Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of Bull Run was fought in Virginia just a few miles from Washington DC, on July 21, 1861. Even though the battle that "officially started" the war was Fort Sumter, the war wasn't really real so to speak until this battle. The goal of this battle was to make quick work of the Confederate forces, open the way to Richmond (the Confederate capital) and end the war. .Fighting went on throughout the day as the Confederates were driven away, despite efforts by Colonel Thomas Jackson (otherwise known as "Stonewall" Jackson) to hold important high ground. Later in the afternoon, Confederate reinforcements arrived giving them new life and more fresh bodies for fighting the Union army. Since the South brought in more reinforcements the were able to drive back the Union forces and take the Battke of Bull Run as their own.Although victorious, the sSouth was too disorganized to pursue. By July 22, the exhausted Union army reached Washington. The Battle of Bull Run showed president Lincoln and the North that the Civil War would be a long and costly ordeal.