Summer Lightning : A Guide to the Second Battle of Manassas /

The authors of Summer Lightning are retired US Army officers who have written several other Civil War books. This volume is a guided tour of the Second Battle of Manassas, or Second Battle of Bull Run, which took place August 28-30, 1862. The book does not follow the National Parks Service's map of battlefield tour stops, but has created stops based on the chronological order of the battle. The authors provide a narrative history of the battle at these various stops. Primary sources like the official reports of the Union and Confederate commanders, along with other eyewitness accounts, supplement the tour stops. Three kinds of maps are provided: factual, operational, and driving. Readers will find many black-and-white photos and other illustrations throughout. The introduction offers an orientation; chapter 1 sets the scene of the battle; chapter 2, which describes the first day of the battle, is the first stop of the tour. Chapter 3 is about the second day of the battle, with descriptions of several stops. Chapter 4 focuses on the battle's last day and associated stops, and chapter 5 describes the battle's aftermath. Six appendixes provide the order of battle and offer information on casualties and three connected battles. This reviewer has not been to the battlefield described here, but recommends the book as a very in-depth guide for Civil War scholars and enthusiasts as well as academic and public libraries with Civil War sections. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above; general readers. B. S. Exton St. Gregory's University