Battle Of Bull Run
The first Battle of Bull Run took place on July 21,1861 in Manassas, Virginia, or near a small river called Bull Run. The battle was a battle where the two opponents tried to outflank each other, which in the end didn’t work the way the Union soldiers wanted it too. There was an estimated 32,000 confederate soldiers and around 28,000 union soldiers. The confederate soldiers were under the command of P.G.T. Beauregard, while the Union soldiers were under the command of Irvin McDowell. (1)
Once the battle started there were a significantly less number of experienced troops on the Union side. The Confederate army was much more prepared for the battle when it took place, it was a very nice day. Many civilians from Washington D.C. rode their carriages to a hilltop near the creek of Bull Run so they could watch the battle. In the beginning of the battle the Union soldiers made a respectable push, but as the battle went on the Confederates stood strong, so much so one of their generals, earned their nickname.(2) this of course is Thomas Jackson, more famously known as “Stonewall” Jackson. He got this nickname because one of the generals wanted their men to stand tall and brave just like Stonewall Jackson.(3)
The goals of the Union army at the start of the battle were to go to Richmond and burn it. That did not end up happening because they got their butt handed to them by a bunch of Confederates. While the Confederates were just protecting Union Mills, while they had a greater goal of capturing Washington D.C.(4)
The Union army marched a column of about 35,000 troops, which started their campaign to capture Richmond. While there were 22,000 Southern troops waiting at a river/creek crossing for the Union army. Then in the Shenandoah valley there were another 10,000 troops waiting to act as reinforcements, they had orders to support then if necessary.(5) The Union soldiers pushed the confederate soldiers back, but the Confederate soldiers were able to punch through the Union line with their fresh reinforcements. The Union retreat at first was very calm, put it quickly became chaotic and unorganized. This was due to a large amount of Congressmen and civilians blocking the road to watch the battle. On the confederate side, when Jefferson Davis showed up, the Confederate army was also very unorganized, but it somewhat didn’t matter because they won the battle. 460 Union soldiers were killed, while 1200 were wounded and around 380 confederate soldiers were killed, while almost 1600 were wounded. (6)
The consequences of this battle for the Union army were mainly regarding their ego. Also think of all the momentum the South gained by winning the first battle of the Civil War. By winning the first battle the South was able to carry a lot of momentum through the war. It also was a huge moral defeater for the Union army.
2.http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/first-battle-of-bull-run
3.Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Print
4.http://www.nps.gov/mana/learn/historyculture/first-manassas.htm
5.David, William C. Battle at Bull Run: A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War. Garden City: N.Y., 1977. Print.
6.http://www.nps.gov/mana/learn/historyculture/first-manassas.htm
