First battle of Bull Run lecture

    The First battle of Manasses, more commonly known as the Battle of Bull Run, was the first major battle of the American Civil War. The most significant events that came about from this battle include two things, the birth of Virginia-born General “Stonewall” Jackson (he earned his nickname here), and the battle showed the unpreparedness of the Union Army for a full-scale war.

Fort Sumter
We all know that the starting point of the Civil War came from the attack on Fort Sumter in April of 1861, but many fail to realize the significance that event had on the outcome of not only this battle, but the entire war. Around the time that South Carolina succeeded from the Union, Major General Robert Anderson had a small garrison of around eighty men stationed at Fort Moultrie, which was located near Charleston Harbor. Fearing that he will eventually be overwhelmed, he moved his troops into Fort Sumter. His situation was horrible, he lacked necessary means of food to supply and refresh his men, and did not have sufficient gunpowder to make any formidable defense. Politicians in the North were furious that Anderson retreated into Sumter, but the situation was now irreversible. On Thursday, April 11th, Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard dispatched troops to head to Fort Sumter to siege the fort. Beauregard told Anderson to surrender, but he refused. A bombardment of the Fort proceeded for over 24 hours, in which Anderson could not return fire due to the fact of having a low supply of gunpowder and could only fire Solid Shot, not the exploding shells needed to take out the Rebel Batteries. The next day, April 13th, Anderson surrendered. No soldiers were killed during the battle, except for the 100-gun salute allowed for the Union forces. The reason why this is so important in regards to the Battle of Bull Run? Well, the leading Southern Officer in this Siege, Beauregard, was considered a hero. Upon returning to the south, he later received orders to march to Bull Run. He would be the leading Confederate officer during the battle. The successful taking of Fort Sumter allowed the Confederates to create a valuable hole once the Union blockade of the Atlantic ensued. 

The Union Mobilizes
After Sumter, the Union relied heavily on voluntary enlistment, not the draft (which wouldn’t come until 1863). Lincoln took many executive orders at this time, including Martial law in parts of Maryland, which helps paint a vivid picture of just how bad the situation was at the time. The most important aspect to remember in the early stages of the war was just how unprepared the Union was to fight it. The Union is to the Civil War what Europe was to World War 1, everyone was thinking of a quick, honorable victory that would result in few casualties and great results. They were horribly wrong. The initial viewpoint of Lincoln and his Secretary of State William Seward was a quick march through Virginia and on to Richmond. The whole idea of each side, both North and South, was that whoever took the other's Capital would surely have a momentous advantage in the war. One way to get to Richmond, Lincoln thought, was through the Manassas Junction at a River called Bull Run.

Sides take initiatives
Each side had the same idea. Reach the other’s capital within months. So the Manassas junction was a perfect place for a square off, and whoever comes out on top surely has a clear line of site to either D.C or Richmond. Throughout the war, Lincoln had picked and replaced many, many Generals, including; Hooker, Halleck, and, most notably, McClellan. But early on, before all of the general-nitpicking, Lincoln selected Irvin McDowell for the mission of leading 35,000 Union troops into Virginia and onto Manasses. McDowell was born in Columbus, Ohio. Perhaps a good strategist, but was not very good under pressure. He was too overly cautious and even avoided orders from General Winfield Scott once or twice due to his over cautiousness. On the Confederate side, we have the previously mentioned Beauregard and perhaps the highest ranking Confederate officer at the time, Joseph E. Johnston. Johnston was stationed with roughly 15,000 reinforcements in the Shenandoah valley, which were supposed to reach Beauregard in time before the Union attack. Lincoln sent General Robert Patterson to the Shenandoah Valley to try and stall Johnston from reaching Manasses, but to no avail. Then came Johnston and with him a rough, humble man from Virginia Military Institute and Veteran of the Mexican-American war Thomas J. Jackson.

“Then, Sir, we will give them the bayonet!”
Colonel B.E Bee came rushing to Jackson at Henry House Hill, telling him the enemy was driving the confederate forces back and there was no hope. Union Artillery was perfectly set up on a ridge line not far away, blasting the confederate position. They had already suffered hundreds of casualties, but McDowell kept ordering charge after charge, and it seemed to be working. Jackson, being the man he was, replied simply “Then, Sir, we will give them the bayonet!”

