Also known as First Manassas (July 21, 1861) the first major battle of the Civil War, won by the Confederates. Some 28, 000 Union troops led by Gen. Irvin McDowell marched under presidential order to Manassas, Virginia, 25 miles southwest of Washington, where Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard's 32, 000 Confederate soldiers straddled the Washington-Richmond rail line. Since his men were undisciplined for combat, McDowell paused to give his troops additional training before attacking the rebels on the far side of Bull Run, a tributary of the Potomac. A fierce defensive stand, which earned Maj. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson his nickname, followed by a Confederate counterattack, broke the Union forces, which fled to Washington. Union losses totaled upwards of 2, 600; the Confederates, nearly 2, 000.
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