The First Battle of Bull Run

After the first shot fired on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, in April 1861 signaled the start of the nation’s Civil War. General Irvin McDowell, commander of the Union troops was ordered to take action on Confederates troops. Yet, he felt that he needed more time to prepare, the troop was not yet ready to fight. Most of his troops had volunteered for approximately 90 days and their term of service was nearly over. Despite this warning, Lincoln still ordered his general to fight.

 On July 16, McDowell marched his poorly prepared troops into Virginia. It took the Union army nearly four days to travel 25 miles to Manassas, an important railroad junction southwest of Washington. At Bull Run, the troops were accompanied by a huge crowd of reporters, politicians, and other civilians from Washington, planning to picnic and watch the battle.

 After several hours of hard fighting, the Union soldiers appeared to be winning, however General Thomas Jackson refused to give up, and he stood like a stone wall rally behind the Virginian. The Union advance was stopped, Jackson then earned his nickname “Stonewall”. Tired and discouraged, the Union troops began to fall back in the late afternoon. In addition a train load of fresh confederate soldiers arrived and launched a counterattack, the Union army fall apart.

 The first major battle of the Civil War was over, later on it became known as the First Battle of Bull Run. About 35,000 troops were involved on each side. The Union suffered about 2,900 casualties; Confederate casualties were fewer than 2,000.