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30-683: The Confederate forces in northern Virginia were organized into two field armies. Brigadier General P. G. T. Beauregard was appointed commander of the Confederate Army of the Potomac in northeastern Virginia to defend the rail center of Manassas Junction; while General Joseph E. Johnston commanded the Army of the Shenandoah near Harpers Ferry in the Shenandoah Valley. The Manassas Gap Railroad connected

60-463: A house on the plateau of the hill. On July 21, 1861, the house was inhabited by his widow, Judith Carter Henry, and their two sons. The 85-year-old woman was bed-ridden and unable to leave the house. Mrs. Henry was mortally wounded when a projectile of the Union artillery crashed through the bedroom wall and tore off one of her feet and inflicted multiple injuries, from which she died later that day. During

90-608: A large Rebel force that was led by Brig. Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard in an effort to end the Civil War with one decisive battle. Union soldiers had been ordered up the hill. Under huge amounts of enemy fire the Southerners held back the Federal soldiers with heavy losses. Brig. Gen. Barnard Bee shouted to his men, "There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Follow me." That gave Thomas Jackson

120-600: A retreat, which started that night. In August, the Department of Northeastern Virginia was merged with other departments in Maryland to form the Department of the Potomac, commanded by George C. McClellan. McDowell was demoted to commanding a division. Patterson was blamed for allowing Johnston to reinforce Beauregard and was also relieved of command. Confederate Army of the Potomac The Confederate Army of

150-610: A single army following the battle, retaining the name "Army of the Potomac" and with Johnston in command; Beauregard was initially posted as its second-in-command but he was soon transferred to the Western Theater . The army was spread through northern Virginia to observe the Union Army of the Potomac in Washington, fighting several small skirmishes including the Battle of Ball's Bluff . In

180-629: Is a location near Bull Run , a tributary of the Occoquan River , in the U.S. state of Virginia . It was an important battle site during the American Civil War . Named for the house of the Henry family that sits atop it, the hill begins near the road of Centreville, Virginia , after Gainesville, Virginia , to today's U.S. Route 29 , the Warrenton Turnpike. It is a slow, constant rise toward

210-591: The Army of the Potomac began the opening stages of the fighting on Matthews Hill, reinforced by two brigades from Johnston's army. As the fighting shifted to Henry House Hill, Cocke's and Jubal Early 's brigades along with units from Bonham's brigade from Beauregard's army, along with the rest of Johnston's army, were shifted to the Confederate left wing. An attack by Early's brigade on the Union right flank at about 4 p.m. helped drive

240-410: The Confederate defenses near Blackburn's Ford but not to bring on an engagement, Tyler launched an attack with Colonel Israel B. Richardson 's brigade but was repulsed by the brigades of James Longstreet and Jubal Early . The battle ended with an artillery duel which lasted until dark, at which time Tyler withdrew back to Centreville. Following Tyler's defeat, McDowell decided to attempt an attack on

270-613: The Confederate left flank. Starting about dawn on July 21, one Union division started a diversionary attack on the Stone Bridge on the Confederate left and two other divisions demonstrated against the Confederate center and right, while two other divisions marched around the Confederate left flank to launch an attack on the Confederate rear. The Union flanking column was spotted and Confederate reinforcements were rushed to Matthew's Hill but were driven back to Henry House Hill . A new Confederate defensive line, using brigades from Johnston's army,

300-569: The First Battle of Bull Run, Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson and his Confederate soldiers had taken up positions on Henry House Hill. During the battle General Jackson was pushed off of the hill many times by the 14th Brooklyn . The General gave the 14th its famous nickname, " Red Legged Devils " because of their striking red pantaloon trousers. Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell , commander of the Federal forces, had been ordered by Abraham Lincoln to engage

330-570: The Manassas Gap Railroad, his army arrived on July 20 and 21. The Manassas Campaign would end in a Confederate Victory due to this inexperience. It was this early campaign that would show the North that the Confederacy was not going to be a quick rebellion. Following the Confederate abandonment of Harpers Ferry on June 15, Johnston sent Colonel Thomas J. Jackson 's brigade to establish a camp near

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360-455: The Potomac , whose name was short-lived, was under the command of Brig. Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard in the early days of the American Civil War . Its only major combat action was the First Battle of Bull Run . Afterwards, the Army of the Shenandoah was merged into the Army of the Potomac with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston , the commander of the Shenandoah, taking command. The Army of the Potomac

390-493: The Shenandoah . Both Davis and his military advisor, Robert E. Lee , rejected these plans as being impractical. On July 18, as forces from the Union Army of Northeastern Virginia commanded by Irvin McDowell advanced to within a few miles of Beauregard's positions, the Confederate War Department ordered Johnston to transfer his army to reinforce Beauregard; his army arrived by rail over the next few days. Johnston

420-415: The Union army from the field. Beauregard's brigades lost fewer men than Johnston's brigades, but some commands still suffered a casualty rate as high as twenty percent. Most of Beauregard's brigades remained on the Confederate right, since Beauregard still hoped to launch an attack on the Union left wing. However, because of contradictory and confusing orders, some of which apparently were never delivered to

450-511: The Union occupation of Alexandria, Virginia, the Union forces in Virginia were organized into the Department of Northeastern Virginia, commanded by Brigadier General Irvin McDowell , who was ordered to advance on the Confederate national capital of Richmond, Virginia . Meanwhile, Robert Patterson was assigned to command the Department of Pennsylvania and was ordered to tie down Johnston's forces in

