, Research Paper
THE FIRST BATTLE OF BULL RUN
BY COLLINS MCKAY
On July 21, 1861, two ground forcess, one Confederate and the other Union, prepared for the first major land conflict of the Civil War. In 1861 Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as President.
The Southern provinces had seceded and the South had fired on and captured Fort Sumter on April 12 1861.
After the Fort Sumter conflict, both the North and the South began fixing for war by raising ground forcess. This was done rapidly and neither side spent much clip developing the military personnel. Both sides besides did non cognize what a long and awful war was in front.
The first Battle of Bull Run took topographic point near Manassas Junction, Virginia, an of import railway junction 20 five stat mis west of Washington, D.C. Bull Run Creek twisted and turned through Manassas Junction. The Shenandoah Valley, a Southern fastness was 30 stat mis to the Northwest of Manassas Junction. Both the Bull Run Creek and the nearby Shenandoah Valley gave the South two advantages in this conflict.
In July 1861, tow ground forcess faced each other in Northern Virginia. General Irvin McDowell, commanding officer of the Union Army of the Potomac had 31,000 work forces in Washington. General Beauergard of the Confederate Army had 20,000 military personnels camped around Manassas Junction.
To the North, near Harriers Ferry, Confederate General Joseph Johnston with 9,000 soldiers faced off with Union General Patterson who was dug in with 18,000 military personnels. These are forces that would be involved in the First Battle of Bull Run.
On July 18, 1861, General McDowell? s Army of the Potomac marched from Washington toward Manassas Junction for conflict. The Confederates at Manassas knew far in front of this action due to many Southern undercover agents in Washington. The Southern military personnels spread in lines along eight stat mis of Bull Run Creek. The heaviest Southern military personnels were on a ridge around Henry House. After a few brushs, the Union Army arrived at Bull Run on July 21, 1861.
As the Union Army approached Bull Run, General Johnston? s ground forces faked an onslaught at Harpers Ferry. As the 18,000 Union military personnels dug in for assault, the Southern forces jumped on rail autos and heade
vitamin D for Bull Run to reenforce the Confederate Army.
General McDonnell attempted to flank the Confederates by traveling north and west, and began several onslaughts on the Confederates right wing and the centre of the Confederate line at Henry House.
As the conflict wore on, the superior Numberss of the Union Army began to have on down the Confederate lines. At a critical point, as the Confederates began to fall back, an officer pointed out a line of Rebels who were still strong. He said, ? expression at Jackson? s work forces standing like a rock wall? . He was speaking about General T. J. Jackson? s work forces. Jackson would from so on be known as? Stonewall Jackson? , one of the most celebrated of all Confederate generals. This seemed to animate the Southern military personnels at Henry House who held their land and began to crush back the Union forces.
On the West flank the Union military personnels who had been traveling easy were pushed back by General Johnston? s military personnels who arrived in the afternoon by railway. Civilian witnesss had come out from Washington to watch the conflict. They thought it would be like a clean event. As the conflict turned against the North, they panicked and the one route back to Washington became clogged with upset passenger cars and waggons. The Union retreat had turned into terror by early eventide.
In the terminal, the North had suffered 2,896 work forces killed wounded or losing ; the South had lost 1,982. The South had won the large triumph in the first major conflict of the civil war. Many have said that the South could hold followed the Union military personnels to Washington and seized the Union Capitol. Why this action was non taken is non clear. After this conflict the North knew that the war would be long and cost many work forces. The South knew that the North had big ground forcess and that the war would go on.
A little more that one twelvemonth subsequently another of import conflict was fought in the same topographic point. On August 29, 1862 the Second Battle of Bull Run was fought and resulted in another Southern triumph. General Robert E. Lee defeated Union General McClellan.
Mentions
Civil War.com, 1999
New American History of the Civil War, Bruce Celtan, 19996
World Book Encyclopedia
