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The Civil War at a Glance

The Eastern Theatre, 1861

First posted 1998
Last update Apr 29, 2009

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The high spirits with which North and South naively go to war after the attack on Fort Sumter, first met the test of battle on a large scale in mid-July as Union troops under Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell Irvin McDowell clashed with Confederate soldiers under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and Brig. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard on the plains of Manassas, Virginia. A sweeping Confederate victory in what Southerners call The First Battle of Manassas (the North calls it Bull Run) inspires the Federal Government to renewed effort and makes the South over-confident. For the rest of the year the contending armies remain static between Manassas and Washington, giving Union Maj. Gen. George Brinton McClellan George B. McClellan plenty of time to organize and train his new Army of the Potomac. A small federal force overwhelmed and crushed at Click for a larger view 51k Ball's Bluff, Virginia, in October includes a friend and ally of President Abraham Lincoln, so the political repercussions of that battle outstrip its military significance. In December, Confederate cavalry leader J.E.B. Stuart fights a small affair at Dranesville, Virginia. All of the 1861 actions combined do not equal in scope a single day of the famous battles fought later in the war.

Mar 4Abraham Lincoln is inaugrated 16th President of the United States
Apr 12 - 13Bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter, S.C.
Apr 15President Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteers
Apr 17Virginia secedes
Apr 19Confederates occupy Harpers Ferry, Va. (now West Virginia)
Jun 10Engagement at Big Bethel, Va. First land "battle" in Virginia
Jun 11Engagement at Rich Mountain, Va. (now West Virginia)
Jul 21First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run), Va.
Jul 27George B. McClellan takes command of Union Army of the Potomac
Oct 21Battle of Ball's Bluff, Va.


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