480-404: The end of their enlistments and were refusing to stay any longer. The Union general–in–chief , Brevet Lieutenant General Winfield Scott , was pressing him to send his Regular Army units to McDowell's army. During the months of June and early July, the armies of McDowell and Beauregard engaged in several skirmishes in northeastern Virginia while the Union government and military leadership debated

510-514: The famous nickname Stonewall. In the retreat from the hill, a Union wagon tipped over on Cub Run Bridge, blocking the Federal retreat , causing many of the undisciplined volunteers to drop their rifles and run. Henry House Hill is preserved as part of the Manassas National Battlefield Park . The National Park Service has a dedicated hiking path for visitors to Henry Hill, the "Henry Hill Loop Trail". This article about

540-448: The intended recipients, the attack was never launched. The brigades on this part of the field never fought at all or participated in only minor skirmishing. David R. Jones and James Longstreet crossed Bull Run and attempted to organize an attack but following a brief skirmish Jones' brigade was thrown back due to heavy artillery fire. Both brigades subsequently withdrew back to Bull Run. The two Confederate armies were consolidated into

570-479: The local militia companies into Confederate service. Regiments from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina also arrived in Virginia and were assigned to Cocke's command. On May 21, Cocke was replaced in command in northeastern Virginia by Milledge L. Bonham , who was in turn superseded by P. G. T. Beauregard ten days later. Beauregard divided his army into six brigades (two of which were commanded by Cocke and Bonham) and concentrated them along

600-540: The northern Shenandoah Valley, preventing him from reinforcing Beauregard. Patterson advanced into the Valley in early June, forcing the evacuation of Harpers Ferry on June 17. Johnston retreated back to the town of Winchester, where he was reinforced by home guard units and local militia, which caused Patterson to think he was outnumbered. During this time, Patterson was having difficulty receiving supplies from Pennsylvania; also his regiments of three–month volunteers were nearing

630-533: The proper course of action for McDowell to take. Scott favored concentrating a Union army to capture the Mississippi River valley, while McDowell viewed his army as too inexperienced to attack Beauregard yet. Due to Pressure from U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and the Union press, McDowell started his campaign against Manassas Junction on July 17. Johnston received orders the next day to start transferring his army to Manassas Junction to reinforce Beauregard; using

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660-500: The south bank of Bull Run, intending to defend the rail center of Manassas Junction. He would be reinforced by additional regiments over the next few weeks, forming a seventh brigade, and received the brigade of Theophilus H. Holmes as well. Over the course of his first weeks in command, Beauregard sent to Confederate president Jefferson Davis various plans for an offensive against Union forces in northern Virginia, which usually involved coordination with Joseph E. Johnston's Army of

690-438: The south over a length of approximately 2,400 feet (730 m). This hill was an important site of the battles of First and Second Bull Run (also known as First and Second Manassas) in the American Civil War . The battle raged on the north side of the hill in predominantly open grass country; the south side was relatively closely covered with trees. The hill received its name from Dr. Isaac Henry, who lived with his family in

720-596: The spring of 1862, Johnston's army was transferred to the Richmond area, where the Army of the Peninsula and the Confederate garrison of Norfolk, Virginia , were incorporated into the army. At this time in the Peninsula Campaign , the army was officially renamed the Army of Northern Virginia , although Johnston continued to use the name Army of the Potomac until he was wounded. Henry House Hill Henry House Hill

750-532: The town of Martinsburg, so to both serve as a warning of a Union advance and to delay Patterson's force. On July 2, Patterson crossed the Potomac and advanced on Jackson's position. Outnumbered and outflanked, Jackson fell back slowly, giving time for his supply train to escape before retreating to rejoin Johnston's main army. McDowell's army arrived at Centreville during the morning of July 18, led by Brigadier General Daniel Tyler 's division. Under orders to reconnoiter

780-502: The two forces and allowed for the quick transfer of reinforcements between the two armies. During the months of June and July, Beauregard sent Confederate President Jefferson Davis several proposals for offensive operations into Maryland, involving the various Confederate armies in Virginia, but Davis rejected them for being impractical, saying the Confederates lacked the proper resources to support any of his offensive plans. Following

810-565: Was formed along the hill, where they held against repeated Union attacks during the afternoon. A Confederate attack on the Union left flank in the late afternoon forced McDowell to retreat back to the defenses of Washington, D.C. Davis arrived on the Manassas battlefield soon after the battle ended. Although he attempted to organize a pursuit of the Union army, he was convinced that the Confederate armies were too disorganized to mount an effective pursuit. The dispute between Beauregard and Davis over who

840-463: Was renamed the Army of Northern Virginia on March 14, 1862, with Beauregard's original army eventually becoming the First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia . The army was formed from Confederate units defending northeastern Virginia, which arrived over the course of April to July 1861. Philip St. George Cocke was appointed to command the area of Virginia along "the line of the Potomac" and to muster

870-473: Was responsible for the failed pursuit resulted in Beauregard's transfer to the Western Theater . In October, Johnston's and Beauregard's commands were merged into the Department of Northern Virginia, with the combined army retaining the name "Army of the Potomac". Following First Bull Run, McDowell retreated to Centreville and set up a rearguard. At a council of war held after sunset, a majority of officers urged

900-422: Was the senior officer present and had overall command of the combined Confederate armies. Beauregard had drawn up plans for an attack on the Union left wing across Bull Run and convinced Johnston to approve the plan. Johnston deferred the issuing of orders to Beauregard since he was more familiar with the terrain. During the First Battle of Bull Run , which occurred on July 21, Colonel Nathan Evans ' brigade from

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