United States History Student Edition

05 Early Years of the War

Fighting on Land and at Sea GUIDING QUESTION What was the outcome of the first major battle of the war? While the Union and the Confederacy mobilized their armies, the Union navy put in place a blockade of all Confederate ports. The stage was Tension mounted in the summer of 1861, leading to the first major battle of the Civil War. On July 21, about 30,000 Union troops commanded by General Irvin McDowell attacked a smaller Confederate force led by General P. G. T. Beauregard that was approaching Washington, D.C. The fighting took place in Manassas, in northern Virginia, near a small river called Bull Run. Hundreds of spectators came from Washington, D.C., to watch the battle from a few miles away. Both sides lacked battle experience. At first, the Union forces drove the Confederates back. Then the Rebels rallied, inspired by General Thomas Jackson. Another Confederate general noted that Jackson was holding his position “like a stone wall.” This earned him the nickname “Stonewall” Jackson. The Confederate troops then unleashed a savage counterattack that broke the Union lines. As they retreated, Union troops ran into civilians fleeing in panic. set for fighting at sea as well as on land. The First Battle of Bull Run

READING STRATEGY Integrating Knowledge and Ideas As you read, use a time line like this one to place the early battles of the Civil War in order and to note the events and significance of each battle.

1861

1862

FLORIDA BENCHMARKS

• SS.8.A.1.2 • SS.8.A.5.3 • SS.8.A.5.5 • SS.8.A.5.6 • SS.8.CG.1.3 • SS.8.CG.3.1 • SS.8.G.1.2 • SS.8.G.6.2

The Battle of Bull Run was the first major engagement between Union and Confederate forces in the Civil War.

• ELA.K12.EE.4.1 • ELA.K12.EE.5.1

PHOTO: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division [LC-DIG-pga-01843]; TEXT: Cooke, John Esten. Stonewall Jackson. New York: G.W. Dillingham, 1893.

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