The Lure of Blackberries
It is now generally admitted that it was one of the best-planned battles of the war, but one of the worst fought.
- William T. Sherman

Union Brigadier General Irvin McDowell wasn't sure about his massive 35,000-man army, the largest force ever assembled in this country. It was largely composed of poorly trained and undisciplined citizen-soldiers who had answered President Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers after the fall of Fort Sumter. The officers often came from political backgrounds and proved equally inexperienced. McDowell himself had never commanded more than a squad during his military career.

By July 1861, the Lincoln administration felt a sense of urgency to fight a battle. Many of McDowell's volunteers were due to go home as their 90-day enlistments expired. Action was imperative before the army ceased to exist. Ready or not, on July 16, McDowell marched his army toward Manassas where his old West Point classmate, P.G.T. Beauregard, commanded a Confederate army ready to block the northern invasion at a stream called Bull Run.

To circumvent Beauregard's strong defenses along Bull Run, McDowell formulated an elaborate, three-pronged attack plan. It was ultimately his downfall.

Everything hinged on getting the green troops into position under cover of darkness, before dawn on July 21, 1861. Difficult roads, darkness, the summer heat, and the lure of blackberries along the line of march proved too much for the citizen soldiers. Plagued by delays, McDowell lost the element of surprise. Beauregard and newly arrived troops under General Joseph E. Johnston won the day for the Confederacy.

The confrontation left 3,400 killed and wounded. No American army had ever before suffered casualties of this magnitude. No one had anticipated such a bloodbath. The Union army fled the field and returned to Washington a disorganized, demoralized mob. The battle was a rude awakening for both sides and inspired confidence in the South and a greater determination in the North.

The armies were much larger, better trained, better disciplined and battle hardened by the time they returned to Manassas in late August 1862. Once again Union troops failed to meet the expectations of commanders, who in turn enjoyed little confidence among the men in the ranks. Northern victory remained elusive at Bull Run.