The FReeper Foxhole Revisits The Battle of 1st Manassas (1st Bull Run) - Feb. 14th, 2004

see educational sources

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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The Foxhole Revisits

First Manassas
The South's First Victory

The first major battle of the Civil War was fought in Virginia, near the Manassas, Virginia railway junction, after which the battle is called (or First Bull Run, named after the flowing stream on the battlefield, if of the Union persuasion).

The armies in this first battle were not very large by later Civil War standards. The Federal forces under Brigadier General Irvin McDowell were organized into four divisions (five, if one includes Runyan's division), of about 30,000 men. These divisions were commanded by Tyler, Hunter, Heintzelman, (Runyan), and Miles.

The Confederate command structure was somewhat more unwieldy, including two "armies", with no division structure and thirteen independent brigades under Bonham, Ewell, Jones, Longstreet, Cocke, Early, Holmes, Kershaw, Evans, Jackson, Bartow, Bee, Smith, and a cavalry brigade under Stuart. The Confederate Army of the Potomac was under the command of Brigadier General Pierre G. T. Beauregard, and the Army of the Shenandoah was commanded by Brigadier General Joseph E. Johnston. These two forces would equal McDowell's strength.



Interestingly enough, each commander had planned to initiate an attack on the other side with a feint attack on the enemy's right flank and a massed attack on the opposite flank. Had this been done simultaneously, and both been successful in their purpose, the two armies would have simply pivoted around each other and ended up in each other's rear, able to march unopposed to Washington or Richmond, as the case may be. As it turned out, the general least successful in initiating this movement was the winner.

McDowell had planned to use Tyler's division as the diversionary attack at the Stone Bridge, while Davies' brigade did the same at Blackburn's Ford. At the same time, Hunter's and Heintzelman's divisions would cross Bull Run at Sudley Springs and attack from the north.




McDowell's green troops involved in the flanking column, reached their jumping off positions two and a half hours behind schedule. Tyler's and Davies' attacks at the Stone Bridge and Blackburn's Ford were already well under way, and the Confederate high command was beginning to sense a ruse because the Union attacks were not pressed very hard.



When Beauregard was notified that Federal troops were massing on his left flank, he realized that this must be the main attack so began to shift his own troop dispositions.

The Federals had about 18,000 men in the main attack column and it was only thanks to the quick reactions of Colonel "Shank" Evans and his small brigade that Beauregard did not suffer a major disaster. He quickly moved his small force to Matthew's Hill to block the Federal move.



Sounds of the fighting drew other brigade commanders to Evans' aid on their own initiative. Brigadier General Barnard Bee and Colonel Bartow joined Evans' defensive line and deployed their men to his right to extend and strengthen it.



The Confederate position was still badly outnumbered however, and eventually the weight of those numbers began to be felt. With Tyler's division threatening the right flank and rear of the Confederate position after having forced a crossing at the Stone Bridge, and their left flank now being overlapped by Federal reinforcements, the three Confederate brigades broke to the rear, heading toward the cleared plateau of the Henry House Hill.



Unfortunately for the Federals, they were slow to follow-up their success and allowed the Southern brigade commanders to rally the remnants of their units behind Jackson's brigade which had just arrived and formed a line of battle on the reverse slope of Henry House Hill.



In the meantime, McDowell ordered two artillery batteries to advance to silence the defensive fire. Rickett's Battery and Griffin's Battery advanced to well within musket range of the Confederate positions near the crest of the hill. These batteries were counterattacked by Confederate infantry and overrun and although it is still somewhat an open question, most historians give credit to the 33rd Virginia Infantry, although the 6th North Carolina State Troops, and elements of the 2nd Mississippi Infantry also claim credit for silencing Ricketts.

This counterattack also routed the infantry supports to the guns -- a battalion of U. S. Marines and the 11th New York Infantry, the famed Fire Zouaves. The loss of the guns became a focal point for see-saw attacks and counterattacks by each side, with the possession of the guns changing hands several times.



