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Commanding Generals and Number of men engaged :

Union Major - General Irvin McDowell, USA
  35,000 men and 49 guns

Confederate - General P.G.T. Beauregard, CSA
  24,000 men and 29 guns
  General Joseph E. Johnson, CSA
  8,500 men and 20 guns

The Union, hoping for a quick end to the rebellion, advanced its army against the Confederate defensive line north of Manassas at Bull Run. General McDowell did not believe that his army, composed of mostly ninety day volunteers, was ready for a fight. He did, however, have a numerical superiority over General Beauregards army at Manassas. General McDowells plan called for the army at Harpers Ferry to stop General Johnsons army at Winchester from joining forces with the main Confederate army at Manassas. General Johnsons army slipped away from this holding force and by using the interior railroad lines was able to reinforce General Beauregard in time.

On the morning of July 21, 1861 both sides had planned to attack the left flank of the others. The Union attack began sooner and the Confederates had to change their plans. The initial Union attack quickly turned the Confederate left flank into a route, but the brigade led by General Thomas J. Jackson checked the Union advance. Fresh troops from Johnsons army began to arrive and soon the tide was turned. Union troops began an orderly retreat but soon turned into a route when an overturned wagon on Cub Run Bridge bottlenecked the road.

So ended the first major battle of the war. Losses in this battle, seemingly large at the time, would be dwarfed by the battles to come. The Union lost a total of 2,896 men compared to the Confederate loss of 1,982 men. The Union now realized that this would be a long and bloody war.

First Bull Run ( July 21, 1861 )