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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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Posted on 01/03/2003 5:35:29 AM PST by SAMWolf
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are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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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.  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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Although the total number of Union troops at Bull Run was about 35,000 and the Confederates had about 32,500 only about 18,000 men on each side were actually engaged in combat.
| 'There stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!' --Brigadier General Barnard Bee, CSA |
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Charlie Company 1st Battalion 504th Parachute Infantry
 U.S. soldiers from Charlie company of the 1st battalion 504th parachute infantry walk out on a routine patrol mission around the perimeter of Fort Operating Base Solerno in Khost, central Afghanistan on Friday Jan. 3, 2003. Thousands of U.S. troops are deployed around Afghanistan to ensure security as part of the on going operation in the war against terrorism. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)  An unidentified U.S. soldier from the Charlie company of the 1st battalion 504th parachute infantry regimen helps out his fellow soldier going out on a routine patrol mission around the perimeter of Fort Operating Base Solerno in Khost, central Afghanistan on Friday Jan. 3, 2003.  An army officer of the Charlie company from the 1st battalion, 504th parachute infantry regiment, briefs his men before going out on a routine patrol mission around the perimeter of Fort Operating Base Solerno in Khost, central Afghanistan  U.S. soldiers from the Charlie company of the 1st battalion 504th parachute infantry regiment listen to a briefing before going out on a routine patrol mission around the perimeter of Fort Operating Base Solerno in Khost, Afghanistan
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| You Know The Drill Click the Pics J
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Coffee & Donuts J
The soldiers were wearing woolen uniforms with cotton longjohns. The opinion was that the breeze in the air would naturally wick away the heat. I was there. The air did not move and the even though I am used to being out in such weather, I was wearing shorts and a tee-shirt and didn't want to imagine having to wear wool on a day like that. I was glad when the speechifying from the guide was over so I could get back to the air-conditioned museum.
Most people don't realize that they fought the battle in hip-high grass. They had to manuever everything on a battlefield where they could not move around easily. It must've been an absolute hell.
And don't forget the fundraiser J
(BTW, I don't seem to be on your ping list anymore)
Oooops! My bad. I added you back on right now. Good morning and thanks for the coffee and the music! (I'm skipping the donuts...)
Just Ping-Pong-ing through....
It's getting interesting at work, will try to stop back in later!
Manassas and Sudley Hill...brings back memories of TDY trips to Vint Hill Farms.
David B. Woodbury (U.S., d. 1866 ): "Mrs. Henry's House at Bull Run"
Albumen print, 5.75 x 9 inches, 1861
Mrs. Henry was a widowed invalid who had the misfortune of living in the house that became the center of battle at Bull Run. This haunting image of the ruins of her home is one of the most eloquent commentaries ever made on the destruction of war.
A contemporary account describes the dramatic events of July 21, 1861:
Utterly unconscious that their home was to be the Theater of Battle, the Henry Family made no effort to escape until it was too late to do so. Among them was an aged mother, whom the son and daughter carried to a gully, and for the first charge, kept her out of the way of bullets. But when the fight pressed on, they brought her in again; and when it returned, they could not move her again. The house was literally riddled with bullets, and when the old lady was looked for, she had been sent to her long reward. Many bullets passed through her, and she was perfectly at rest.
David B. Woodbury was one of the most talented photographers working under the direction of Mathew B. Brady during the Civil War. He died of tuberculosis a year after the War ended. This image is from a group of original prints Woodbury sent home to his relatives. His diaries and letters, now in private hands, are the only such record of any Civil War photographer known to have survived. They have never been published.
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