The author, a keen military historian, has been reading, studying and visiting the battles and battlefields of the Civil War, for more than 20 years. Increasingly examining the periods between major campaigns, Adrian read various descriptions of the Bristoe battle, which usually amounted to a one page summary, or a cursory "there was some manoeuvring in October". So he began to study the campaign, from primary sources, which steadily grew and grew. The research expanded following a visit to the Bristoe battlefield park and other key points such as James City, which led to the decision to write this book.