“Shockwaves across the Nation: The Trauma of Bull Run”

To President Lincoln, July 1861 was an ominous moment as he was under pressure from the Union’s press to ensure that the rebellious South conceded. In addition to pressure from the press, the President was worried that his call for 75,000 army recruits had not been very productive yet the deadline for the recruitment was approaching. It was therefore necessary to find a way out of the possible threat from the South if they went to war with few and inadequately trained soldiers. The solution, as proposed by General Irwin McDowell, was to attack the Confederate troops who were defending the important railway junction to Richmond at Manassas Creek, Virginia. If they overcame the troops, they would be able to enter the Confederate capital, Richmond.