The Maps of Second Bull Run: An Atlas of the Second Bull Run/Manassas Campaign from the Formation of the Army of Virginia Through the Battle of Chantilly, June 26 – September 1,

The Maps of Second Bull Run: An Atlas of the Second Bull Run/Manassas Campaign from the Formation of the Army of Virginia Through the Battle of Chantilly, June 26 – September 1, 1862, continues Bradley M. Gottfried’s efforts to study and illustrate the major campaigns of the Civil War’s Eastern Theater. This is his tenth book in the ongoing Savas Beatie Military Atlas Series. President Abraham Lincoln’s frustration with George B. McClellan’s inability to defeat Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and capture Richmond dramatically increased after the unsuccessful Seven Days’ Battles. The president combined three small armies into the new Army of Virginia and placed it under Maj. Gen. John Pope, who had overseen several successes in the Western Theater. Pope’s growing aggressiveness, combined with McClellan’s passive posture on the Peninsula, forced Lee to turn his attention toward the new threat from the north. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson moved his wing of the Army of Northern Virginia to confront Pope. A bloody battle at Cedar Mountain on August 9 halted Pope’s move south, and Jackson’s raid on the vast stores at Manassas Junction triggered another confrontation, this time at Kettle Run. As Jackson settled into a defensive position on the plains of Manassas, and with McClellan’s troops having abandoned the Peninsula, Lee moved his other wing under James Longstreet rapidly north. Pope missed an opportunity to prevent the junction of Lee’s wings by not stopping Longstreet at Thoroughfare Gap. The Battle of Second Bull Run began on the evening of August 28 when Jackson tangled with Union troops at the Brawner Farm. Pope spent much of the following day hammering Jackson’s front, with no idea that Longstreet had arrived on the field. The Union assaults continued on August 30 until Longstreet launched a massive assault that rolled up the Union left flank and collapsed Pope’s army. The retreat was briefly interrupted by some of Jackson’s units at Chantilly, which ended the campaign. The Maps of Second Bull Run plow new ground by breaking down the entire campaign into sixteen map sets or “action sections,” enriched with 122 detailed full-page color maps. These cartographic originals bore down to the regimental and battery level. They include the march to and from the battlefields and virtually every significant event in between. At least two—and as many as ten—maps accompany each map set. Keyed to each piece of cartography is a full-facing page of detailed text describing the units, personalities, movements, and combat (including quotes from eyewitnesses) depicted on the accompanying map, all of which make the cavalry actions come alive. This presentation allows readers to easily find a map and text on virtually any portion of the campaign. Serious students will appreciate the extensive endnotes and complete order of battle and take the book with them to the battlefields. A final bonus is that the maps unlock every other book or article written on any aspect of the campaign. Perfect for the easy chair or for stomping the hallowed grounds, The Maps of Second Bull Run is a seminal work that belongs on the bookshelf of every serious and casual student of the battle.

About the Author :
Bradley M. Gottfried served as a college educator for over 40 years before he retired in 2017. After receiving his doctorate, he was a full-time faculty member for 11 years and then entered the administrator ranks, rising to the position of president, serving for 17 years in this position at two colleges. His interest in the Civil War began when he was a youngster in the Philadelphia area. He has written 19 books on the Civil War, including a number on Gettysburg and map studies of various campaigns. A resident of the Chambersburg/Gettysburg, Pennsylvania area, Brad is an Antietam Licensed Battlefield Guide and a Gettysburg Licensed Town Guide.

Review :
"Bradley Gottfried delivers a tour de force map study...the scope and magnitude of this intricately focused study will leave the reader, and perhaps more especially the boots on the ground battlefield stomper, in awe. It is an invaluable tool for anyone interested the Second Bull Run Campaign."-- "Emerging Civil War" "Brad Gottfried brings his bestselling format with a full-color, full-page map on one side and matching text on the facing page to this understudied campaign. From the creation of the Army of Virginia to its demise, The Maps of Second Bull Run covers the entire campaign and its ancillary fighting by featuring individual sets of maps for Cedar Mountain, Kettle Run, Thoroughfare Gap, Second Bull Run, and Chantilly. This is a long-needed addition to the Civil War in the Eastern Theater and should be added to the shelf of everyone interested in this critical campaign in the summer of 1862."--Kevin Pawlak, co-author of Never Such a Campaign "Second Bull Run/Manassas needs to be understood in the context of its campaign, which spanned much of the summer of 1862. It is a fascinating yet complex chapter of the Civil War. Brad Gottfried's new work, The Maps of Second Bull Run, is a comprehensive study of the troop movements during the entire campaign with a multitude of maps and corresponding text that break down the series of strategic and tactical events into clearly understood segments. The battle, the events preceding it, and its aftermath are covered in great detail. This study is highly recommended for anyone who wants to tramp this ground today."--Jim Burgess, Museum Specialist, Manassas National Battlefield Park