The battle of Bull Run or Manassas took place on July 21, 1861. Both the Union and Confederate armies fought near Manassas Junction, Virginia, in what was the first battle of the Civil War. The fight began when 35,000 Unioners marched from Washington, D.C. to fight a troop of 20,000 Confederates stationed along the river of Bull Run. After hours of fighting, Confederates were able to unite and break through the Union’s right flank, which sent the Federals rushing back to Washington. The victory had given the South a boost of confidence and outraged Northerners. This made the North realize that the war could not be won as easily as they thought beforehand. Army officer Irvin McDowell, along with his fellow federals, attacked the enemy across the small river while more troops attempted to bust through the enemies left flank. After a couple hours, the Union men were able to push back …show more content…
As Confederates advanced, they were able to break through the Union’s line with the famous, and so called “rebel yell.” Then, McDowell and his men crossed Bull Run where they began to collide with Washington civilians watching the battle. In the battle, Thomas J. Jackson earned his nickname of “Stonewall.” Jackson led a Virginian unit from the Shenandoah Valley into the battle, which had helped the Confederates capture the high-ground at Henry House Hill. Stonewall earned his alias when General Barnard Bee, who was the general of the Confederates at the time, told his men to look at Jackson standing there “like a stone wall.” Although they won, the Confederate troops were much too in disarray to use their advantage to pursue retreating Federal soldiers. The battle cost a whopping 3,000 Federals and 1,750 Confederates. Before the battle, northerners expected a quick victory. However, both sides would soon have to face the fact that this war would be a strenuous conflict that would last nearly 4 years to