Similarly referred to as the battle of the Manassas, the battle of the Bull Run started in 1861, after an order from General McDowell (Coffin, 2001). The general ordered an attack when the army was presumed to be facing a lot of difficulties. The army was expected to organize itself into various plans to implement and confederate it. Unfortunately, the army had several challenges pertaining to its communication. The superior numbers of the union began pushing the confederates back. The impacts of the battle led to the victory of the confederates. However, there were significant casualties on both sides. For instance, 2896 casualties and 460 deaths from the union side were experienced (Davies, 1981). The confederates also had 1982 casualties, and 387 persons were killed (Davies, 1981). An interesting attribute of the war is that the Northerners were convinced that they would win the war. In effect, Coffin (2001) documents that a significant number of northerners watched from a nearby hill and took picnics rather than facilitate the planning of the war. Unknown to the the confederate sent a spy: Rose Greenhow, whose responsibility was to provide crucial information that, would lead to the success of the team (Davies, 1981). Despite sending a spy, the union south was unaware that confederates had organized themselves adequately. It was only until after the start of the clashes that both troops realized that it would not be as easy as they had initially envisioned. The deficiencies experienced in the war set a precedence on the need to be well prepared for attacks with adequate artillery. The battle proved that in every war situation, both teams ought to be well prepared to tackle the enemy.
Events Leading to the Battle of the Bull Run
There was a planned meeting of the Confederate Congress on July 20 (Tom, 2018). However, the northern press and the public expressed their anxiety for the Union Army to make advances ahead of the planned meetings during the confederate congress (Davies, 1981). The early victories witnessed by the union in Western Virginia mounted offensives that would quickly lead to retaliation of the enemy. Scott, (2016) explains that The early victories experienced by Lincoln through the Union Troops in western Virginia encouraged the president to mount an offensive, which would lead to an attack on more than 20, 000 Confederate troops working under the command of General P.G.T (Scott, 2016).
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McDowell gathered 35,000 union volunteers to take part in the war (Davies, 1981). They gathered at the Federal capital. McDowel had the knowledge that the soldiers were ill prepared for the battle. In effect, he tried pushing for the postponement of the advance. His major aim was to enable him to equip his troops through training for the incoming battles. Nonetheless, President Lincoln pushed McDowell to begin with the offensive. He assumed that the rebel army was also made up of similar amateur soldiers, which implied that being ill prepared would not have any impacts on the outcomes of the war. Mc. Dowell’s army began moving out of Washington on the 16 th of July (Tom, 2018). However, it made a slow movement, which in turn gave the Confederates adequate time for their preparation in retaliation. The confederation set up its capital in Richmond, Virginia. It was evident that a clash would occur between Washington and Richmond.
Also, the confederates massed in the vicinity of Manassas. It became obvious that the Union Army would engage the confederates. However, it was evident that the timing of the battle was a complicated issue. General Scott was too old to command the army during wartime as opposed to his competitor, who was a career soldier and a postgraduate with previous experience in the Mexican war (Brett, 2017). In a matter of fact, Scott (2016) alludes that he wanted to wait before committing the inexperienced troops in the battle (Scott, 2016). Contrariwise, President Lincoln had a different view. He was aware that the volunteers had enlisted in the troops for only three months. In effect, a majority would be going home even before seeing the enemy. The assumption of using volunteer troops had adverse effects on the outcomes of the battle. Lincoln informed McDowell to attack (Tom, 2018). The 35000 troops were organized, and the movement towards Manassas started.
The March to Manassas commenced on 16 th July. The lack of discipline among the new troops was an issue that had an unpleasant effect on the movement of the troops. Similarly, the July heat had negative effects on the troop’s ability to move around as fast as possible. It was apparent that the battle was to take place on Sunday the 21 st despite the several days that the troops spent on their way to Manassas (Brett, 2017). Different stories regarding how spectators from Washington riding in carriages and carrying along picnic baskets were rife. The people raced down the area to have a glimpse of the sporting event that they thought was about to take place. However, that was not the case. As a result, an elaborate plan conceived by General McDowel was launched. Although both plans fell apart, the actions of the small soldier units too determined not to lose the war stood out. By late afternoon, the army was in retreat based on the counterattacks that they received from the Confederates. The road to Washington was now a scene of panic, and frightened civilians came out to watch the battle alongside other Union Troops. The battle had started, yet the troops were already demoralized.
Causes of the Battle
Leaders have several methods of dealing with rebellion. One of the events presumed to have led to the war was that the Lincoln Administration believed that there was too much rebellion (Tom, 2018). In effect, he deployed the National militia to facilitate an attack of the confederate forces, who were deployed at Manassas. The army general of the union was given the order to ensure that the troops under P.G.T Joseph Johnson and Beauregard could route the confederate troops and ensure that the rebellion ended. However, the results of the war painted a different situation. Accordingly, the confederate troops were routed leading to a four-year struggle between the North and the South
The initial enlistment of the volunteers of the union is also another attribute that led to the battle of the Bull Run. The Union’s enlistment term for its volunteers was only three months. The expectation was that the war would be over in 3 months (Brett, 2017). However, with the degree of disorganization witnessed, it was evident that the war was far from over in the three months (Coffin, 2001). By the end of the third month enlisted, the troops realized that they needed more time, and soldiers to meet their objective. In effect, McDowell enlisted an untrained army into the field. Regardless, Beauregard was well prepared for the war. He was in a better defense situation than the Union (Coffin, 2001). Thus, despite the urge to make a demonstration against the Confederate Army, the enlistment of the volunteer troops forming the Union Army expired. In a bid to retaliate, the war started.
