Battle Of Bull Run Essay

1047 Words5 Pages
Battle of Bull Run By July 1861, two months after the confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter to begin the American Civil War, the union was anxious to make an advancement on the confederate capitol. President Lincoln ordered union army general Irvin McDowell to attack the confederate forces camped along the river of Bull Run. Lincoln wanted McDowell to make a quick, unexpected attack on the south to open the way to Richmond and end the Civil War. This battle would eventually be called the battle of Bull Run (First Battle of Bull Run). McDowell began gathering his army in Washington D.C. to march to Manassas, which was about twenty-five miles from Washington. His troops were very unprepared for battle at this time and pushed for postponement. The delay of this war gave McDowell more time to prepare his plan and gave the union troops additional training. While the union was on delay Beauregard received notice that the union was going to attack his army at Bull Run (Battle of First Manassas). Beauregard was the leader of the confederate army. Once Beauregard found out he told General Johnston and his army to come reinforce him and leave Shenandoah Valley. This notice also helped him prepare his troops for battle. They were able to get in better position along Bull Run…show more content…
His plan called for about thirty thousand troops and they broke up into three columns. His goal was to break through the confederate left flank. So he sent two columns after the left flank and the third column was supposed to be a distraction and they were going after the right flank. This was a very difficult plan and called for good organization and synchronization (Bradley Gottfried). McDowell’s maps he made for his troops were poorly put together and inaccurate. This led to mistakes in marching routes and distances. On July 16, 1861 McDowell and his men gathered in Washington and set out for Manassas (Bull
Show More
Related

  • Battle Of Bull Run Essay

    951 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first battle of bull run is considered to be the singular starting point that laid the foundation for the entire civil war. The battle would inevitably shape the entire war in one single day. The battle was fought on 21 July 1861 near Bull Run Creek in Manassas, VA. The battle of Bull run was a result of the skirmish at Fort Sumter which was the ignition that began the civil war. The battle of bull run is the "big bang" of the civil war. Strategies, technologies, and the first extended draft

    Read More

  • Battle Of Antietam Research Paper

    3743 Words  | 15 Pages

    The Battle of Antietam Bloodiest Day in American History By Dustin Fogel Period 2   The Battle The Civil War, up until the end of the Battle of Antietam (also called the Battle of Sharpsburg), had been a war fought to save the Union of the United States of America. The Battle of Antietam has been known as the bloodiest single day in American history and is known as such due to the nearly twenty-three thousand lives that were lost, both Union and Confederate, on that September 17, 1862. The

    Read More

More about Battle Of Bull Run Essay

Open Document