First Battle of Bull Run

The first battle at Bull Run (also called First Manassas), fought during July 21, 1861, was a unique affair in several ways. It was the first major battle of the Civil War. It was fought for the most part by green amateur militia units in front of ladies and gentlemen from Washington, D.C., that actually went out to watch the battle as if it were going to be a picnic. Some of the uniforms worn were at best gaudy and included baggy red breeches, short blue coats, yellow or scarlet sashes about the waist, turbans or fezzes for the head.

Events leading up to the five hour battle began when reports from Virginia's Potomac frontier to leaders of the Confederate Army indicated that there were plans building in the Yankee capital for an invasion of the Confederacy. Federal General Irvin McDowell commanded a force of over 30,000 men near Washington. 

General Beauregard moved his Confederate troops northward from Richmond to Manassas Junction, where the Manassas Gap and Orange and Alexandria railroads met. He set up camp south of a stream called Bull Run and begin preparing to form a defensive line along this stream.

General McDowell on July 16th, began marching his 30,000 troops toward the rebels. Many of the troops were in their teens, wholly ignorant of the horrors of the battlefield. Unused to the rigid discipline of war, many of the men would drop out of line to gather berries or tempting fruits along the roadside or to refill their canteens at every fresh stream of water. Frequent halts were necessary to allow the stragglers to regain their lines. 

Confused by orders from Washington that were unclear and thinking they were outnumbered, the 15,000 Yankees were maneuvering and let Johnston and his troops slip away without an encounter. By the time General McDowell attacked Bull Run on the morning of July 21, three brigades of Johnston's men had arrived and the fourth was on the way. 

The Rebel army at Bull Run was in no better shape nor possessed more skills than the Federal army. They were, however, fighting a defensive battle which, as numerous battles in the Civil War would show, was easier for untrained troops. 

General Bee, of South Carolina, and his Confederate troops faced the first assault of the Federal troops. They held their ground until the Federal troops were heavily reinforced and at that point were in jeopardy of being overrun. Bee called for a retreat and as it began his men began to panic and fall into great disorder. The Yankees began to cheer and thought they were on the verge of a great victory and the civilians that had come to watch the battle applauded their success and apparent victory. They were premature in their celebrations. 

Beauregard and Johnston galloped to the scene of the battle. Then came a dramatic moment in history that almost all of us remember. General Bee, as his troops were retreating, saw a Virginia brigade of Johnston's troops standing fast and delivering the Federal troops heavy fire. This brigade was led by a former V.M.I. Professor, Brigadier General T. J. Jackson.  "There is Jackson standing like a stone wall!" yelled Bee, waving his sword. "Rally behind the Virginians." The expression spread to the army and to the world, and that soldier has since been known as "Stonewall" Jackson. 

The Union attack began to fail and McDowell called for a retreat. As the army retreated, panic began to set in and the officers lost control of the men. The running retreating Yankees and their equipment became entangled in the civilians that had come to watch and their carriages, wagons, buggies, and hampers of food and drink. All-out turmoil and chaos grew worse each moment as panicky civilians and disorganized running troops tried to force their way through a tangle of vehicles and debris. The troops refused to listen to any commands; they rushed on and many of them traveled all night, reaching Washington in the morning. The Confederates might have pursued, but did not. Jefferson Davis had reached the scene and he conferred extensively with Johnston and Beauregard. He almost ordered a pursuit but finally did not. In fact, the Confederate army was almost as disorganized by its victory as the Union army was by its defeat. 

Article source: A paper titled The Civil War Battle At Bull Run by Lee Whitney who credits the following sources: 
Irwin Unger, Instant American History; Bruce Catton, Short History of the Civil War, The Coming Fury, and Mr. Lincoln's Army; Frank E. Vandiver, Their Tattered Flags; A. B. Roman, The Military Operations of General Beauregard; Francis Trevelyan Miller, The Opening Battles. 

Battle results:
Approximatly 400 Confederates were killed and 1,600 wounded, of whom some 225 would die of their wounds. 
Approximatly 625 Union forces were killed and mortally woulded, 950 non-mortally wounded, and more than 1,200
captured. 
Battle results source: Battle Cry of Freedom By James McPherson