First Battle of Bull Run
by Staff EditorOn July 21, 1861 the first major battle of the American Civil War occurred. The first battle of Bull Run was fought only 25 miles outside of the Union’s capital in Washington D.C at Manassas Virginia. This encounter began in favor of General Irwin McDowell and the Union troops, however quickly turned sour as they fled in defeat back to Washington.
The Commencement of the 1st Battle of Bull Run
The 1st battle of Bull Run must begin with the selection of General Irwin McDowell. After the Confederates states’ succession from the North, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Irwin McDowell as general. McDowell quickly felt pressure to retaliate against the rebelling South. However, the General was uncertain about the untried skills of his army. After much coaxing, General McDowell conceded and began his preparation for battle by organizing a troop of 28,000 men. On July 16, 1861 the men departed Washington heading for Virginia and what turned out to be the 1st battle of Bull Run.
In Manassas Virginia a confederate army of 21,000 men stood idle at their southern base under the control of General Beauregard. McDowell’s plan, knowing the inferior number of Beauregard’s forces, was to march down and take the southern base. During this time there was a battle taking place between the Union Major General’s Robert Patterson and the South’s General Johnston in Shenandoah Valley. This dispute inhibited Johnston’s men to reinforce Beauregard’s troops and even out the numbers.
After his march down toward Manassas Virginia, McDowell gave his force a short rest while he began organizing how he would set up his attack, while Beauregard established his line on what was to be the site of the first battle of Bull Run.
The First Battle of Bull Run is Waged
The first battle of Bull Run consisted of only a 5 hour fight. McDowell began by first focusing on the left flank of Beauregard’s line. The Union troops vastly outnumbering the left flank side soon sent them falling back. As the Confederate’s left flank began retreating they were met by Thomas J. Jackson’s brigade. Jackson’s stubborn will to give up gave him the well-known nickname of “Stonewall” Jackson. Due to McDowell’s initial decision to rest and Stonewall’s persistence, General Johnston and his men were able to get on trains in Piedmont Station. Johnston soon entered the 1st battle of Bull Run and reinforced the Confederate line.
The Union battled on pushing the left flank line toward Henry Hill House. Once reaching the top of the Hill the Federal Army soon clashed not only with Jackson’s continuing immovability but also the fresh men of Johnston’s brigade. McDowell’s offensive tactics soon began to fail, as his men began backing up. The line soon collapsed entirely and the Union Army fled and scattered back in retreat. During the mess of confusion hundreds of Union men were captured by the Confederate Army.
The turning point of the 1st battle of Bull Run was without doubt when General Johnston and his force joined Beauregard’s line at Henry Hill House. Even though the first battle of Bull Run only lasted 5 hours massive losses incurred on both sides. Over 2,000 men on both the Union and Confederate sides were reported dead, missing, captured, or injured. With his overwhelming defeat at the first battle of Bull Run, General McDowell was relieved of his duties and George B McClellan was established as his replacement.
Repercussions from the first battle of Bull Run
Despite a loss in its first major battle, the Union Army rebounded to seize control of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers as they flowed into Ohio. This seizure was important because it was the main waterway of the Confederacy.
On January 31, 1862, President Lincoln issued a General War Order intended to force his troops under McClellan into more offensive action and push forward in the war.
In March 1862, the Peninsular Campaign began as McClellan’s arm (also known as the Army of the Potomac) made its way down the Potomac from Washington to Richmond Virginia, the new Confederate capital. It gained some significant ground in the campaign, quickly blocking the Southern coast and limiting Confederate trade capabilities with its vastly superior naval reserve. By the end of April, the Confederate army had surrendered the forts guarding New Orleans, its largest port.
The tides shifted in favor of the Confederacy with the appointment of General Robert E. Lee as commander of Confederate forces on June 1, 1862. He replaced General Johnston who was badly wounded in the May 31st Battle of Seven Pines. Within a month, McClellan and his Union troops withdrew towards Washington after suffering heavy losses in Richmond.
As the war dragged on, prominent Northerners and radical Republicans urged the president to shift the war into a war on slavery. Though slavery was one of the war’s main instigating factors, Lincoln wanted to make it clear that it would not become the main issue, continuing to insist that the war was being fought in an effort to save the Union. His chief military advisor McClellan agreed, believing that in order to keep Confederate resistance to a minimum, the Union Army should not interfere with slavery and help quash any slavery uprisings.
