First Bull Run (Manassas)
Often referred to as First Manassas, First Bull Run was the first full battle of the Civil War and its greatest impact lay not in what happened during the battle but in the grim realization that this war would prove to be bloodier and longer than previously imagined. The Battle of First Bull run took place on June 21, 1861, when Confederate forces defended the railroad junction near Manassas, Virginia. At the start of the day's conflict, the small Bull run Creek departed the forces of Confederate General PGT Beauregard and Union General Irwin McDowell. The attacking Union forces carried the momentum on the morning of the 21st as the attacked the left flank of Beauregard's army and drove the Confederates from Matthews Hill back to Henry Hill.
By afternoon the momentum has switched as Confederate reinforcements commanded by Gen. Joseph Johnston arrived via railroad. Intense fighting continued on Henry Hill where Confederate forces rallied behind Thomas Jackson, a former instructor at the Virginia Military Institute, who held his ground "like a stone wall". By the end of the day, Confederate forces had not only held their ground but routed their Union opposition. The legend of "Stonewall" Jackson was born on this day.
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* * * Discussion Questions * * *
1. How did the results of First Manassas impact Union leadership and training?
2. Unlike America's 20th century wars, the Civil War was fought in America - literally in our front yards. Identify some of the civilians living around the Manassas Battlefield and describe the impact the battle had on them.
2. Unlike America's 20th century wars, the Civil War was fought in America - literally in our front yards. Identify some of the civilians living around the Manassas Battlefield and describe the impact the battle had on them.
Primary Sources
Nearly 160 years after it was written, the words penned from a Union officer to his wife days before First Bull Run remains one of the most poignant reminders of the great cost of human life in war. Robert Grandchamp explores the research into the authorship of the Sullavan Ballou letter. |
Analyze numerous contemporary newspaper articles that were written in the days immediately following First Bull Run. Included amongst the listings are Northern editorials reflecting on what the Union loss meant, descriptions of Stonewall Jackson's courage, and detailed descriptions of what was known of the events that occurred on the battlefield.
An excellent look of the Manassas Battlefield during the Civil War and the way it looks today at John Banks Civil War Blog. |
Bull RunningsThe account documented at the link below is an example of one of hundreds related to Bull Run that are digitized on the excellent website hosted by Harry Smeltzer.
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A letter written by Corporal Samuel J. English serving in the 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers. |
Secondary Sources
Bull Runnings hosts what is perhaps the most impressive collection of digitized primary sources related to the battles of Bull Run (Manassas). An example of one of the resources digitized on this website, the words of John Ellis, is linked above.
Animated Map by American Battlefield Trust
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National Portrait Gallery on the 150th Anniversary
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