When I teach this lesson, I call it the "Picnic and a Parade." Both sides were sure that the Civil War would be over in less than one week. One southern politician claimed that he would, "mop up with my hankerchief all of the blood that will be spilled in the civil war." The northerners erected grandstands on the good viewing points along the anticipated battlefield near the Bull Run River, just outside of Washington. Souvenirs and programs were sold. Thousands of spectators came out to see the conflict for themselves. Many Congressmen and their families planned picnics to watch the war and set up tables. Rich businessmen from as far away as Boston and New York had their picnics catered by Tiffany's of New York, which also provided velvet camp stools for one unit of New York troopers... http://www.nps.gov/mana/index.htm On July 21, 1861, the first serious battle of the Civil War began near the small town of Manassas, Virginia. It lasted for over ten hours and changed America forever. Through most of the day, the Confederate forces were overwhelmed, except for a unit under Thomas J. Jackson who earned his nickname "Stonewall" on this day. http://library.thinkquest.org/3055/netscape/battles/bullrun.html The battle turned on two simultaneous events: a brigade of Confederate troops wearing "Union blue" uniforms that had been issued to them as state militia was allowed to march right up to the Union lines and open fire. This caused a panic among the inexperienced northerners just as Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's reinforcements arrived by rail on the Shenandoah Railroad and entered directly into the battle. This was the first use of railroads in warfare. The result was a general panic among all Union troops (and picnicers.) Almost all of these soldiers were teen-age boys who had signed up for 90 days, as no one could imagine that the war would last that long. Fleeing spectators clogged the roads back to Washington and prevented the Union Army from escaping, as two Confederate armies slammed into their rear. A slaughter ensued as Union troops were captured and picnicers and party-goers were arrested...including several Congressmen. That night, the saloons of the capital city were filled with young men parading about in uniform, drinking and bragging about their experience in the war. The Southerners celebrated by drinking and looting the "Yankee" camp. Neither side realized that they could have destroyed the enemy simply by attacking the after battle celebrations and both capitals were undefended. No one on either side actually knew what they were doing yet, but both sides had learned one, very valuable lesson: it was going to be a long and bloody war. There was no more talk of easy victories and the long, fight to the death had begun. 150 years ago today... http://www.civilwarhome.com/1manassa.htm
Great history!! I must send this to my 19 year old who has great interest in everything history and has a gene pool that fought against itself in the civil war... He stays confused.... :shock:
I agree with Ralph. Great history lesson. Once more I can say that I'm never too old to learn something new and interesting.
The American Civil War is irresistible for history buffs. The story begins with a picnic and a parade, then ends four years later with a murder in a theater. In between those two events is a national tragedy; the likes of which our country has never experienced, before or since. More young American men died in that war, than in all of our other wars combined. In the north, one out of every four men between the ages of 16 and 36 lost their lives. In the south, it was one out of three. Entire cities like Atlanta, Georgia, were burned to the ground. In some agricultural areas, salt was thrown across the ground in the hope that nothing would grow there again for a thousand years... re: Ralph's 19 year-old He's not alone in having a confused gene pool. The very nature of a civil war is that family members often fought against each other. I'm a classic example of that too. I'm a Republican Yankee from Providence, Rhode Island, who was raised in another Union state: California. Yet my American great-grandfather (Major William N. Portis) was a cavalry officer in the Confederate Army. He was married to not one, but TWO cousins of Robert E. Lee! I'm descended from the younger sister, whose maiden name was Martha Rebecca Lee and both sisters were from Tennessee. I can't escape the fact, that if my grandpa's dad and I were alive at the same time, we would be shooting at each other... My great passion in history is studying civil wars: America's, Russia's, Mexico's, Ireland's. It's difficult to understand the fury with which people turn on their own kind, so it's endlessly fascinating to me.