The Battle Of Bull Run

It was well believed until Jackson’s forces began unloading rounds on the Union army stopping McDowell’s forces from advancing, holding the line like “a stone wall.” As the new Union recruits witnessed battle for the first time and felt the lack of preparation, they were quick to retreat back to Washington DC. The Southern victory and the tens of thousands of lives lost proved to the Union that this war was not going to be easily won.

On January 26, 1863 General Joseph Hooker was appointed the commander of the Army of the Potomac. General Hooker wanted to attack General Lee’s army while a large portion of his troops were engaged at the town of Fredericksburg. He commanded an army that was almost twice the size of Lee’s forces. Hooker then moved the Union forces toward the town of Chancellorsville and had his men set up in defensive positions just outside the town. When General Lee learned of this he moved a portion of his men to assault Hooker and his army. When he arrived, Lee split his men in order to attack from different locations and General Stonewall Jackson commander of the cavalry moved his men to an exposed section of the Union defense and exploited it. On May 3 the fighting was so fierce that it caused General Hooker to withdraw his men and move them to the other side of the river that was nearby. This is when General Lee learned of federal troops gaining the advantage

A Civil War is a battle between the same citizens in a country. The American Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 to determine the independence for the Confederacy or the survival of the Union. By the time Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1861, in the mist of 34 states, the constant disagreement caused seven Southern slave states to their independence from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America. The Confederacy, generally known as the South, grew to include eleven states. The states that remained devoted to the US were known as the Union or the North. The number one question that is never completely understood about the Civil War is what caused the war. There were multiple events that led to the groundbreaking, bloody, and political war.

The weather on the day of battle was hot, in the mid 80’s to low 90’s, and humid. The heat had a negative effect on Union soldiers. The Union Army set out at 2 a.m. to avoid engaging in battle during the hottest part of the day. Many of these Soldiers were untrained in road marches and lacked discipline. They would break ranks to find water, rest or collect blackberries. For these reasons they reached Bull Run three hours late and consequently ended up fighting well into the day. Both sides went into the battle with high morale. They believed that over the course of a few days they would be victorious and the war would be won in this one battle. The terrain of the Battle was mostly rolling country side. Bull Run River was running through the battlefield, which is what the battle was named after. Soldiers had to

The President of the Union at this time, Abraham Lincoln, had instructed Major General Pope to defend Washington incase of a Confederate attack. He was also told to take his army to Gordonsville to distract the Confederates away from McClellan's army. On the Confederate side, General Lee was confident enough to take

was by General George G. Meade. The confederate soldiers were mostly made up of elements of the Army of Northern Virginia and South Carolina and were led by William Mahone under the direct order of Robert E. Lee. The Union decided to explode a mine under the Confederates and blow a gap into their defensive lines. Petersburg, Virginia was an important location due to the railheads that merged together there. The railhead then continued to Richmond the capital to deliver supplies to the Confederate Army. 2

The Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Manassas by the Confederacy, was the first major land battle that the armies of Virginia fought. Most think that the Civil War officially started when the Confederate troops gunned down Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, but the Battle of Bull Run is what really kicked off the war. No one had actually really got down and dirty to fight until this battle. It was essentially the first battle of the Civil war.

At Henry Hill, Gen. Jackson along with several others formed a large defensive line in order to support the disorganized retreated troops. The Union and the Confederates spent the beginning of the battle with their artillery firing at each other. But, the Union lacks the support for their artillery batteries and the Confederates take advantage of that fact. This is where the Union begins to crumble. The Union sends its troops in piece by piece, unable to permanently hold their artillery pieces. While

The Civil War occurred between 1861 and 1865. Soldiers from the Union and Confederacy disagreed on the purpose of the war. Southerners believed that slavery was the primary cause of the war. Union soldiers were attempting to

In the beginning, the Union took on the strategy of annihilation. They wanted to win a decisive and quick land battler, while the Confederates took on a strategy of attrition. They had hoped to wear down the Union troops thinking that time, history, and geography was on their side. After the losses at the Battle of Bull Run, the Union put George McClellan at the head of the Union Army, and his first job was to instill better organization,

     General McDonnell attempted to flank the Confederates by moving north and west, and began several attacks on the Confederates right flank and the center of the Confederate line at Henry House.

The Civil war began at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. However, the Civil War did not really start to amp up until the First Battle of Bull Run or also know as the first Battle of Manassas. The battle was fought just miles from Washington D.C., on July 21, 1861. At a place near Manassas Junction, Virginia. The battle began when about 35,000 Union soldiers marched from Washington D.C. to fight a confederate force of 20,000 along a small river called Bull Run. The goal of the Union army was to make quick work of the Confederate Army, make way to Richmond, the Confederate capital, and end the war.

     McDowell had 34,000 troops ready to attack 25,000 Confederate forces spread out over eight miles on the other side of Bull Run. Most of the Confederate forces were clustered on the Confederate right flank, prepared to counterattack. McDowell plan

    The civil war, fought from 1861-1865, was started after seven southern slave states declared their secession and formed the Confederate states. The Union had many advantages that, ultimately, led them to victory. The had many political, economic, and military benefits that aided them in their victory.

     The Civil War, often called the War for Southern Independence began on April 12, 1861. The main cause of the war was slavery. The southern states depended on slaves to help grow crops which were the main source of income for the south. Slavery was illegal in all of the northern states but most people actually were neutral about it. The main conflict was if slavery should be permitted in the newly developing western territories.