An Auspicious Day!

It was an unusually warm month when Brigadier General Irwin McDowell led his 30,000 strong federal army south from the cesspool on the Potomac.  His objective that July was to seize the Manassas Gap rail depot and cut Southern communication with the Valley preventing reinforcement by General Joe Johnston's Army of the Shenandoah and then continue "On To Richmond".  McDowell knew that General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard with his Army of the Potomac was waiting for him on the south side of Bull Run, but he had a plan.  He would borrow a page from history and steal a flank march around the Southron's left flank just like the Persians at Thermopylae.  On 21 July 1861 the two armies met along the banks of Bull Run near Manassas.  McDowell's plan was working as advertised, Beauregard was caught with his pants down and facing the wrong direction. He planned on attacking in force on the federal left and when the action began before his general assault  he refused to believe the action on his left was anything other than a diversion .  Lincoln's invading horders were just on the verge of overwhelming the brilliant and stubborn defense of Colonel Nathan "Shanks" Evans (complete with his ever present "barrelito") and his half brigade at Sudley Ford, when he crashed into the lead elements of Johnstons Army of the Valley to include General Thomas J. Jackson and his 1st Virginia Brigade.  Johnston had slipped away from the federal army attempting to contain him, embarked his troops on trains and made it to the fight just in time.  The fighting raged and peaked around the Henry House and the McClean House and then suddenly, while perched on the edge of victory, the Yankees ran.  They didn't retreat, they didn't fall back but they bolted like frightened bunnies leaving a trail of weapons, accoutrements, haversacks and even canteens as the frightened northerners unencumbered themselves.  They didn't stop until they reached Washington City some 20 miles to the North......Serves 'em right for coming down here and getting all rowdy.

Read Shanks Evan's after action report here

Read BGen Irwin McDowell's after action report here

Read general P.G.T Beauregard's after action report here

By all rights McDowell should of had this one in the bag.  His plan was sound and his opponent, Beauregard had a bad case of the "slows" (maybe they are contagious and that is how McClellan got them). Two things really went against McDowell that hot July day, the first being the timely arrival of Johnston's Army of the Shenandoah on the field and the second is his army was mostly green, untested militia troops who decided they would rather run than fight. (as the song says "Root, Hog or Die!")  I would also point out to my favorite little green brothers of the Marine Corps before they get all upity about the army breaking and running......A battalion of Marines (a goodly portion of the Marine Corps in 1861) scampered like deer hopped up on crack and for my buddies in the 3rd U.S. Infantry you can be proud of your Manassas Battle Honors because your regiment acquitted itself wonderfully by breaking and running just a bit slower than the rest of the Army.....At least they kept their colors.  The Southrons won this fight in spite of themselves......I can only attribute McDowells defeat to BAD KHARMA.

TO THE TYRANT NEVER YIELD