Sixth Grade
Worksheets
First Battle of Bull Run
When the Civil War first started, both sides thought that it would end quickly. The first major battle took place at Bull Run in Virginia. This battle showed both sides that the war would be long and bloody.
In 1861, the Confederate capital was in Richmond, Virginia. It was only about one hundred miles away from Washington, D.C. Newspapers in the North called for the army to attack the Southern capital. If the Union could take it, it would mean an early end to the war.
The Union general, Irvin McDowell, did not agree. He did not feel that his army was ready for any major battles. Lincoln did not listen to his general. He ordered the army to march for Manassas, Virginia. This town had a railroad that was important to the North.
The leader of the Southern army was P.G.T. Beauregard. He was the officer who had captured Fort Sumter. The battle at Fort Sumter had started the Civil War. Beauregard's army was camping near a stream named Bull Run. The stream was about four miles north of Manassas.
Northern soldiers marched almost four days toward Manassas, about twenty-five miles away. The slow pace showed how badly prepared the army was. Soldiers were said to have stopped to pick blackberries instead of marching.
