Although relatively small compared to the great clashes to come, the Battle of First Manassas (Bull Run) was a seminal event in American history. When the smoke cleared on July 21, 1861, nearly 900 men were dead, the Union army was in retreat, and the South had won the first major battle of the Civil War.

Dr. Ethan Rafuse, professor of military history at the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, describes the battle and those who shaped its outcome.