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.

First Manassas
The soilders story of the battle in their own words rather then hearing the historians perspective of battle we read the privates letter home or the Colonels battle report this book examines Bull Run, the battle for West Virginia, and the battle of Big Bethel

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

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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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	Epic Battles of the Civil War Historical Comics Marvel, First Bull Run First major batle of the War. The union army marched from Washington, D.C. with the expectation that following this battle they would proceed to Richmond Virginia, and end the war. Instead, the Union Army was defeated

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	Only a Private: A Texan Remembers the Civil War : The Memoirs of William J. Oliphant A first-hand account of the common soldier's point of view. No colonel or general, William Oliphant was, "only a private." His perspective provides a window into Texas during the first days of the Civil War, and first-hand descriptions of battles	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.

Search
AmericanCivilWar.com

Enter the keywords you are looking for and the site will be searched and all occurrences of your request will be displayed. You can also enter a date format, April 19,1862 or September 1864.

First Manassas First Bull Run Civil War Virginia

American Civil War July 21, 1861

First Manassas Campaign Map

Civil War History Documentary DVD Movie Titles

First Manassas
First Bull Run
Civil War Virginia

American Civil War
July 21, 1861