In July 1861 the northern newspapers pressured President Lincoln to bring a quick end to the rebellion of the southern states. Adding to the strain was Lincoln's awareness that the ninety-day enlistments of the recruits who had responded to his call to arms after the attack on Fort Sumter were rapidly coming to an end. Something had to be done, and soon. Lincoln pressed for action. Despite his hesitancy that his troops were not yet adequately trained, General Irvin McDowell proposed a plan. He would march his army of 35,000, currently bivouacked around Washington, thirty miles south and attack the Confederate forces defending the vital railroad junction at Manassas, Virginia. Victory would open the way to the Confederate capital at Richmond.
The Union troops were indeed inadequately trained. It took over two days for them to march twenty-two miles south. The summer heat was oppressive. Many of the young soldiers wandered from the line of march to pick berries and rest. The Union army finally reached its objective on the evening of July 18 and encamped along a small stream known as Bull Run. The green troops needed rest and their stocks of food and ammunition that had been discarded along the road had to be replenished.
Read Full Article »
