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About

Civil War

Battle of Manasses

Civil War Battle

The first major battle of the Civil War was at Manasses Junction. It was called the Battle of Manassas or Bull Run. It was at a railroad crossing for the South. That is why it was an important place to fight over. If it could be captured it would hurt the South. If the North could get it, it would stop trains that would carry food, ammunition, and other supplies. It would also stop the South from moving their troops on that Locomotive railroad line. If the North could get it, they could use it to move their own troops and supplies. It would also be a route that led to Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy.

The South knew this was an important place to protect, and they had already moved troops into place. They moved them between the railroad station and the Union troops.

It was summer time, July 21, 1861. Northerners came out to watch the battle. Many of them were from the Capitol area in Washington, D.C. They even brought picnic baskets and blankets. Stonewall Jackson They went to it like it was a sporting event. The North thought that they would easily win and that the war would be short. What they saw was something very different, and it was not pretty.

For a while it looked like the North might win the battle, but General Thomas Jackson of the South stood strong. He needed more troops to help him fight. These are called reinforcements. They did not come when he wanted them, but he stood like a ‘stone wall.’ Finally, the troops came on the railroad. They came in on the line he was protecting. Because of how strong Jackson held the line, he earned the nickname ‘Stonewall Jackson.’

The North ended up losing the battle and had to retreat to Washington. There were 5,000 troops that were killed, wounded, or captured in the battle. They learned a lesson. The war would not be easy. They also found out that it would not be short.

R-SSS

Reading resources

© Reading-SocialStudiesSolutions


Text Credits:

Key Battles of the Civil War by Gail Fay
https://www.history.com/news/why-do-some-civil-war-battles-have-two-names
https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Manassas_Gap_Railroad_During_the_Civil_War


Image Credits:

Cyclorama pictures of Confederate prisoners of war in the battle for Atlanta at Atlanta History Museum in May 2019;
Steam-locomotive-02 by Yamachem- Openclipart.org;
Jackson-Stonewall by The New Students Reference Work-NSRW- Wikimedia Commons


Notes:

Manassas/Bull Run was an important battle because it was the first major battle of the Civil War.

Victory for the North at Bull Run would have opened a route to Richmond.

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/first-battle-of-bull-run
https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Manassas_Gap_Railroad_During_the_Civil_War


Why do many battles have two names?

The South had one name and the North gave it a different name. The southern names were after the man-made features, and the northern name was after the geographic features. Manassas was the name given by the South, the place where there was a transportation crossing. Bull Run Creek was what the North called it.

https://www.history.com/news/why-do-some-civil-war-battles-have-two-names