The First Battle of Bull Run (or First Manassas) was the first major battle of the American Civil War, fought on July 21, 1861, near Manassas, Virginia. Union forces, led by Brigadier General Irvin McDowell, attempted a surprise attack on Confederate troops commanded by Generals P.G.T. Beauregard and Joseph E. Johnston. Initially, the Union had the upper hand, but Confederate reinforcements turned the tide, forcing a chaotic Union retreat back to Washington, D.C. The Confederate victory shattered the North's hopes for a swift end to the war and signaled a long and brutal conflict ahead.

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