The battle of Bull Run
On July 21, 1861, Union and Confederate armies clashed near Manassas Junction, Virginia, in the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Known as the First Battle of Bull Run (or Manassas), the engagement began when about 35,000 Union troops marched from the federal capital in Washington, D.C. to strike a Confederate force of 20,000 troops along a small river known as Bull Run This is were the war started. After fighting on the defensive for most of the day, the rebels rallied and were able to break the Union right flank. The Confederate victory gave the South a surge of confidence and shocked many in the North, who realized the war would not be won.They thougth they had hoped to win this war.