First Battle of Bull Run: Difference between revisions

The '''First Battle of Bull Run''', called the '''Battle of First Manassas'''<ref name=1stmanassas>[http://www.nps.gov/mana/learn/historyculture/first-manassas.htm National Park Service] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012145754/https://www.nps.gov/mana/learn/historyculture/first-manassas.htm |date=October 12, 2018 }}.</ref> by [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] forces, was the first major battle of the [[American Civil War]]. The battle was fought on July 21, 1861, in [[Prince William County, Virginia]], just north of what is now the city of [[Manassas, Virginia|Manassas]] and about thirty miles west-southwest of [[Washington, D.C.]] The [[Union Army]] was slow in positioning themselves, allowing Confederate reinforcements time to arrive by rail. Each side had about 18,000 poorly trained and poorly led troops. The battle was a Confederate victory and was followed by a disorganized post-battle retreat of the Union forces.

Just months after the start of the war at [[Battle of Fort Sumter|Fort Sumter]], the northern public clamored for a march against the Confederate capital of [[Richmond, Virginia]], which was expected to bring an early end to the Confederacy. Yielding to political pressure, [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]] [[Irvin McDowell]] led his unseasoned Union Army across [[Bull Run (Occoquan River)|Bull Run]] against the equally inexperienced Confederate Army of Brigadier General [[P. G. T. Beauregard]], whose forces were camped near Manassas Junction. McDowell's ambitious plan for a surprise flank attack on the Confederate left was poorly executed; nevertheless,although the Confederates, who had been planning to attack the Union left flank, found themselves at an initial disadvantage.

|}On December 20, 1860, [[South Carolina in the American Civil War|South Carolina]] was the first of seven Southern States to declare [[secession]] of the state from the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] of the United States.<ref>Long, pp. 12-13.</ref> By February 1, 1861, six other Southern States passed ordinances of secession.<ref>These were Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas passed ordinances of secession,<ref> in that order. Long, pp. 23-31.</ref> The Constitution of the [[Confederate States of America]] was adopted in [[Montgomery, Alabama]] on February 8, 1861.<ref>Long, p. 33.</ref> On March 1, 1861, [[Confederate States Army]] forces assumed control of the military situation at [[Charleston in the American Civil War|Charleston, South Carolina]] from state forces.<ref>Long. p. 43.</ref> On April 12, 1861, open warfare between the Confederate States and the United States began when Confederate forces barraged [[Fort Sumter]] in [[Charleston Harbor]], which had been occupied by the United States Army since December 26, 1860.<ref>Long, pp. 56-57.</ref> On April 15, 1861 (two days after the Federal Army forces surrendered at Fort Sumter, one day after the formal surrender), [[President of the United States|President]] [[Abraham Lincoln]] issued a proclamation declaring an insurrection against the laws of the United States had taken place.<ref>Long, p. 59.</ref>

During the previous year, U.S. Army captain [[Thomas Jordan (general)|Thomas Jordan]] set up a pro-Southern spy network in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington City]], includingrecruiting [[Rose O'Neal Greenhow]], a prominent socialite with a wide range of contacts.<ref name="fishel">Fishel, Edwin C., ''The Secret War For The Union: The Untold Story of Military Intelligence in the Civil War'', Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1996, pp. 59–63</ref> He provided her with a code for messages.<ref name="bioArc">[https://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/AdvancedSearchForm "Greenhow, Rose O'Neal"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160120211241/https://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/AdvancedSearchForm |date=January 20, 2016 }}, (1817–1864), ''The National Archives – People Description''. 1817–1864, (accessed February 5, 2013)</ref> After he left to join the Confederate Army, he gave her control of his network but continued to receive reports from her.<ref name="fishel"/> On July 9 and 16, Greenhow passed secret messages to Confederate General [[P.G.T. Beauregard]] containing critical information regarding military movements for what would be the First Battle of Bull Run, including the plans of Union general McDowell.<ref name="bioArc"/><ref>[http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2706/ "Letter Written in Cipher on Mourning Paper by Rose Greenhow"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605154449/http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2706/ |date=June 5, 2013 }}, National Archives and Records Administration, World Digital Library</ref>

For the maneuver to be successful McDowell felt he needed to act quickly. He had already begun to hear rumors that Johnston had slipped out of the valley and was headed for Manassas Junction. If the rumors were true, McDowell might soon be facing 34,000 Confederates, instead

