July 21, 1861
- Jul 21, 2023
- 2 min read
On this day in 1861 the first major land battle of the Civil War occurred at the First Battle of Bull Run.
A War Erupts
In January of 1861 a standoff occurred at Fort Sumter in South Carolina after the state had seceded from the Union a month prior. A ship arrived with U.S. troops and supplies intended for the fort when a South Carolina militia fired on the vessel. The major in charge at the fort, General Anderson, refused to abandon it, even when there were 3000 militia outside the garrison by March. However, Major Anderson and his troops were running out of supplies and President Lincoln had to send supplies. The South Carolina militia saw this as an act of aggression and demanded Anderson surrender the fort. Once again he refused and on April 12, 1861 U.S. Captain Abner Doubleday ordered shots to defend the fort. With those, the first shots of the Civil War had been fired.
The First Battle of Bull Run
Three months after the Civil War began the Union military still remained confident they would easily crush the Confederacy. With this overconfidence leading them into peril, the Union led an offensive into northern Virginia. Union General McDowell led 34,000 troops toward the railroad junction in Manaassas. Confederate General Beauregard amassed 20,000 troops and brought them to the railroad. He was then joined by another 9,000 troops from Union General Johnston.
The battle soon became a spectator affair with hundreds of civilians coming out to watch the battle. The fighting commenced and General Jackson was able to hold back a series of Union charges by firing from a concealed slope. This earned him the nickname "Stonewall" that would carry him through the war until he died of pneumonia a week after he was hit by friendly fire during the Battle Of Chancellorsville in 1863.
The Confederate calvary captured the Union artillery during the battle and McDowell's men eventually had to retreat. The Union suffered 3,000 casualties while the Confederacy suffered 2,000.
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