1861 : The First Battle of Bull Run
In the first major land battle of the Civil War, a large Union force
under General Irvin McDowell is routed by a Confederate army under
General Pierre G.T. Beauregard.
Three months after the Civil War erupted at Fort Sumter, Union
military command still believed that the Confederacy could be crushed
quickly and with little loss of life. In July, this overconfidence led
to a premature offensive into northern Virginia by General McDowell.
Searching out the Confederate forces, McDowell led 34,000
troops--mostly inexperienced and poorly trained militiamen--toward the
railroad junction of Manassas, located just 30 miles from Washington,
D.C. Alerted to the Union advance, General Beauregard massed some
20,000 troops there and was soon joined by General Joseph Johnston,
who brought some 9,000 more troops by railroad.
On the morning of July 21, hearing of the proximity of the two
opposing forces, hundreds of civilians--men, women, and
children--turned out to watch the first major battle of the Civil War.
The fighting commenced with three Union divisions crossing the Bull
Run stream, and the Confederate flank was driven back to Henry House
Hill. However, at this strategic location, Beauregard had fashioned a
strong defensive line anchored by a brigade of Virginia infantry under
General Thomas J. Jackson. Firing from a concealed slope, Jackson's
men repulsed a series of Federal charges, winning Jackson his famous
nickname "Stonewall."
Meanwhile, Confederate cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart captured the Union
artillery, and Beauregard ordered a counterattack on the exposed Union
right flank. The rebels came charging down the hill, yelling
furiously, and McDowell's line was broken, forcing his troops in a
hasty retreat across Bull Run. The retreat soon became an unorganized
flight, and supplies littered the road back to Washington. Union
forces endured a loss of 3,000 men killed, wounded, or missing in
action while the Confederates suffered 2,000 casualties. The scale of
this bloodshed horrified not only the frightened spectators at Bull
Run but also the U.S. government in Washington, which was faced with
an uncertain military strategy in quelling the "Southern
insurrection."
history.com/tdih.do
1925 : Monkey Trial ends
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5196
1970 : Aswan High Dam completed
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6965
2005 : Bombers attempt to attack London transit system
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5197
##########################################
In the first major land battle of the Civil War, a large Union force
under General Irvin McDowell is routed by a Confederate army under
General Pierre G.T. Beauregard.
Three months after the Civil War erupted at Fort Sumter, Union
military command still believed that the Confederacy could be crushed
quickly and with little loss of life. In July, this overconfidence led
to a premature offensive into northern Virginia by General McDowell.
Searching out the Confederate forces, McDowell led 34,000
troops--mostly inexperienced and poorly trained militiamen--toward the
railroad junction of Manassas, located just 30 miles from Washington,
D.C. Alerted to the Union advance, General Beauregard massed some
20,000 troops there and was soon joined by General Joseph Johnston,
who brought some 9,000 more troops by railroad.
On the morning of July 21, hearing of the proximity of the two
opposing forces, hundreds of civilians--men, women, and
children--turned out to watch the first major battle of the Civil War.
The fighting commenced with three Union divisions crossing the Bull
Run stream, and the Confederate flank was driven back to Henry House
Hill. However, at this strategic location, Beauregard had fashioned a
strong defensive line anchored by a brigade of Virginia infantry under
General Thomas J. Jackson. Firing from a concealed slope, Jackson's
men repulsed a series of Federal charges, winning Jackson his famous
nickname "Stonewall."
Meanwhile, Confederate cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart captured the Union
artillery, and Beauregard ordered a counterattack on the exposed Union
right flank. The rebels came charging down the hill, yelling
furiously, and McDowell's line was broken, forcing his troops in a
hasty retreat across Bull Run. The retreat soon became an unorganized
flight, and supplies littered the road back to Washington. Union
forces endured a loss of 3,000 men killed, wounded, or missing in
action while the Confederates suffered 2,000 casualties. The scale of
this bloodshed horrified not only the frightened spectators at Bull
Run but also the U.S. government in Washington, which was faced with
an uncertain military strategy in quelling the "Southern
insurrection."
history.com/tdih.do
1925 : Monkey Trial ends
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5196
1970 : Aswan High Dam completed
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6965
2005 : Bombers attempt to attack London transit system
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5197
##########################################
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