Donnybrook - by David Detzer (Paperback)

About the Book

Detailing the Battle of Bull Run from its origins through its aftermath, Donnybrook uses copious primary source material--including the recollections of hundreds of soldiers--to create an epic account. 8-page B&W photo insert.

Book Synopsis

In April 1861, Confederate artillery blasted Fort Sumter into surrender. Within weeks, the Confederacy had established its capital at Richmond. On May 24, Lincoln ordered troops across the Potomac into Virginia, only a few miles from the Confederate military base near the hamlet of Manassas. A great battle was inevitable; whether this would end the war, as many expected, was the only question. On July 21, near a stream called Bull Run, the two forces fought from early morning until after dark in the first great battle of the Civil War. America would never be quite the same.

Donnybrook is the first major history of Bull Run to detail the battle from its origins through its aftermath. Using copious and remarkably detailed primary source mate-rial-including the recollections of hundreds of average soldiers-David Detzer has created an epic account of a defining moment in American history. This new paperback edition includes additional maps.

From the Back Cover

"David Detzer is making a distinguished reputation in Civil War history writing about great openings. In Donnybrook, he gives us a marvelous account of the first great battle of the war, at Bull Run. Like his first, this second book is comprehensive, thorough, deeply researched, rich in detail, and highly readable. It is a fine account of a major passage in that great war."
--John C. Waugh, author of Reelecting Lincoln
On July 21, 1861, near a stream called Bull Run, the Union and Confederate forces fought from early morning until after dark in the first great battle of the Civil War. America would never be quite the same. The 1st Battle of Bull Run introduced citizens of this country to the draft, the effects of heavy artillery, and the emotional violence of fighting your neighbor for an uncertain cause. It tested the character of men who would later dominate popular memory: Stonewall Jackson, James Longstreet, Irvin McDowell, William T. Sherman. Donnybrook is the first major history of Bull Run to detail the battle from its origins through its aftermath. David Detzer has created an epic account of a defining moment in American history.
"Detzer establishes himself as the premier historian of the war's first months. An elegantly written book that engages from first word to last . . . first-rate history presented with great literary merit." --American Civil War Magazine
"This is history as it should be written."--The Seattle Times
David Detzer is Professor Emeritus of history with Connecticut State University. He is the author of several books, including Allegiance: Fort Sumter, Charleston, and the Beginning of the Civil War. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and several dogs.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR ALLEGIANCE

"Allegiance is a splendid story of people, ordinary and extraordinary, living through extraordinary experiences. . . . Their story has never before been told so well."

-James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom

"Allegiance should take a place as the definitive word on the first moments of our greatest national tragedy."

-William C. Davis, author of An Honorable Defeat