Man, I always get confused about early Civil War battles. This morning I was scrolling through some history pages and saw a headline about Bull Run. Couldn’t remember who actually won that mess.
Grabbed My Laptop
I hauled out my old laptop, spilled some coffee on the keyboard (again), wiped it off, and typed “First Battle of Bull Run” into the search bar. Tons of articles popped up. Clicked the first one from some history site.
Read like this:
- Union generals were super confident they’d crush the rebels quickly
- Spectators brought picnic baskets to watch the fight like it was a dang baseball game
- Confederate reinforcements showed up on a train yelling their heads off
- Union troops straight up panicked and ran for their lives
Total chaos! The Union retreat turned into a stampede. Carriages full of fancy spectators got tangled with soldiers running away. Picnic baskets abandoned everywhere. Can you imagine? Rich folks thinking they’d get entertainment then getting trampled in the mud.
Felt Like a Punch in the Gut
That shocked me. Everyone figured Union would roll right over the Confederates that early in the war. Instead they got chased back to Washington covered in dirt and shame. Made me realize how cocky the North was at first.
Went down this rabbit hole for like two hours. Found reports about how soldiers’ shiny new uniforms made them easy targets. Saw pictures of the Stonewall Jackson statue too (kinda eerie now that I think about it).
Ended up shaking my head at how brutal it was. History books never really show that sheer terror when an army breaks and runs. Thought I knew the Civil War decently well before this little search. Guess I was wrong.
