Study Guide: First Battle of Bull Run

July 21, 1861; Manassas, Virginia.

The terrain was grassy and flat with semi-hills. The weather was very hot
and the heat was high. Included light rain.

Union General: General Irvin McDowell
Confederacy General: General Joseph E. Johnston and General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard (P.G.T. Beauregard)

The Union attacked first, hoping that the Confederacy would be easy to take down. The Union hoped to accomplish more invasions toward Confederacy land and an army with more people. The Confederacy felt the battle would be easy too so they hoped to take down the Union. Both sides thought that the war would be quick, but that all changed after this battle.

About 4700 total casualties
Union: about 2950 casualties, 1124 wounded, 1312 captured/missing, 460 killed
Confederacy: about 1750 casualties, 1582 wounded, 13 missing, 387 killed.

This was the first major land battle in the armies of Virginia.

Advantages and Disadvantages for both sides of the battle:
The Confederacy
Advantages:They were prepared and didn’t have to waste much energy by charging due to their spies.
Disadvantages:The South had a much less soldiers than the Union did
The Union
Advantages: Union had a lot more soldiers, resulting in more manpower.
Disadvantages: soldiers were mostly untrained, they had experienced hardships on their way and lost a lot of energy, and their position in land was much worse than the South’s.