1st Battle of Bull run :: essays research papers

The first major conflict of the Civil struggle was fought in Virginia, near the Manassas, Virginia railway junction, subsequently 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 actually large by later Civil War standards. The Federal forces low brigadier General Irvin McDowell were organized into four divisions (five, if one(a) includes Runyans division), of about 30,000 men. These divisions were commanded by Tyler, Hunter, Heintzelman, (Runyan), and Miles. The Confederate command structure was somewhat to a greater extent unwieldy, including both "armies", with no division structure and thirteen independent brigades chthonic 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 McDowells strength. Interestingly enough, each commander had intend to initiate an lash out on the other side with a simulate attack on the enemys right flank and a massed attack on the opposite flank. Had this been done simultaneously, and both been productive in their purpose, the two armies would ca-ca simply pivoted around each other and ended up in each others 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 Tylers division as the indirect attack at the Stone Bridge, while Davies brigade did the same at Blackburns get across. At the same time, Hunters and Heintzelmans divisions would cross Bull Run at Sudley Springs and attack from the north. McDowells green batchs involved in the flanking column, r eached their jumping off positions two and a half hours behind schedule. Tylers and Davies attacks at the Stone Bridge and Blackburns Ford were already well under way, and the Confederate high command was generator 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 mustiness 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 solitary(prenominal) thanks to the quick reactions of Colonel "Shank" Evans and his small brigade that Beauregard did not assemble a major disaster.