Civil War: The Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)

Overview

• Date: April 12, 1861
• Event: Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter, starting the Civil War.
• President Lincoln's Response: Called for 75,000 troops to suppress the rebellion.
• Significance: Many Americans saw this as an adventure; troops gathered in and around Washington, D.C.

Pre-Battle Movements

• Union Calls for Action: "On to Richmond" rallying cry.
• Union Armies:
  • General Erwin McDowell: Defended Union Capital.
  • General Robert Patterson: Positioned 60 miles northwest.
• Confederate Armies:
  • General Joseph Lee Johnston: Opposed Patterson in Shenandoah Valley.
  • General P.G.T. Beauregard: Largest force, poised to march on Washington, D.C.

Initial Engagement

• July 1861: General McDowell advances westward.
• Beauregard's Position: Defends railroad junction at Manassas and Richmond roads.
• Bull Run: Six-mile front defended by Beauregard.
• Reconnaissance Mission:
  • Daniel Tyler: Advanced on Blackburn's Ford.
  • Encounter: Stiff resistance from Confederate troops under James Longstreet.

Confederate Movements

• Joseph Johnston: Slips away from Robert Patterson in Shenandoah Valley.
• Troop Movement: First use of rail to rush troops to a battlefield.
• Numerical Parity: Confederates on equal terms with Union Army.

Battle of July 21, 1861

• Union Advance:
  • Tyler's division towards Bull Run to engage Confederates.
  • Flanking Maneuver: 13,000 Union soldiers cross Bull Run.
• Initial Conflict:
  • Colonel Shanks Evans: Stops Union advance with South Carolinians and Louisianians.
  • Reinforcements: General Bernard B arrives, extending Confederate flanks.

Battle Escalation

• Henry Hill:
  • Disorganized Confederate Retreat: Fall back to Henry Hill.
  • Thomas Jackson's Brigade: Forms heart of Confederate position.
  • Artillery Positioning: 13 short-range cannons bolster Confederate line.
• Union Assault:
  • Artillery positioned by Charles Griffin and James Ricketts.
  • Intense artillery and infantry engagement.

Outcome

• Union Counterattacks:
  • Bloody assaults weaken Union forces.
  • Confederates grow stronger, bring fresh troops.
  • Union forces outflanked and forced to retreat.
• Retreat and Rout:
  • Union forces retire across Sedley Ford and Stonebridge.
  • Disorganized Confederate pursuit turns retreat into a rout.
  • Significance: Bloodiest battle in American history to date.

Summary

• The Battle of Bull Run was a complex engagement marked by strategic movements, the first use of rail for troop movement, and intense combat that resulted in a Confederate victory. This battle set the tone for the long and bloody conflict of the Civil War.