07/21/1861 to 07/22/1861
The first pitched battle of the war between full armies resulted in a stinging defeat for the Union forces under General Irvin McDowell. McDowell had attacked the Confederate force led by General P.G.T. Beauregard hoping to cut it off from its supply lines. A day of desperate fighting resulted eventually in the rout of the Federals and the near loss of the capital. The heavy casualties on both sides shocked the nation; the Union lost 481 dead and 1,011 wounded, the Confederates 387 dead and 1,582 hurt. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation:
Chronicles of the Great Rebellion Against the United States of America (Philadelphia, PA: A. Winch, 1867), 9.
Charles P. Roland, An American Iliad: The Story of the Civil War (New York: McGraw Hill, 2002), 53.
Charles P. Roland, An American Iliad: The Story of the Civil War (New York: McGraw Hill, 2002), 53.