Finally having accumulated enough units to not only stabilize the Confederate lines, but also overlap the right flank of the Federal lines, the order was given for a general advance by Beauregard. This attack caved-in the Federal right and what began as a fairly orderly retreat turned into a disorganized rout. The equally tired and inexperienced Confederates however, were in no shape to conduct an effective pursuit, so the battle ended. The Federals lost about 3,000 casualties (killed, wounded, and captured or missing), and the Confederates suffered about 2,000.

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[SAMWolf]

AWWWWWW! My own Valentine tank driven by Hobbes!! What more could I ask for. Thanks You.

[E.G.C.]

Plenty of them. You bet.:-D

Also a whole lot of snow to share too. Up to 4 inches across parts of Southern Oklahoma.

[SAMWolf]

No luck getting it to fly, right?

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Snippy.

[SAMWolf]

Morning BillBears. Thanks for the bump.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning billbears, thanks for the pings!

[SAMWolf]

Send the chocolates, keep the snow. :-)

[The Mayor]

Keep yourselves in the love of God. —Jude 21

To renew your love for Christ, review His love for you.

[SAMWolf]

And I intend to keep you too. Who else would keep the me in line and the Foxhole in order?

[SAMWolf]

Morning Mayor.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Mayor. Happy Valentine's Day.

[snippy_about_it]

Who else would keep the me in line and the Foxhole in order?

Well now the Foxhole would be in order, we have plenty of folks who watch over it, but you... Yep, you need me to keep you in line. :-)

[The Mayor]

Yes Happy Valentine's Day

[SAMWolf]

Yep, you need me to keep you in line

LOL! And you're so good at it. :-)

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning Sam!! Thank You for the wonderful feathers.

[sheltonmac]

Right back at y'all!

[StayAt HomeMother]

For those interested in visiting battlefields, this one is easy to get to - about an hour (depending on traffic) west of DC on I-66 or highway 29.

Speaking of roads, the Manassas/Bull Run area is still the center of controversy. The roads on the above battle field map are still there and in use. Route 29, or Lee Highway, is a major road that run roughly E-W and 234 runs roughly N-S. Should Manassas Battlefield National Park be protected at the expense of closing these two heavily used roads that cross it? The Federal Highway Administration has recently announced a park bypass road system, but some residents see this proposal, like its predecessors, as yet another plan to reroute rush hour Lee Highway traffic onto the only alternate major E-W route (the already jammed I-66) and onto already clogged suburban roads.

Another recent controversy is the naming of the new high school, currently under construction. "Battlefield High School" will be named for its proximity to Manassas National Battlefield Park even though a committee of parents, teachers, and students supported the “less-martial” name of "Western Ridge." (The Board said the "made-up" name offered no connection to local history.) The current debate is the name of the new school’s mascot. The new principal is reportedly trying to avoid “bellicose imagery” and thus is trying to avoid mascots with Civil War and battle connotations, such as Cannons, Rebels or Sabers. I don’t have a stake in this school, but the “Battlefield Cannons” seems to makes sense.

[snippy_about_it]

Hi SAHM, thanks for this extra information. I've been to the battlefield, it was in June on a very humid and hot day so it wasn't crowded at all. I think I know which roads you are speaking of.

Virginia is so fortunate to have preserved so much that I hate to see anything lost to the modern world.

As for the school. I swear, PC has gotten sooooo out of hand. It was a BATTLEFIELD, there's no denying it for heaven's sake! Grrrr.

[Darksheare]

"Interestingly enough, each commander had planned to initiate an attack on the other side with a feint attack on the enemy's right flank and a massed attack on the opposite flank. Had this been done simultaneously, and both been successful in their purpose, the two armies would have simply pivoted around each other and ended up in each other's rear, able to march unopposed to Washington or Richmond, as the case may be. As it turned out, the general least successful in initiating this movement was the winner."

*snort of disbelief*
THAT would have been interesting to see happen.

[snippy_about_it]

I was picturing that too when I read it. Would be something! Happy Valentine's Day Darksheare. Good morning afternoon.