“It was not war, it was murder.”(source: Zipcon.net) The Civil War was a time of terrible battles. It was really bloody, dangerous, and just awful. It was the north side of the U.S. against the south side. Well, the south side seceded from the U.S. so technically they weren’t part of the U.S. The south side wanted to have slaves but the north side didn’t. There were many battles throughout the 4 years of war. The first was Bull Run. There were a lot of battles, over 10 of them. But the first, and one of the most important was Bull Run. It’s important to understand why it was important, how the battle for layer out, and who won. Bull Run was one of the most important battles of the Civil War, it was tough. “Sunday, the 21st about 2 o’clock the drums beat the assembly, and in ten minutes we were on our march for Bull Run”(Source:Eyewhitnesshistory.com) That was a quote from a soldier fighting in the battle. The battle took place at Prince William County, Virginia on the 21st and at 2 o’clock. It was bloody with body’s and guns on the ground everywhere. It was awful family and friends dead with shotgun shells in their heads. The north had 28,400 soldiers and the south had 30,800 soldiers all together. Both sides had at least 2,000 casualties. Both sides suffered a lot.
The history books said that the Union won the war, and that’s true, but the lost the first battle. It was crazy. “Whether the Union stands or falls, I believe the profession of arms will henceforth be more desirable and more respected than it has been hitherto.”(source:zipcon.net). The battle started out, and for most of the time, the Union was winning because they had more troops but they had not as good generals. The Confederacy had less troops, at the beginning,but better generals. It was a pretty good match up. Near the end, when the union was winning, the southern, or confederate soldiers, whichever you call them, came for backup. The tired, battered, and bruised Union was forced to retreat, losing the battle. The Confederates won,but, here’s some more details on how.
The Confederates got backup from Gen. Joeseph E. Johnston. “Confederate soldiers under Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston arrived from the Shenendoah Valley by railroad and the course of the battle quickly changed.” There were at least 2,000 casualties and over 1,000 soldiers dead on each side. The backup had an amazingly huge effect on the battle. It upgraded the southern army to over 30,000 soldiers! The Union retereated, and so did Union picnickers that were watching the battle. They were running for their lives but the Confederate soldiers were too tired to chase them. That, is how the battle of Bull Run played out.
That is how the confederates won in a little bit more detailed version. Now this, is why it was important First, it was the first battle of the Civil War which kicked off the whole thing. Second, it proved that the war wasn’t going to be just swift and easy, it proved that it will take a while, a long while. Last, it proved that both sides were super tough, super hard to beat, and that neither would go down without a fight.
Once again, there was many battles, but Bull Run was the first and it’s important because it proves that the Civil War wouldn’t be easy. It would take hard work, a lot of blood, and a long time. That’s why it’s important to know how it played out.
