Manassas Battle Field

They just opened a Cafe Rio down in Manassas, VA. It is only a 45 minute drive from our house, so the weekend it opened we called the Smiths to see if they wanted to join us in some Mexican food done the Utah way. Since it is so close to the Manassas Battle field, we decided to make it a two-4-one experience.

The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as the First Battle of Manassas (the name used by Confederate forces), was fought on July 21, 1861, near the City of Manassas. It was the first major land battle of the Civil War.
Just months after the start of the war at Fort Sumter, the Northern public clamored for a march against the Confederate capital of Richamond, Virginia, which could bring an early end to the war. Yielding to this political pressure, unseasoned Union troops under advanced across Bull Run against the equally unseasoned Confederate Army near Manassas Junction.


Confederate reinforcements arrived by railroad and the course of the battle changed. A brigade of Virginians under a relatively unknown colonel, Thomas J. ,stood their ground and Jackson received his famous nickname, "Stonewall Jackson". The Confederates launched a strong counterattack and as the Union troops began withdrawing under pressure, many panicked and frantically ran towards Washington, DC.

Both sides were sobered by the violence and casualties of the battle, and they realized that the war would potentially be much longer and bloodier than they had originally anticipated.