Iron Brigade, Stonewall Jackson, and the Battle on Brawner's Farm, August 28, 1862\u003c\/i\u003e, rectifies this oversight in the first full-length balanced study of the affair ever published.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn August 1862, Robert E. Lee struck north to carry the war away from Richmond. His opponent at the head of the recently constructed Army of Virginia, Maj. Gen. John Pope, was new to the theater and had just suffered a bloody awakening at Cedar Mountain on August 9. Thomas \"Stonewall\" Jackson's wing marched first, swinging behind Pope and destroying the massive Union supply depot at Manassas Junction. The stunning move shocked the Union high command. Pope withdrew from his defensive line along the Rappahannock determined to find and eradicate the Confederates. First he had to find them. Unbeknownst to Pope, Jackson had deployed his men in a strong wooded defensive position along an abandoned railroad cut. All Old Jack needed was a reason to sally forth and strike an unsuspecting piece of Pope's scattered army. That opportunity presented itself on the afternoon of August 28 when the Western men, soon to be known as the Iron Brigade, marched along the Warrenton Pike, unaware that danger lurked just yards away off their exposed left flank.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne battle, two authors. This unique study uses a fog-of-war approach to unfold the battle as the soldiers of both sides would have experienced it, and how the various officers reacted with only the information they had at the time. Award-winning author Lance J. Herdegen handles the Union side of the equation, while preservation historian and veteran of the National Park Service, Bill Backus, chronicles the Confederate perspective. Together, chapter by chapter, they march their respective forces to the point of destiny and discover unexpected insights into the engagement and the leadership decisions of both sides. The affair was a rude baptism of blood for Western Union men, while the bold thrust by Jackson revealed his location and put his entire command in serious peril.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOpening Manassas\u003c\/i\u003e is based on primary source material and a complete understanding of the terrain. Its unique dual-author and fog-of-war approach, together with its original maps and explanatory notes, makes it a must-have book for students of the Civil War.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHerdegen, Lance J.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Lance J. Herdegen is the author of several books. Those Damned Black Hats: The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign (Savas Beatie, 2008) won the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Writing Award for Battle\/Operational History and The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory: The Black Hats from Bull Run to Appomattox and Thereafter (Savas Beatie, 2012) received the Iron Brigade Association Award. Lance enjoyed a long career as a journalist with the United Press International (UPI) news wire service and was recently inducted into the Milwaukee Press Club Hall of Fame. He lives in Spring Prairie, Wisconsin.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBackus, Bill:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - A native of Connecticut, Bill Backus graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a degree in Historic Preservation. Prior to his service with Prince William County, he worked with the National Park Service at Vicksburg National Military Park and Petersburg National Battlefield. Bill currently serves as the Curator for the Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation in Northern Virginia. He is co-author of A Want of Vigilance: The Bristoe Station Campaign, October 9-19, 1863 (Savas Beatie, 2015).","brand":"Savas Beatie","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51690612424978,"sku":"9781611217612","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_89ee958c-79a8-4ff5-ad87-1d69d9878319.jpg?v=1761741551","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/opening-manassas-the-iron-brigade-stonewall-jackson-and-the-battle-on-brawners-farm-august-28-1862-9781611217612","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}