Opening Manassas: The Iron Brigade, Stonewall Jackson, and the Battle on Brawner’s Farm, August 28, 1862...

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Lance J. Herdegen Bill Backus

Opening Manassas

The Iron Brigade, Stonewall Jackson, and the Battle on Brawner’s Farm, August 28, 1862

Lance J. Herdegen, Bill Backus

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English

Miscellaneous
01 February 2026

History of the Americas; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; American Civil War

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 one Wisconsin man was yelling like demons that day in a roaring hell of fire. None of them knew the immediate prelude to the far bloodier Battle of Second Manassas (Bull Run) had begun. Despite its fascinating origins and far-reaching consequences, surprisingly little has been penned about this remarkable engagement. Opening Manassas: The Iron Brigade, Stonewall Jackson, and the Battle on Brawner's Farm, August 28, 1862 rectifies this oversight in the first full-length balanced study of the affair ever published. In August 1862, Robert E. Lee struck north to carry the war away from Richmond. His opponent, Maj. Gen. John Pope at the head of the Army of Virgina, 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 Pope, who withdrew from his defensive line along the Rappahannock determined to hunt and eradicate the Confederates. But 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 he 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 men of the Iron Brigade marched along the Warrenton Pike, unaware that danger was just yards away off their right flank. One battle, two authors. This unique study utilizes 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 in an original methodology that uncovered 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. Opening Manassas is based on primary source material and complete understanding of the terrain. Its unique dual-author fog of war approach, together with its original maps and explanatory notes, makes it a must-have book for students of the Civil War.

AUTHORS: Lance J. Herdegen is the author of several books. His book The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory: The Blackhats from Bull Run to Appomattox and Thereafter received the Iron Brigade Association Award and his study Those Damned Black Hats: The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign won the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Writing Award for Battle/Operational history. He is also the recipient of the 1998 Harry S. Truman Award given by the Kansas City Civil War Round Table and the 2016 Nevins-Freeman Award given by the Civil War Round Table of Chicago. Herdegen served as Chair of the Wisconsin Civil War Sesquicentennial, was the former Director of the Institute for Civil War Studies at Carroll University, and worked as historical consultant for the Civil War Museum of the Upper Middle West at Kenosha, Wisconsin. Herdegen had 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 the town of Spring Prairie, Walworth County, Wisconsin.

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, Bill has worked with the National Park Service at Vicksburg National Military Park and Petersburg National Battlefield. He currently serves as the Curator for the Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation in Northern Virginia. He is the co-author of A Want of Vigilance: The Bristoe Station Campaign, October 919, 1863 (2015).

16 images, 3 maps

By: Lance J. Herdegen, Bill Backus
Imprint: Miscellaneous
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781611217612
ISBN 10: 161121761X
Pages: 248
Publication Date: 01 February 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Other merchandise
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Lance J. Herdegen is the author of several books. His book The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory: The Blackhats from Bull Run to Appomattox and Thereafter received the Iron Brigade Association Award and his study Those Damned Black Hats: The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign won the Army Historical Foundation’s Distinguished Writing Award for Battle/Operational history. He is also the recipient of the 1998 Harry S. Truman Award given by the Kansas City Civil War Round Table and the 2016 Nevins-Freeman Award given by the Civil War Round Table of Chicago. Herdegen served as Chair of the Wisconsin Civil War Sesquicentennial, was the former Director of the Institute for Civil War Studies at Carroll University, and worked as historical consultant for the Civil War Museum of the Upper Middle West at Kenosha, Wisconsin. Herdegen had 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 the town of Spring Prairie, Walworth County, Wisconsin. 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, Bill has worked with the National Park Service at Vicksburg National Military Park and Petersburg National Battlefield. He currently serves as the Curator for the Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation in Northern Virginia. He is the co-author of A Want of Vigilance: The Bristoe Station Campaign, October 9–19, 1863 (2015).

Reviews for Opening Manassas: The Iron Brigade, Stonewall Jackson, and the Battle on Brawner’s Farm, August 28, 1862

""Historians Lance Herdegen and Bill Backus craft a gripping narrative of the Second Manassas campaign's opening phases, deftly blending Federal and Confederate perspectives through a fog-of-war lens. This distinctive study weaves operational, tactical, unit, and individual soldier viewpoints, culminating in the dying daylight of a Virginia summer evening in one the most intense and brutal firefights of the Civil War. Highly recommended.""--Phil Spaugy, Senior Editor, Military Images and Arms columnist for The Civil War Monitor ""Lance Herdegen (Union) and William Backus (Confederate) have successfully merged two well-researched micro-histories that carry the commands up to and through the bloody fight at Brawner's Farm. Finally, we have something new and original in Civil War scholarship. This book is utterly absorbing, and readers will not want to put it down.""--John Michael Priest, author of ""Stand to It and Give Them Hell"" Gettysburg as the Soldiers Experienced It from Cemetery Ridge to Little Round Top, July 2, 1863, and ""Strong Men of the Regiment Sobbed Like Children"" John Reynolds' I Corps at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863 ""Opening Manassas is a truly distinctive book. Publisher Theodore Savas envisioned presenting the battle of Manassas as a fog-of-war study, emphasizing the confusion, uncertainty, and incomplete information that shaped participants' decisions and outcomes. Historians Lance Herdegen and Bill Backus masterfully execute this concept, offering a fresh perspective on the battle. This compelling work, enriched by its focus on two of the Civil War's most renowned brigades, is a vital addition to Civil War scholarship.""--Thomas M. Arliskas, author of Cadet Gray and Butternut Brown: Notes on Confederate Uniforms