War Watchers At The Battle Of Bull Run

War Watchers At The Battle Of Bull Run

Introduction

The Battle of Bull run's initial Battle was fought at Manassas. It was the very first chief battle of the American Civil War. The Commander of the Union Army, Brigadier General Irvin Mc Dowell, caved in at Washington, to the huge pressures of commencing the campaign before there was an expiry of the 90-day enlistment of his men, even though he was of the opinion that their army was not sufficiently trained at that time. It led to a surprising victory of the Confederate and dashing of the hopes of the northerners who had hope for a quick conclusion of the said war.

Discussion

The Brigadier set out on the 16th of July, in 1861, accompanied by the Northeastern Virginian Army which composed of roughly around 28,400 people originating from Washington. They intended to strike against the forces of the Confederate near Manassas at a distance of only 25 miles, thereby pushing them away from the capital of the North. The Brig. General P.G.T Beauregard was amassing the Potomac Confederate Army on the location from the spring of 1861. He had succeeded in recruiting 21,800 soldiers for his army. His intention was to protect an important rail station located on the Manassas Junction. For this purpose, he spread his army along the North of the town, at Bull Run. When General Joseph E. Johnston arrived from the Shenandoah Valley, he deferred to his junior because he was not familiar with the landscape and the situation.

When the Union of Brig. General Daniel Tyler arrived in the Manassas region the 18th of July, they poked Bull Run and started skirmishing with the enemy on the Blackburn's Ford. Tyler had to withdrew, when he saw that he had lost around 150 of his men. Mc Dowell (using the important tactical information gained through extra reconnaissance) planned to employ double columns in order to strike the Confederates' left side, and a third column would circle to south and far right side in order to distract the enemy and cut them off from Richmond while forcing them farther away towards the Southeast.

This plan of McDowell's was dependent on other things as well as the Major Gen. Robert Patterson and his Union army, stopping the opposition from the Shenandoah Army led by Gen. Joseph in Winchester from delivering any reinforcements to his junior, Beauregard, thereby making sure that the Confederates were largely outnumbered by the Union at Manassas. What McDowell did not know however, was that on the 20th of July, in the morning, Joseph's army had started getting on board the train located on the Piedmont Station in a very steady speed so as to support the other Brig. General. In short it was obvious that Gen. Patterson had delayed in engaging his decided rival.

In the early morning of the 21st of July, McDowell posted two battalions on the Northern side, towards the Sudley Springs. In the mean time, another battalion was assigned to ...