Battle of Bull Run: The Battle of Bull Run took place on July 21, 1861. Both the Union and the Confederate forces planned to outflank each other. Fighting lasted throughout the day and the Confederate forces were pushed back. The Confederate soldiers were pushed back, despite the strong attempts to defend against the Union. Later in the afternoon, reinforcements came to aid the Confederate soldiers. Along with the new aid, the Confederate soldiers began to break through the Union's flank. Colonel James Ewell Brown arrived along with the Virginia Cavalry and pushed through the confused group of Union troops. The Union forces began to retreat. They fled across any possible bridges and roadways. Many people came from Washington to watch the battle from hillsides. This was obviously not a good idea when the Union troops began retreating towards them. Tipped over wagons, fire from the Confederates, and fleeing onlookers from Washington all added to the confusion. The Confederate forces were victorious but were too disorganized and confused to pursue the fleeing Union troops. This battle convinced Lincoln that the Civil War would be a long and hard ordeal. It also convinced him that it would be costly.
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/bullrun.html
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