Suriya Koothan 3rd Period APUSH Nov.

3rd, 2011

The First Battle of Bull Run

Three months post Fort Summer the public and politicians of the North were growing restless and were demanding a quick a decisive victory against the less developed South. So, on July 16, 1861, 35,000 Union troops, led by Brigadier General Irvin McDowell, marched southwest out of Washington D.C., in an effort to take the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia (Ballard). When McDowell expressed concern that his troops were inexperienced, President Abraham Lincoln told him, "You are green, it is true; but they are green, also; you are all green alike." When the Union troops set out on the 30 mile march towards Manassas many civilians followed in carriages logging families and picnic baskets, hoping to see a bit of the action during what they believed would be the only battle of an extremely brief war. Around July 18, McDowell had arrived in Centreville, about five miles from Manassas Junction, waiting for supplies and planning the Union's upcoming attack. Meanwhile, a Confederate spy had alerted Southern commander Brigadier General Pierre G.T. Beauregard that Northern forces were heading that way (Beauregard). So Beauregard positioned his 22,000 Confederate troops along Bull Run, a small stream near Manassas Junction. On July 20, Confederate brigadier general Joseph E. Johnston's 12,000 troops from the Shenandoah Valley began arriving in Manassas Junction via railroad (Ballard). At 2 a.m. on the morning of July 21, McDowell's troops prepared to march from Centreville to Bull Run. Union brigadier general Daniel Tyler's division was ordered to continue straight down Warrenton Turnpike and distract Confederate troops at the Stone Bridge over Bull Run by pretending to attack. Meanwhile, the men under colonels David Hunter and S.R. Heintzelman were to turn off the turnpike, go north about five or

six miles, cross Bull Run at Sudley Springs Ford, and attack the Confederates' left flank (Ballard). The success of McDowell's plan relied on the elements of surprise and speed, neither of which he had. Informed about advancing Union soldiers, Confederate colonel Nathan Evans placed his infantry units from the 4th South Carolina Regiment and the 1st Louisiana Brigade at the Stone Bridge. When Tyler's artillery began firing at Evans's men, it signaled McDowell that Tyler's men were in place at the Stone Bridge. Around 8:30 a.m., however, Evans learned that Union troops had been spotted marching toward Sudley Springs Ford. Evans then received the message, "Look to your left." Convinced that the attack at the Stone Bridge was a diversion, Evans stationed some men there to hold off Tyler's action and took the majority of his troops to the top of Matthews Hill. There he hoped to resist the Union troops until Confederate backups could arrive. When reinforcements under Confederate colonel Francis Bartow and brigadier general Barnard Bee came, fierce fighting ensued. Although the Confederates were forced to retreat off Matthews Hill and move over to Henry Hill, Evans had bought the army enough time for more Confederate troops to join his men (Beauregard). During this retreat, 600 more Confederate men under Colonel Wade Hampton reached the area and decided to single-handedly engage the enemy. When they were forced to retreat behind the Robinson House, it began to look like a Union victory, yet the battle was not yet over. McDowell still had 18,000 troops under his command, but they were not all engaged in battle at the same time. Between 12 and 2 p.m., he organized 10,000 troops to attack Henry Hill (Ballard). Confederate forces, consisting of about 6,500 men, along with a

300-man cavalry unit under Colonel J.E.B. Stuart, re-formed on the hill. Concealed behind the top of the hill was Confederate brigadier general Thomas J. Jackson's brigade (Beauregard). Meanwhile, Bee tried to rally his disorganized men. Commanding officers Johnston and Beauregard also rode onto the battlefield in an attempt to assemble the scattered Confederate troops. As the New York Fire Zouaves of the 11th Infantry attempted to support Union artillery on the hill, Jackson's men fired on them, causing some of the Zouaves to flee. Stuart's cavalry charged from the woods, attacking the brightly attired soldiers. Confederates then captured a portion of the Union artillery when advancing Confederate troops, some of whom may have been wearing uniforms similar in color to the Union blue, were mistaken in the smoke and haze by Union soldiers as being from their own side. After being fired upon at close range, the Union infantry support fled down the hill (Ballard). For the next two hours, the battle on Henry Hill was a mixture of disordered attacks and counterattacks (Ballard). The summer heat eventually took its toll on both armies. Bee led a charge against one Union position and was mortally wounded. More Confederate reinforcements were employed as soon as they arrived, including men led by brigadier generals E. Kirby Smith and Jubal A. Early. Beauregard then ordered an advance on the enemy's right flank, causing the Union lines to disintegrate (Beauregard). An initial orderly Union withdrawal turned into mayhem when the Union's inexperienced volunteer soldiers and panicked civilians crowded together as they attempted to leave the area. The road became blocked with carriages and an overturned wagon. The army abandoned guns and other supplies as it fled back to

Washington, D.C. Exhausted and with nightfall approaching, the Confederates chose not pursue the enemy given that they too had experience heavy casualties. While the Confederacy celebrated, Union leaders faced the realization that the war was going to be longer and costlier than they originally thought. Lincoln put out a call for 100,000 new troops to serve for three years. The first major battle of the Civil War, the Battle of First Bull Run, proved to be a decisive eye opener for both sides and showed the North that any victory with the South was bound to cost the blood of many.

Work Cited
Ballard, Ted. Battle of First Bull Run. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, U.S. Army, 2007. Print. Beauregard, G. T. "The First Battle Of Bull Run." The American Civil War Home Page. Web. 02 Nov. 2011. <http://www.civilwarhome.com/bullruncampaign.htm>