The secession of the South is also known to have played an instrumental role in fostering the start of the war. The military scare started when the troops began arriving at the capital Washington, D.C. they set up their defense around the city and portions of northern Virginia (Scott, 2016). The attack came as a method of building an effective defense mechanism for those who were seen to be seceding from the main army.
Who was involved in the Battle of Bull Run?
The Battle of the Bull Run was the first army battle involving many soldiers. The principal commanders of the battle were Brig Gen Irvin McDowell, Brig Gen Beauregard, and Brig Gen Joseph E. Johnston. Confederate relied on a spy who was useful in informing the army of the events that transpired in the Unions camp. Rose Greenhow was the informer who ensured that the Union army was well prepared for the battle. Colonel Thomas Jackson was an instrumental force in the battle, whereby he pioneered the plan to hold back the hill like a stonewall (Coffin, 2001). The army took the first shot at the untried battle. Fighting raged throughout the day as the confederate forces fought against the Union forces. George McClellan was later called to the chief military command in a bid to organize and train the army while at Potomac. President Lincoln learnt from the humiliation faced that it is prudent to ensure that armies are well prepared for battles and not necessarily rely on volunteers to take part in such sensitive battles that had an impact on the reputation of the nation. As a result, President Jefferson Davis was also blamed for the failure to pursue the enemies. It was expected that after the battle, the enemy would be crashed to eliminate any incidences of retaliation later (Coffin, 2001). McClellan replaced McDowell from the command. The plans aimed at ensuring that the troops reorganized themselves for future battles. The development of an effective fighting force ensured that the forthcoming war incidences would not be long and costly affairs. Learning from the failures of the first battle implied that the army generals would plan better and ensure that they have adequate supplies for future battles.
What was the end outcome of the battle of Bull Run on July 21 st , 1861?
Several issues stood out in the Battle of the Bull Run (Scott, 2016). Firstly, it was evident that the battle played an instrumental role in erasing the notion that the rebellion of the slave states would, in turn, be short affairs. However, it was a decisive blow to the teams, who all along thought that the rebellions would last a short time. It was evident that the engagement of the two inexperienced armies had significant effects on the outcome of the war. The two sides demonstrated their capacities to put up large numbers in the field yet ended up yielding the greatest casualties in a battle that was poorly planned. Although the casualties against the number of the army put up were not as high, the outcome of the battle dealt major blows to the Union size.
Although others say that, the Battle of the Bull Run did not change much in a tangible sense, the casualties were a major blow to the armies. Nonetheless, the process played an instrumental role in the creation of a powerful Union. For the southerners, the battle sought to boost the morale of the soldiers. The disorganized union army had left several of its rifles, cannon, and supplies, which in turn made useful resources to the cause of the Confederate (Brett, 2017). Accusations flew from the confederate side, whereby president Davis Jefferson was blamed for the failure to crush and pursue the enemy after the battle. McDowell was removed from the helm of command for the Union group (Tom, 2018). President Lincoln found it fit to deploy a new person who would retrain and reorganize the union troops responsible for defending Washington. A year later, the two armies met again at the same place. Interestingly, the same union army was defeated for the second time.
The conflicts that would later emerge between the two troops are believed to have been caused by the loss experienced after the First battle. The decisions made for the second battle were major products of the lessons learnt in the first battle. Having well prepared soldiers was considered essential (Brett, 2017). Pulling off a swift victory was dependent on the level of preparedness of the army. However, accusations regarding the loss of the teams ran high. Army generals were demoted and new ones hired to their positions to ensure that the subsequent wars were successful. Disciplined fighting methods were called for in a bid to ensure that the armies were successful in the forthcoming fights. The events that followed proved that even with the enlistment of new fights and union soldiers, it would still be difficult to win a major fight when the troops are ill prepared.
At the end of the war, it was evident that the events, which transpired had adverse impacts on the morale of the union army. The lack of preparedness, as well as the loss encountered in the battle field, was equally strenuous and significantly affected their willingness to take part in the battle. The union army went back to Washington with the hope of strategizing and regrouping. However, both sides now knew that their opponents would be no pushover. The south saw the chance as a vindication for the secession. They now believed that that their army was powerful compared to that of the Yankees.
References
Brett, Loiselle (Aug 2017). The First Battle of Bull Run: Shapiro library
Coffin, C. C. (2001). The Boys of'61: Or, Four Years of Fighting; Personal Observation with the Army and Navy, from the First Battle of Bull Run to the Fall of Richmond . Dana Estes & Company. EBook Shapiro library
Davis, W. C. (1981). Battle at Bull Run: A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War . LSU Press.
Scott C Patachan, (July 2016). You are turned: Shapiro Library
Tom Huntington. (Oct 2018). Down East to Down South: Shapiro Library
