Flight of Doodle! broadside

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.