Thomas J. Jackson was Born in NorthWest Virginia (modern day West Virginia) to his mother, Julia, and father John He had a tragedy at a young age, including when his sister died of Typhoid fever. During his early-late childhood, Jackson was an avid reader and even got a job at his uncle's Mill. First hand experience in the wilderness helped give him a tough, rigid outlook. Eventually, even differences with his family ensued, with his sister being a staunch Unionist. Up to this point, Jackson really never had any formal schooling, but still managed to get into West Point in 1842. Even though he struggled his first few years, he ended up pulling through and graduated 17th in his class. He soon joined up, and like many other civil war generals at this time, fought in the Mexican-American war. He was an Artillery officer and was made most notable for his accomplishments at Chapultepec Castle. After the war, he taught at Virginia Military Institute, where his cadets thought of him as a meager teacher (he taught a modern day form of Philosophy). According to his students, he was lifeless and didn’t really have a personality. But after skirmishes with the cadets and local Militia after Fort Sumter, Jackson saw the Union Army as an invading force, and was not fighting on the basis of slavery. His cadets saw him as his true self when he delivered his famous speech at VMI, where he uttered “The time for war has not yet come, but it will come, and that soon; and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard.” Jackson was known for not being a former Military commander, usually dressing similar to his men. Religion centered around him and his military decisions, but was also known for the love for his men, where he instructed strict discipline, but rightfully so. He would drill his men for hours on end, and it would prove effective at Bull Run.                                                  

  Thomas J Jackson

Onwards, to Manasses!
So now with the Battle. When each force assembled at Manassas Junction, the Confederates soon found out they were outnumbered. But, Confederates had more morale underlying on their side, and proved to be better trained and effective on the battlefield. The total number of Union troops rounded out to about 35,000 led by McDowell. All told, the Confederates totaled roughly 20,000. McDowell at this point had the largest force ever assembled on the North American Continent, he planned to use two columns to make a diversionary attack at Bull Run, while simultaneously using a third column to encircle the Confederates and cut off supplies via railroad. McDowell became eager and frustrated upon hearing that Gen Robert Patterson may have been outmaneuvered by Confederate cavalry commander Jeb Stuart, who was meant to do this to allow Johnston to slip past Patterson and reinforce Beauregard. McDowell changed his initial plans from attacking the confederate right, and switched to attack the confederate left flank. He sent General Daniel Tyler’s division from the Warrenton Turnpike to attack (along with General David Hunter) to attack over Sudley Springs Ford (see image). He would also send a detachment of Tyler’s unit to attack at Blackburn’s ford to protect the main attack. The morning of the attack, Tyler departed from headquarters at centreville and marched directly to the Stone Bridge (west flank of the confederates). Here, Tyler’s men along with an eager man named General Hunter, totaled 20,000 troops. All that stood in the way of these Union Divisions were 1,100 Confederate troops led by General Nathan Evans. Evans got word that Tyler’s forces at the Stone Bridge were a diversion for General Hunter and Captain Edward Porter Alexander. It was too late. Evans retreated to Matthew’s hill not too far away from the Stone Bridge. Evans received order that Captain’s Barnard Bee and (who is later named a hero, but dies in the battle) Francis S. Bartow, totaling the Confederate forces at Matthew’s hill to 2,500 men. Shortly after, at around 11:30 am, Col William T. Sherman crossed at an unguarded ford on the Confederates right flank.    Phase of Attack

A little while later, after retreating to Henry House Hill Thomas Jackson shows up here, where he orders a full retreat of confederate forces to the base of the hill out of the range of Artillery. Jackson had around 15 batteries and positioned them at the top of the hill so that when they fired, the recoil would send them back down the slope under protection. The Union army had 11 batteries, and a 2 hour long artillery confrontation ensued. A while later, when the artillery shelling had stopped, the Unionist launched an audacious attack, where Barnard Bee exclaimed “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Rally behind the Virginians!” Jackson got his nickname here. Jackson ordered the full attack of the hill, and was able to capture all of the Union guns. The Rebel Yell of Jackson and his brigade was heard here. The Union army, having lost Henry Hill, and McDowell not using more than two Regiments at a time even though he had 15, attempted to retreat back to Washington. The retreat was horribly organized, showing just how ill-equipped the Union Army was.

Final thoughts
Bull Run marked one of the biggest victories, yet biggest blunders of the war. After Beauregard successfully sent the Unionist retreating, he failed to pursue them back to Washington. Many wonder what could have happened if he did, the possibility of the war ending within weeks with a confederate victory is not ruled out. He had a perfect line of sight on Washington, yet failed to acclaim it. The battle showed how ill-prepared the Union army was, and ensured that the war would wage on a lot longer than people thought. The battle gave birth to the cunning-edge tactician Stonewall Jackson, who would end up proving tremendous in his Valley campaign later on. Overall, Bull Run marked a momentous outlook on the war, and many wonder what would have happened if the Union army came more prepared, and whether or not the war could have actually ended in weeks.

I will also Try to post a few pictures below.