Flight of Doodle! broadside

Collection

Identifier: MSS-3710

Scope and Contents

The collection contains the small broadside of the 14-verse poem, Flight of Doodle! about the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas). Written after the first battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia, the song (sung to the tune of Root Hog or Die!) tells how the troops of each Confederate state in the battle trounced the Yankee forces.

Dates

1862

Biographical / Historical

The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas (mainly used by Confederate forces), was fought on 21 July 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia. It was the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Although both sides were unseasoned, Union Brigadier General Irvin McDowell led (after considerable pressure from Washington DC politicians and citizens) his unseasoned troops across Bull Run against the equally inexperienced Confederate Army of Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard camped near Manassas Junction.

McDowell's ambitious plan for a surprise flank attack on the Confederate left was poorly executed by his officers and men. The Confederates, who had been planning to attack the Union left flank, found themselves at an initial disadvantage. Confederate reinforcements under Brig. General Joseph E. Johnston arrived from the Shenandoah Valley and the course of the battle quickly changed. A brigade of Virginians under Colonel Thomas J. Jackson, a relatively unknown officer from the Virginia Military Institute, stood their ground and Jackson received his nickname, "Stonewall Jackson". The Confederates then launched a strong counterattack, and as the Union troops began withdrawing under fire, many panicked and it turned into a rout.

It was at that battle, with such fierce fighting and many casualties, that both sides realized that this war would be much longer and bloodier than either had anticipated.

Source: Wikipedia contributors. "First Battle of Bull Run." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 21 May. 2013. Web. 21 May. 2013.

Extent

0.05 Linear Feet (a 14 verse poem about the First Battle of Manassas, with each Confederate state's performance in the battle making up the text of a stanza)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

Small broadside of the 14-verse poem, Flight of Doodle! about the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), with each Confederate state's performance in the battle making up a stanza.

Provenance

purchased from Hughes Books, New Orleans, 2013

General

To provide faster access to our materials, this finding aid was published without formal and final review. Email us at archives@ua.edu if you find mistakes or have suggestions to make this finding aid more useful for your research.