Battle at Bull Run: A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War
The battle, was unique in the Civil War in that no general on either side had ever exercised high command in combat. July 21, 1861 would demonstrate that careers devoted to theoretical studies of warfare provided poor indicators of success in combat.

First Manassas
First Bull Run
Civil War Virginia

American Civil War
July 21, 1861

First Manassas
The soilders story of the battle in their own words rather then hearing the historians perspective of battle we read the privates letter home or the Colonels battle report this book examines Bull Run, the battle for West Virginia, and the battle of Big Bethel

First Manassas Campaign Map

This was the first major land battle of the armies in Virginia.

On July 16, 1862, the untried Union army under Brigadier General Irvin McDowell marched from Washington against the Confederate army, which was drawn up behind Bull Run beyond Centreville.

On the 21st, McDowell crossed at Sudley Ford and attacked the Confederate left flank on Matthews Hill. Fighting raged throughout the day as Confederate forces were driven back to Henry Hill. Late in the afternoon, Confederate reinforcements (one brigade arriving by rail from the Shenandoah Valley) extended and broke the Union right flank.

The Federal retreat rapidly deteriorated into a rout. Although victorious, Confederate forces were too disorganized to pursue. Confederate General Bee and Col. Bartow were killed. Thomas J. Jackson earned the nom de guerre "Stonewall."

By July 22, the shattered Union army reached the safety of Washington.

This battle convinced the Lincoln administration that the war would be a long and costly affair.

McDowell was relieved of command of the Union army and replaced by Major General George B. McClellan, who set about reorganizing and training the troops.

Result(s): Confederate victory

Location: Fairfax County and Prince William County

Campaign: Manassas Campaign (July 1861) previous battle in campaign

Date(s): July 21, 1861

Principal Commanders: Brigadier General Irvin McDowell [US]; Brigadier General Joseph E. Johnston and Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard [CS]

Forces Engaged: 60,680 total (US 28,450; CS 32,230)

Estimated Casualties: 4,700 total (US 2,950; CS 1,750)

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View of Bull Run

U.S. State Park Battle Map
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**Bull Run Strategy Game**
The History Channel: Take Command - Civil War brings you into America's bloodiest war as it's underway. Carnage and chaos are everywhere and the destiny of a country is in your hands. Withering fire cuts down your best regiments, as the screams of the wounded are deafening. Rally the troops and organize a counterattack -- Your strategic decision and talent as a commander will decide if the Union is preserved or if Dixie wins its independence. Control full compliments of troops and move them across the battlefield: cavalry, musketeers, riflemen and more Command cannons and mortars, build and take forts and experience 3D combat Full reference section with a Civil War timeline, historical documents, and hundreds of real photographs	History Channel Civil War: The Battle of Bull Run

First Manassas
Voices of the Civil War

Young Reader Civil War Book Titles
Donnybrook: The Battle of Bull Run, 1861 One of the better overviews of the campaign and battle of First Manassas or Bull Run. The book is very easy to read and is broken down in manageable chunks, with the events before and after the battle.	Drummer Boy at Bull Run You get to know two families during the Civil War. It focuses on the two teens Jeff and Leah who go through struggles with their friendship as Jeff's family joins the confederacy.	The Battle of First Bull Run: The Civil War Begins Three months after the shelling of Fort Sumter, Union and Confederate forces met for the first time in earnest combat. However, neither side was prepared at this early stage of the war, and confusion reigned on the battlefield	Epic Battles of the Civil War Historical Comics Marvel, First Bull Run First major batle of the War. The union army marched from Washington, D.C. with the expectation that following this battle they would proceed to Richmond Virginia, and end the war. Instead, the Union Army was defeated

Civil War History Documentary DVD Movie Titles

Lincoln and Lee at Antietam: The Cost of Freedom Lincoln and Lee at Antietam covers the entire struggle of the Antietam Campaign. The political concept about why Lincoln needed a Union victory and Lee's need to take the war north were covered as well as the battle.	Gettysburg and Stories of Valor - Civil War Minutes III DVD Box Set This 3-hour documentary captures the scenic beauty of the Gettysburg battlefield, examines rare Civil War artifacts and tells the personal stories of the men who fought in the war.	Shiloh: The War is Civil No More	Civil War: A Concise History The best collection of Civil War visuals ever assembled in one 75-minute program. A breathtaking and first-hand account of the war. Great DVD Bonuses
Stones River National Battlefield Stones River was one of the hardest fought battles of the Civil War with casualties of 27 percent on the Confederate side and 29 percent on the Union side	Battle of Stones River: The Fight for Murfreesboro At dawn on December 31, 1862 the two armies clashed in a deadly struggle along the banks of Stones River.	The Battle of Chickamauga Special Widescreen Edition Chickamauga one of the fiercest engagements of the American Civil War. Over a period of two days, more than 100,000 men struggled for control of the south's transportation hub, Chattanooga.	Struggle For Vicksburg Photography of the park with authentic battlefield illustrations and life-like paintings. Vicksburg's wartime role in the bloody and brutal conflict.
PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: Pickett's Charge - Pettigrew's Perspective The legendary exploits of the Union and Confederate armies come to life with these informative tours of Gettysburg National Park	PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: General Meade After Pickett's Charge Did Meade want to fight at Gettysburg? Did Meade want to retreat on the evening of July 2nd? Why didn't Meade counter-assault the Army of Northern Virginia after the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge? National Park Service addresses these questions	The Last Days of the Civil War - April 1865: The Month That Saved America, Civil War Combat: The Tragedy At Cold Harbor The remarkable succession of events leading from the fall of Richmond to Appomattox.	The Last Days of the Civil War - Biography: Abraham Lincoln & Robert E. Lee, Civil War Journal: Jefferson Davis In-depth profiles that series--illuminate the personalities at the heart of the conflict: Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Robert E. Lee
History Channel Presents The Civil War From Harper's Ferry, Fort Sumter, and First Bull Run to Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg. The most legendary Civil War battles in brilliant detail. A selection of the soldiers and legendary leaders.	History Channel Presents Sherman's March In November 1864, Sherman and an army of 60,000 troops began their month-long march from Atlanta to Savannah. Burning crops, destroying bridges and railroads, and laying waste to virtually everything in his path	Civil War Terror Tales of hidden conspiracies of terror that specifically targeted the civilian populations. Engineers of chemical weapons, new-fangled explosives and biological warfare competed	Civil War Journal, West Point Classmates - Civil War Enemies, Robert E. Lee Beyond the pages of history and into the personal stories behind the Great Conflict
Long Road Back to Kentucky: The 1862 Confederate Invasion The often-overlooked Western campaign of the war with a specific emphasis on Kentucky's involvement in the American Civil War.	History's Mysteries: Family Feud: The Hatfields And McCoys Millions of dollars worth of timber and coal rich land were at stake, the courts were involved and once the national press got wind of what was happening, the backwoods folk found that their fight was being followed nationwide	The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns Here is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one	The Civil War: To the Finish: Sherman and the March to the Sea After 3 years of battles, a Union general captured Atlanta and decided to change the course of the war for good. That general was William Tecumseh Sherman