The battle of First Manassas, also know as First Bull Run, took place in the Summer of 1861. Although this was not the first bit of aggression between the Union and the Confederacy, it marks the first major confrontation between the two armies. With nearly 5,000 casualties (including soldiers who had been both wounded and killed), this battle made the American people realize that the possibility of a war between the North and the South was now a reality. At first, it seemed as though the Union troops would defeat the Confederate soldiers, but with a sneaky maneuver, the Confederate troops came away with the victory. This battle would become the first of many, despite people's notions that the war would be short and simple.
Confederate Generals
Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard
|
Gen. Joseph E. Johnston
|
Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
|
Union Generals
Gen. Irvin McDowell