It was interesting the First Battle of Bull Run. Brigadier General Irvin McDowell led 35,000 ill-prepared Union troops versus 20,000 Confederate troops led by General P. G. T. Beauregard who was camped at Manassas Junction, Virginia. McDowell was tasked with hitting the enemy quickly to put a quick end to the war that had started just two months prior at Fort Sumter. The North thought this would be easy too as both sides had ill-prepared soldiers to mount the fight. On July 16 Lincoln ordered McDowell to begin the offensive. As the troop marched so too did spectators and families who thought this was a day for a picnic.
On July 21 artillery began to exchange fire at Bull Run. 10,000 Union soldiers pushed back 4,500 troops across Warrinton Turnpike. Congressmen, reporters and other onlookers celebrated this as a victory but too soon as Johnston and Beauregard reinforced his troops near Henry House Hill.
Southern troops advanced and broke Union lines. In retreat the Union soldiers were met with onlookers in the way. While both sides were ill-organized with poorly trained troops that battle taught Lincoln not to underestimate his opponents. He never did so again.
The Civil War was ugly but advanced modern warfare in a lot of ways. One of those was to not underestimate the enemy by calling a battle in a war easy. Poorly trained volunteers or those without any training whatsoever led to the defeat of the North at Manassas.
The Civil War was not won easily. Any war or battle is never won “easily”.
"The Great Skedaddle"...Too many Americans are engaged in another great skedaddle. The majority, thanks to generations parents uninvolved in their kids' educations, are too fond of the "good" life to give a damn about stolen elections and a decaying culture. Who will lead a renaissance of American founding principles. Trump may still be able to lead, but time is short. IMO, until a mass exit by solid conservatives form Rat run urban/areas takes place, discussion of an effective resistance to the left is highly problematical.
I’ll go as far as to say that had Lee either gone all in immediately at Gettysburg, or pulled out before it became serious, the south may have won the Civil War. Part of me roots for them (my hatred of federal power), but part of me understands the need for the US to remain strong as a single entity in a dangerous world. As Turtledove suggested in his altered history books, WWI, with a North American front, would not have been a good thing.
But the Feds got WAY too much power via winning the Civil War.