jul 21, 1861 - 1st Bull Run (July 1861)

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Yankee recruits went towards Bull Run (July 21 1861) from Wash; Congressmen & spectators brought lunch to watch; At first went well for N but then Stonewall Jackson showed up, stood like stone wall, Confed reinforcement came arrived → panic among Union troops; Union retreat in confusion, Confed don’t pursue + eat abandoned lunches; Victory for S → inflated overconfidence, many S soldiers desert to boast bcuz thought that war was over, S enlistments fell off, preparations for war slacked off; Defeat for N → destroyed illusions of short + easy war, N focus on prob of war more, set stage for war being fought for Union + abolitionism

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