Becoming more frustrated, McDowell resolved to attack the Confederate left (northwest) flank instead. He planned to attack with Brig. Gen. [[Daniel Tyler]]'s division at the [[Stone Bridge (Manassas)|Stone Bridge]] on the [[U.S. Route 29|Warrenton Turnpike]] and send the divisions of Brig. Gens. [[David Hunter]] and [[Samuel P. Heintzelman]] over Sudley Springs Ford. From here, these divisions could outflank the Confederate line and march into the Confederate rear. The brigade of [[Colonel (United States)|Col.]] [[Israel B. Richardson]] (Tyler's Division) would harass the enemy at Blackburn's Ford, preventing them from thwarting the main attack. Patterson would tie down Johnston in the Shenandoah Valley so that reinforcements could not reach the area. Although McDowell had arrived at a theoretically sound plan, it had a number of flaws: it was one that required synchronized execution of troop movements and attacks, skills that had not been developed in the nascent army; it relied on actions by Patterson that he had already failed to take; finally, McDowell had delayed long enough that Johnston's Valley force, whowhich had trained under [[Stonewall Jackson]], was able to board trains at [[Delaplane, Virginia|Piedmont Station]] and rush to Manassas Junction to reinforce Beauregard's men.<ref>Eicher, pp. 91–100.</ref>

On July 19–20, significant reinforcements bolstered the Confederate lines behind Bull Run. Johnston arrived with all of his army, except for the troops of Brig. Gen. [[Edmund Kirby Smith|Kirby Smith]], who were still in transit. Most of the new arrivals were posted in the vicinity of Blackburn's Ford, and Beauregard's plan was to attack from there to the north toward Centreville. Johnston, the senior officer, approved the plan. If both of the armies had been able to execute their plans simultaneously, it would have resulted in a mutual counterclockwise movement as they attacked each other's left flank.<ref>Eicher, p. 92.</ref>

! scope=row | [[21st New York Infantry Regiment|Twenty-first New York Volunteers]]

! scope=row | Bvt. Maj. Gen. Geo.[[George Cadwalader]] !! scope=row |First division

! scope=row | Maj. Gen. W.[[William H. Keim]] !! scope=row |Second division

! scope=row | [[7th Louisiana Infantry Regiment (Confederate)|Seventh Louisiana]]

! scope=row | [[8th Louisiana Infantry Regiment (Confederate)|Eighth Louisiana]]

! scope=row | [[Hampton's Legion]]

! scope=row | [[13th Virginia Infantry Regiment|Thirteenth Virginia]]

! scope=row | [[Washignton Artillery|Washington (Louisiana) Artillery]]

The Confederate delaying action on Matthews Hill included a spoiling attack launched by [[Major (rank)|Major]] [[Roberdeau Wheat]]'s 1st Louisiana Special Battalion, "[[Louisiana Tigers|Wheat's Tigers]]". After Wheat's command was thrown back, and Wheat seriously wounded, Evans received reinforcement from two other brigades under Brig. Gen. [[Barnard Elliott Bee, Jr.|Barnard Bee]] and Col. [[Francis S. Bartow]], bringing the force on the flank to 2,800 men.<ref name=Rafuse312 /> They successfully slowed Hunter's lead brigade (Brig. Gen. [[Ambrose Burnside]]) in its attempts to ford Bull Run and advance across Young's Branch, at the northern end of [[Henry House Hill]]. One of Tyler's brigade commanders, Col. [[William Tecumseh Sherman]], moved forward from the stone bridge around 10:00&nbsp;a.m.,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ironbrigader.com/2015/07/20/william-t-shermans-report-brigades-action-battle-bull-run/ |title=William T. Sherman's Report on His Brigade's Action at the First Battle of Bull Run |website=Ironbrigader.com |access-date=October 8, 2020 |archive-date=October 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009031449/https://ironbrigader.com/2015/07/20/william-t-shermans-report-brigades-action-battle-bull-run/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and crossed at an unguarded ford and struck the right flank of the Confederate defenders. This surprise attack, coupled with pressure from Burnside and Maj. [[George Sykes]], collapsed the Confederate line shortly after 11:30&nbsp;a.m., sending them in a disorderly retreat to Henry House Hill.<ref>Rafuse, "First Battle of Bull Run", pp. 312–13; Rafuse, ''A Single Grand Victory"'', p. 131; Esposito, Map 22; Eicher, pp. 94–95</ref>

| Captain [[James B. Ricketts|Ricketts]]

| Captain [[Richard Arnold (general)|Arnold]]

| Captain [[Charles Griffin|Griffin]]

*[http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/bullrun.html Battle of Bull Run]: [http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/firstmanassas/first-manassas-maps/first-manassas-july-21.html '''Battle maps'''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150719102657/http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/firstmanassas/first-manassas-maps/first-manassas-july-21.html |date=July 19, 2015 }}, photos, history articles, and battlefield news ([[Civil War Trust]])

*[http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2743/ "Map of the Battles of Bull Run, 1861"], prepared by Army engineer, National Archives and RecordRecords Administration, at [[World Digital Library]]

*[http://www.civilwaranimated.com/BullRunAnimation.html Animated history of the First Battle of Bull Run] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603055140/http://civilwaranimated.com/BullRunAnimation.html |date=June 3, 2011 }}

*[http://www.newsinhistory.com/feature/confederates-rout-union-army-first-battle-bull-runmanassas Newspaper coverage of the First Battle of Bull Run] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429014137/http://www.newsinhistory.com/feature/confederates-rout-union-army-first-battle-bull-runmanassas |date=April 29, 2011 }}