Battle at Bull Run: A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War
The battle, was unique in the Civil War in that no general on either side had ever exercised high command in combat. July 21, 1861 would demonstrate that careers devoted to theoretical studies of warfare provided poor indicators of success in combat.

First Manassas
First Bull Run
Civil War Virginia

American Civil War
July 21, 1861

This was the first major land battle of the Union and Confederate armies in Virginia.

"We Shall Meet Again": The First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run), July 18-21, 1861
The First Battle of Manassas claimed the lives of approximately 878 soldiers and wounded another 2,489. With a battlefield stretching nearly five miles, 15,000 Union and 14,000 Confederate soldiers clashed for four fateful days, many of them young and terrified and receiving their first taste of a long and bitter war

First Manassas Campaign Map

On July 16, 1862, the untried Union army under Brigadier General Irvin McDowell marched from Washington against the Confederate army, which was drawn up behind Bull Run beyond Centreville.

On the 21st, McDowell crossed at Sudley Ford and attacked the Confederate left flank on Matthews Hill. Fighting raged throughout the day as Confederate forces were driven back to Henry Hill. Late in the afternoon, Confederate reinforcements (one brigade arriving by rail from the Shenandoah Valley) extended and broke the Union right flank.

The Federal retreat rapidly deteriorated into a rout. Although victorious, Confederate forces were too disorganized to pursue. Confederate General Bee and Col. Bartow were killed. Thomas J. Jackson earned the nom de guerre "Stonewall."

By July 22, the shattered Union army reached the safety of Washington.

This battle convinced the Lincoln administration that the war would be a long and costly affair.

McDowell was relieved of command of the Union army and replaced by Major General George B. McClellan, who set about reorganizing and training the troops.

Result(s): Confederate victory

Location: Fairfax County and Prince William County

Campaign: Manassas Campaign (July 1861) previous battle in campaig Campaigns

Date(s): July 21, 1861

Principal Commanders: Brigadier General Irvin McDowell [US]; Brigadier General Joseph E. Johnston and Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard [CS]

Forces Engaged: 60,680 total (US 28,450; CS 32,230)

Estimated Casualties: 4,700 total (US 2,950; CS 1,750)

Manassas 1861
DVD

The Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide
Virginia was host to nearly 1/3rd of all Civil War engagements. This guide covers them all

Upper Potomac River Map 1861

General Irvin McDowell's army of 35,000 Union troops marched from Washington, D.C. toward the railroad junction at Manassas. Here the Orange & Alexandria Railroad met the Manassas Gap Railroad, which led west to the Shenandoah Valley. Twenty-two thousand Southern soldiers under the command of General Pierre G.T. Beauregard guarded the area, waiting for an attack. On July 21, 1861, the two armies met on the fields overlooking a small stream named Bull Run. Meanwhile, on July 20th and 21st, 10,000 additional Southern troops arrived via the Manassas Gap Railroad. After hours of battle, the newly arrived southern units forced the exhausted and discouraged Union soldiers to withdraw back to Washington, D.C

Click to enlarge Pictures

View of Bull Run

Sudley Ford, with the Sudley Church in the background Sudley Ford Bull Run Manassas

U.S. State Park Battle Map
More on First Bull Run

72 Piece Civil War Army Men
Play Set 52mm Union and Confederate Figures, Bridge, Horses, Canon

48 Union and Confederate Soldiers up to 2-1/8 inches (52mm) tall

4 Horses, 4 Sandbag Bunkers, 6 Fence Sections, 3 Cannon, 3 Limber Wagons (Ammo Carts)

Bridge, Small Barracks, 2 Cardboard buildings

Scale: About 1/35th

Packaging: Plastic Bag with Header Card

Virginia State Battle Map 1861
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Joseph E. Johnston: A Civil War Biography
A biography of the public and private life of General Joseph E. Johnston, one of the most important Southern field commanders during the American Civil War

