1. First Battle of Bull Run/First Manassas
Lia Mossler and Maddie Roger

2. Back to the Basics First major battle of the American Civil War
July 21, 1861
Price William County, Virginia
Ended idea of the “90 day war”
Called Battle of Bull Run by Union and First Manassas by the Confederates
Bloodiest battle in U.S. history (at that point in time)—Battle provided the realization that the Civil War was going to be deadly
60,680 soldiers fought and an estimated 4,878 casualties

3. Break It Down
Ordered by President Lincoln, 35,000 Union troops led by Irvin McDowell marched from federal capital in Washington, D.C. to strike a Confederate forces led by P.G.T Beauregard of 20,000 along a small river called Bull Run
They did this in hopes of opening the confederate capital, Richmond (near Manassas Junction) Virginia, to end the war quickly
For backup, Confederate forces called General Joseph E. Johnson for reinforcement, who supplied the Confederate forces 11,000 rebel soldiers
After Confederate forces were on defense for most of the day, the rebels of the force were able to break the union right flank and the union retreated back to Washington
This is a shock to the North and a confidence boost to the South
North realized battle would not be as easy as they had assumed

4. Impact
Northerners who expected and quick and decisive victory were shocked by the reality of the long and gruesome war that awaited them
Southerners were given a false hope by this first battle and were unaware of what was to come
Aka THIS WAS GOING TO BE A LONG WAR

5. “On our arrival into the open field I saw I should judge three or four thousand rebels retreating for a dense woods, firing as they retreated, while from another part of the woods a perfect hail storm of bullets, round shot and shell was poured upon us, tearing through our ranks and scattering death and confusion everywhere; but with a yell and a roar we charged upon them driving them again into the woods with fearful loss. In the mean time our battery came up to our support and commenced hurling destruction among the rebels.” –Samuel J. English

6. OPVL AND CITATIONS Origin: Limitations:
Who: Samuel J. English was a Corporal in Company D of the Second Rhode Island Volunteers.
When? 1861-shortly after battle
Is it a primary source? Yes, it is a primary Source
Limitations:
What part can we NOT tell? The Confederate side of the battle
Is it inaccurately reflecting the situation? There may be over exaggerated facts throughout the letter, due to his “side”
What is purposefully left out? The flaws the Union made through the battle
Purpose:
Why was this written? It was a letter in inform his mom about the battle’s events
Who was the intended audience? His family, more specifically his mother
Is this a propaganda piece? No, it is an informational source
Value:
Is it a reaction to various events? Yes, it is a first hand account of a battle.
What can we tell about the author? He is a Union solider in the Civil War
Does the author represent a “side”? Yes, he represents the Union (North) and their ideals of a fixed nation
"Bull Run." Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 10 Nov
History.com Staff. "First Battle of Bull Run." History.com. A&E Television Networks, Web. 09 Nov
"The First Battle of Bull Run, 1861", EyeWitness to History, (2004).