On August 30, 1862 the Confederate army inflicted a smashing defeat to the US army at Manassas, on the outskirts of Washington. Union Army commander Major General John Pope came forward and blamed the loss on Major General Fitz-John Porter. This book examines the question of Porter's guilt or innocence, examining the trial and its aftereffects.

During the Civil War, the outcome of many a battle or campaign hinged on the proper wording and dissemination of battlefield orders. Early in the war, officers trained in small unit combat could suddenly find themselves commanding thousands of men and writing orders to subordinates with little experience in the practice. The success or failure of an operation could turn on any number of factors, including the inclusion of accurate origin information, up-to-date knowledge of the situation in the field, the amount of discretion given to recipients, and the speed and geographical acumen of...

Union Major General Gouverneur Warren participated in almost every major battle in the Civil War's Eastern Theater, from Big Bethel to Five Forks. He was held in such high esteem that he was often looked upon as the Union general most responsible for the victory at Gettysburg, and was considered the logical replacement for George Gordon Meade as commanding general of the Army of the Potomac. However, within days of the war's end he was relieved in disgrace on the battlefield by General Phil Sheridan. Warren spent the next fifteen years seeking the activation of a Court of Inquiry that he...