Description: On that hot and humid day, July 21, at six in the morning, someone fired the first shot of the bloodiest war in American history: the Civil War. The First Battle of Manassas (also known as Bull Run) claimed the lives of approximately 878 Union and Confederate soldiers and wounded another 2,489, with the battlefield extending nearly five miles. Here, 15,000 Union and 14,000 Confederate soldiers clashed, initiating thousands of new soldiers into a long and bitter war. For ten bloody hours, their courage was tested, leading some brigades and many individuals to receive reputations that followed them into history. Manassas was also the place where the famous rebel yell was born.

This extraordinary work is the first book on the subject to feature forty-five maps and over 200 photographs of the individual soldiers. Written by a noted military historian, it provides afl the essential background information needed to understand the battle without overwhelming the reader.

Through diaries and letters, the horrors of war are conveyed with realism and compassion. Private John Caster, 33rd Virginia, found his best friend dead, shot through the heart. Overcome with grief, he recalled, "I sat down by him and took a hearty cry, and then thinks I, 'It does not look well for a soldier to cry, ' but I could not help it". As Private Berrien Zettler, 8th Georgia, walked among the mutilated bodies, he thought to himself, "Surely, surely, there will never be another battle. I felt sure there would never be another.

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