First Battle of Bull Run..July 21,1861

 Hi... I started this blog after the actual beginning of the Civil War Sesquicentennial..did I spell that right?... the beginning of this remembrance being 150 years exactly after the Confederates opened fire on Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina .. that would be the morning of April 12,1861.

So the Civil War Sesquicentennial started on April 12,2011. Glad we got that out of the way!

So I have been working backwards catching up on battles, however I promise to finish the retro battles soon..and start paying it forward!  Now..

Battle of Bull Run

Defense: Known as the First Battle of Bull Run or First Manassas fought in Manassas, Virginia. The Northern public has been pressing for a Union attack on Richmond, Virginia since the fall of Fort Sumter. Unseasoned troops of both the Union and the CSA will now engage in the “first major land battle of the Civil War”. The events that follow will change the public’s mind as to how long and bloody this Civil War war will be.

Confederate Commander: General P.G.T. Beauregard, the hero of the Fort Sumter victory has his troops massed in an area by the Bull Run River just northeast of Manassas, Virginia and just miles from Washington D.C. itself. His army is in a strong position should the Federals commence an advance toward the Confederate States capital at Richmond.

Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston will arrive by railroad from the Shenandoah just as the Union has the advantage and change the outcome of the battle. The railroad will show itself to be critical in the future for delivering men and supplies. Johnston will be one of the foremost Confederate commanders of the war, and one of the last to surrender 4 years later on April 26,1865. The question remains had Joseph E.Johnston not been replaced by Hood later in July, 1864 and had held held Atlanta longer..the war in the Western Theater might have gone on longer.

Attack: The pressure on President Lincoln from the North to attack the Confederates has become too great, as well as the 90 day Union enlistees are about to be released. Union commander General Irvin McDowell is ordered to march. Many feel the war will last only a month and this battle could end the war promptly with a Union victory. The Union army advances across Bull Run and attacks the CSA army at Manassas, Virginia on July 21,1861. Few could have guessed the outcome.

Union Commander: Brig. General Irvin McDowell upon reaching Bull Run has a plan for a surprise attack that will roll up the CSA left flank. The Confederate Army initially retreats even with the poorly executed attack from the inexperienced Union officers. But Confederate reinforcements  under General Joseph E. Johnston arrive just in time by train for a counterattack with will drive the Union Army from the field in complete panic. Later dubbed by the newspapers as “The Great Skedaddle” the Union soldiers pour back into Washington D.C. in chaos which lasts in the city for 2 days until Union officers are able to restore order.

“Stonewall” Jackson

A relatively unknown Confederate Colonel from VMI  Thomas J. Jackson and his men will stand their ground this day so well that other CSA officers nickname him Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. It is argued that it was due to his failure to advance rather than his defensive posture.

“There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Rally behind the Virginians”

However, his daring tactics and fighting skills will be even more evident and costly to the Federals in the future. An extremely talented tactician who will become Robert E.Lee’s right arm.

Battle Outcome: Dramatic Confederate Victory

Soldiers: Union-32,000 / CSA-34,000 ( approx.)

Casualties: Union-2,896 (460 killed)  /  CSA-1,982 (387 killed)

Thanks* http://thecivil-war.com/civil-war-battles/