Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable
July 14, 1861 - General Robert Patterson and his Union troops stall south of Harper's Ferry when facing Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Patterson shows reluctance to give battle and is nicknamed "granny" by his troops.
July 14, 1861 - In the wake of General Garnett's death, General Henry R. Jackson is named to command Confederate troops in western Virginia (see July 13 note).
July 15, 1861 - All Confederate forces retreat from Harper's Ferry, Virginia.
July 16, 1861 - Union forces numbering about 32,000 under Gen. Irvin McDowell move from camps near Washington, D.C. toward Manassas, Virginia.
July 16, 1861 - Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard musters about 22,000 troops and positions them behind Bull Run Creek while awaiting reinforcements from the Shenandoah.
July 16, 1861 - General in Chief Winfield Scott and Gen. McDowell express reservation about committing raw troops to battle but the political cry is "On to Richmond.
July 16, 1861 - The Union Blockade Strategy Board suggests using "stone fleets" (scuttled vessels) to block Southern waterways and ports.
July 17, 1861 - Pres. Jefferson Davis instructs Gen Joseph E. Johnston to reinforce Gen. P. T. G. Beauregard. This is the first time in military history that large numbers of troops are shuttled from one battlefront to another by rail. Confederate forces are now about equal in number to Union Forces near Manassas Junction/Bull Run Creek.
July 17, 1861 - Light encounters between forces under Union Gen. Jacob D. Cox and Confederate Gen. Henry A. Wise continue around Barboursville and Scary Town in western Virginia.
July 18, 1861 - In the initial engagement at Blackburn's Ford on Bull Run Creek, Gen. Irvin McDowell directs General Daniel Tyler to conduct a reconnaissance in force but to avoid a general engagement. The contact comes at the extreme right of Beauregard's lines and heavy fighting ensues. Union losses include - 19 killed and 38 wounded, and Confederate losses include - 15 killed and 53 wounded. This minor affair bolsters Southern morale for the impending fight at Bull Run.
July 19 & 20, 1861 - General Irvin McDowell further compounds northern problems by wasting two days gathering supplies and conducting more reconnaissance around Bull Run.
July 19, 1861 - Confederate Secretary of State Robert Toombs resigns to become a Brig. General of a Georgia brigade. Robert Hunter is the new Secretary of State.
July 19, 1861 - In an address to his troops, Gen. George McClellan tells his soldiers that Union men "are more than a match for our misguided and eering [erroring] brothers.
July 20, 1861 - The New York Tribune uses the term Copperhead (a poisonous snake) for any Northern politician opposing the war effort.
July 20, 1861 - The Confederate Provisional Congress meets in Richmond for their third congressional session and it lasts until August 31.
July 20,1861 - Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston arrive at Manassas Junction and technically succeeds Gen. Beauregard as senior commander.
July 21,1861 - The war's first major battle, First Battle of Bull Run, is won by Confederates. Union casualties included - killed 460, wounded 1124; and Confederate losses included - killed 387,wounded 1132.
Additional missing troops and losses of cannons, ammunition, and nine Regimental Colors plus the near rout of Union Troops fleeing back toward Washington, D.C. made this a defeat for the Union even with similar casualty numbers.
July 21,1861 - Mathew Brady takes the war's first photographs at Bull Run.
