- Date
- July 21, 1861
- Location
- Fairfax County and Prince William County, Virginia
- Result
- Confederate victory
- Part of
- Eastern theater of the American Civil War
- Conflict
- U.S. Civil War
About the battle
The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas by Confederate forces, was the first major battle of the American Civil War. The battle was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, just north of what is now the city of Manassas and about thirty miles west-southwest of Washington, D.C. The Union army was slow in positioning themselves, allowing Confederate reinforcements time to arrive by rail. Each side had about 18,000 poorly trained and poorly led troops. The battle was a Confederate victory and was followed by a disorganized post-battle retreat of the Union forces. Just months after the start of the war at Fort Sumter, the northern public clamored for a march against the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, which was expected to bring an early end to the Confederacy.
From the Wikipedia article “First Battle of Bull Run”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Result, date and location from the article’s infobox and Wikidata.