Young Reader Civil War Book Titles
Donnybrook: The Battle of Bull Run, 1861 One of the better overviews of the campaign and battle of First Manassas or Bull Run. The book is very easy to read and is broken down in manageable chunks, with the events before and after the battle.	Drummer Boy at Bull Run You get to know two families during the Civil War. It focuses on the two teens Jeff and Leah who go through struggles with their friendship as Jeff's family joins the confederacy.	The Battle of First Bull Run: The Civil War Begins Three months after the shelling of Fort Sumter, Union and Confederate forces met for the first time in earnest combat. However, neither side was prepared at this early stage of the war, and confusion reigned on the battlefield	Fields of Fury The American Civil War Written for young readers a stirring account of the greatest conflict to happen on our nation's soil, the Civil War, bringing to life the tragic struggle that divided not only a nation, but also friends and family. well-organized, well-executed, kid-friendly history of the Civil War was a brilliant idea if there ever was one. It's difficult to imagine anyone doing a better job than McPherson at breaking down this complex, interrelated series of events

American Civil War Book Titles
The Civil War: A Narrative Fort Sumter to Perryville From the secession crisis of early 1861 to the inauguration of Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederate States. From Yankee disaster at First Manassas to Lee's debut in western Virginia. From riverboat actions on the Mississippi, to McClellan's movement up the York-James Peninsula	Civil War Album: A Complete Photographic History: Fort Sumter to Appomattox 4000 photographs from the war. Brings to life the battles, bunkers, soldiers, and parades. The farms, cities, and towns as they appeared at the time. This volume is enhanced with essays by Civil War historians, who provide an overview of each battle, and describe each image	Joseph E. Johnston and the Defense of Richmond The high-level conferences in Richmond to set strategy and the relationship of the Peninsula campaign to operations in the Shenandoah Valley and the western Confederacy. What emerges is a portrait of a general who was much more complex in thought and action than even his advocates have argued	The Third Battalion Mississippi Infantry and the 45th Mississippi Regiment The story of Hardcastle's 3rd Battalion Mississippi Infantry from enlistment to the end of the war, includes their mid-war incarnation and the role they played in Cleburne's fabled division

**Bull Run Strategy Game**
The History Channel: Take Command - Civil War brings you into America's bloodiest war as it's underway. Carnage and chaos are everywhere and the destiny of a country is in your hands. Withering fire cuts down your best regiments, as the screams of the wounded are deafening. Rally the troops and organize a counterattack -- Your strategic decision and talent as a commander will decide if the Union is preserved or if Dixie wins its independence. Control full compliments of troops and move them across the battlefield: cavalry, musketeers, riflemen and more Command cannons and mortars, build and take forts and experience 3D combat Full reference section with a Civil War timeline, historical documents, and hundreds of real photographs	History Channel The Battle of Bull Run Civil War Video Game

Civil War History Documentary DVD Movie Titles

History Channel Presents The Civil War From Harper's Ferry, Fort Sumter, and First Bull Run to Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg. The most legendary Civil War battles in brilliant detail. A selection of the soldiers and legendary leaders.	Civil War Combat: America's Bloodiest Battles The violent mayhem of the hornet's nest at Shiloh, the valiant charge on the sunken road at Antietam, the carnage in the wheat field at Gettysburg, and the brutal fighting at Cold Harbor	Civil War Journal - The Conflict Begins These four programs from the History Channel series Civil War Journal cover critical aspects of the early days of the war.	Civil War: A Concise History The best collection of Civil War visuals ever assembled in one 75-minute program. A breathtaking and first-hand account of the war. Great DVD Bonuses
Gettysburg / Gods and Generals The tide of the war changes during three fierce days of combat at Gettysburg [Disc 1] the gripping saga of the tactics command errors and sacrifices behind the bloodiest battle ever fought on U.S. soil. Gods and Generals [Disc 2] reveals the spirited allegiances and fierce combat of earlier Civil War struggles	Halls of Honor The U.S. Navy Museum takes you on an informed and entertaining romp through one of North America s oldest and finest military museums. The museum has been in continuous operation at the Washington Navy Yard since the American Civil War	The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns Here is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one	The Underground Railroad T the first civil rights movement," was no mere act of civil disobedience. The secret network of guides, pilots, and safe-house keepers (the Railroad's "conductors") was built by runaway slaves

Sources:

U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.

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First Manassas First Bull Run Civil War Virginia

American Civil War July 21, 1861

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Civil War History Documentary DVD Movie Titles

First Manassas
First Bull Run
Civil War Virginia

American Civil War
July 21, 1861