At the beginning of July, 1861, the Federals had 30,000 men encamped
along the Potomac near the heights of Arlington under the general
command of General Winfield Scott, who was a veteran of the war of
1812, as well as the Mexican war, but who was at this time aged and
infirm, and remained in Washington, and Brigadier-General Irvin
McDowell was in immediate command of the army. Another 20,000 men lay
at Martinsburg under General Patterson who like Scott was a veteran of
the war of 1812 and of the Mexican war.
At Manassas Junction, about thirty miles from Washington, lay the
Confederate army under Brigadier-General Beauregard. General Joseph E.
Johnston was in command of 9,000 men in the Shenandoah Valley. Johnston
and Beauregard, as well as McDowell, had with Scott and Patterson
battled at the gates of Mexico.
General Scott gave orders to McDowell to move against Beauregard and
on the 16th day of July the army, with waving banners and lively hopes
of victory, and with "On to Richmond" as their battle cry, moved on
Manassas. General McDowell brought his army to a halt at Centreville
within seven miles of Manassas. Beauregard was apprised of the coming
of the Federals. The stream of Bull Run, from which the first great
battle of the war derived its name, flowed between the two armies.
Patterson failed to detain Johnston in the valley, and General Johnston
reached Manassas with his army on the afternoon of the 20th. General
Longstreet was also there, who some months later played a distinctive
part in the struggle at Gettysburg and in the death grapple of Lee and
Grant in the wilderness.
McDowell, after resting his troops for two days at Centreville, thought
the time for an engagement was now at hand, so on Sunday, July 21st,
at half-past two in the morning, the men were roused for the coming
conflict. Their dream of easy victory had already received a rude
shock, for on their second day at Centreville a skirmish between two
minor divisions of the opposing armies resulted in the defeat of the
Union forces with some loss.
Ambrose E. Burnside and William T. Sherman were at this time
subordinate officers under General McDowell. Burnside, who figured
later in the far more disastrous battle of Fredericksburg, and Sherman,
distinguished for his march to the sea.
The Union plan was that General Tyler should lead his division
westward and cross Bull Run at the Stone Bridge about four miles from
Centreville, and the remainder of the army under Hunter and Heintzelman
was to make a circuit of several miles through a dense wood and cross
Bull Run at Sudley's Ford. The plan was to attack the Confederate left
wing. The march to Sudley's Ford was slower than expected and it was
almost noon before this division of the army reached the field near
Stone Bridge.
General Tyler early in the day opened fire at Stone Bridge on the
Confederates under General Evans, but merely kept up a desultory fire.
As the morning wore away the Confederates suddenly discovered clouds
of dust rising above the treetops along the Warrenton turnpike, which
told them that the main Federal army was on them. Evans quickly turned
about and made ready for battle and waited calmly for the approach of
the enemy. Presently there was a glimmer of sunlight reflected from
burnished steel among the trees and Colonel Burnside led the Federal
army from the woods and without delay the battle began and raged
furiously.
Meanwhile Generals Beauregard and Johnston were at Manassas, about four
miles from the scene of battle, with part of the Confederate army, and
had been planning an attack on the Federal left, but on hearing the
roar of the cannon and the rattle of the musketry became convinced that
the Federals were making their main attack on the Confederate left,
and both galloped at full speed to the scene of battle, after leaving
orders to the remainder of the army to be brought up to reënforce the
small force of Confederates who were trying to hold back the Federals.
They arrived on the field at the moment when General Bee's brigade
was being driven back. General Bee, in trying to rally his men,
called their attention to the fact that Thos. J. Jackson's brigade was
standing like a stone wall, and it was here that Jackson won his name
of "Stonewall."
The battle raged furiously until 3 o'clock. The chief object was to
get possession of Henry's Hill. Beauregard, like McDowell on the other
side, led his men in the thickest of the battle. His horse was killed
by a bursting shell, but he mounted another and continued. At about
2 o'clock the Confederates were driven from the field and McDowell
thought he had won the victory, but General Kirby Smith had arrived
from Manassas with the remainder of the Confederate army and was now
on the field, after a double-quick march for four miles under a hot
July sun. Beauregard determined to make another effort and ordered
his troops forward with fresh courage. When the Union army saw the
Confederates again approaching, supported by fresh troops, their
courage failed and they began to retreat. McDowell tried in vain
to rally his men, the Confederates pressed on, the retreat of the
Federals became a panic. He again tried to rally his men and make a
stand at Centreville but to no avail, the troops refused to listen
to his commands. Some of the troops did not stop until they reached
Washington, and the first great battle of the Civil war was now over.
The Federal force engaged was about 19,000 men, of which the loss in
killed, wounded and missing was about 3,000.
The Confederates had about 18,000 men on the field, and their total
loss in killed, wounded and missing was about 2,000. McDowell and
Beauregard, the opposing commanders, were old-time friends, having been
in the same class at West Point.
It was in this battle that Captain Ricketts was severely wounded and
left on the field, and was carried a prisoner to Richmond by the
Confederates.
To commemorate the success of the Southern arms at Bull Run the
Confederate congress voted a day of Thanksgiving.