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Bloody Sunday: Northerners expected the first major battle of the Civil War to be a quick victory. Instead, it set the stage for a long and brutal conflict.


PROLOGUE

For decades, a deep split had been growing between the Northern and Southern regions of the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . What to do about slavery was one of their most bitter disputes.

In 1860 and 1861, 11 Southern states Southern States
U.S.

Confederacy

government of 11 Southern states that left the Union in 1860. [Am. Hist.: EB, III: 73]

Dixie

popular name for Southern states in U.S. and for song. [Am. Hist.
 seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America Confederate States of America: see Confederacy.
Confederate States of America
 or Confederacy

Government of the 11 Southern states that seceded from the Union in 1860–61 until its defeat in the American Civil War in 1865.
. Fort Sumter Fort Sumter, fortification, built 1829–60, on a shoal at the entrance to the harbor of Charleston, S.C., and named for Gen. Thomas Sumter; scene of the opening engagement of the Civil War. Upon passing the Ordinance of Secession (Dec. , South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures


Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15.
, was one of a few Union Army bases left in Confederate territory. On April 12, 1861, Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter--the first shots of the War Between the States [1861-1865].

Many Union supporters believed that the North's industrial and military power would soon smash the South's rebellion, and reunite the nation. Near a Virginia creek called Bull Run, the two sides were about to meet in the first major battle of the Civil War.

SCENE 1

Tuesday, July 9, 1861

Narrator NARRATOR. A pleader who draws narrs serviens narrator, a sergeant at law. Fleta, 1. 2, c. 37. Obsolete.  A: Rose O'Neal Greenhow Rose O'Neal Greenhow (1817–October 1, 1864) was a renowned Confederate spy. As a leader in Washington, D.C. society during the period prior to the American Civil War, she traveled in important political circles and cultivated friendships with presidents, generals, senators,  is a popular socialite in Washington, D.C. Her guests include Cabinet officers, Senators and Congressmen, and high-ranking U.S. Army officers. They don't know Don't know (DK, DKed)

"Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party.
 that she is a Confederate spy. One of the few people she entrusts with her secret is a young friend, Bettie Duvall.

Rose O'Neal Greenhow: I have important information for General Beauregard. He must get it as soon as possible. But I can't deliver it myself.

Bettie Duvall: I understand. If you were to travel from home, people might start to wonder why.

Greenhow: Yes. I need them to keep trusting me.

Bettie: I'll do anything I can to help.

Greenhow: Please be careful, Bettie. If you are caught, we both could be shot as spies.

Narrator B: Disguised as a farm girl, Bettie sneaks out of town and hurries to a Confederate military camp. When she arrives the next day ...

Colonel Milledge Bonham Bonham can refer to:
  • Bonhams, a British auction house
  • Dr. Bonham's Case, a legal case decided in 1610 concerning the supremacy of the common law in England
  • Bonham, Texas, USA
  • Bonham (band), heavy metal band formed by Jason Bonham
People:
: What has our friend Mrs. Greenhow sent us?

Bettie: One moment, sir. [She untwists the bun at her neck and pulls a small object from her hair.] This!

Narrator C: The Colonel unfolds it. It is a map marked Property off the U.S. Senate, Committee on Military Affairs Committee on Military Affairs may refer to:
  • United States House Committee on Military Affairs
  • United States Senate Committee on Military Affairs
.

Bonham: Incredible! This shows the routes the Northerners will take to fight us near Manassas, Virginia “Manassas” redirects here. For other uses, see Manassas (disambiguation).
Manassas is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 35,135 at the 2000 census.
.

Bettie: Please make sure the General sees the note from Mrs. Greenhow.

Narrator D: Colonel Bonham hustles the map to his commander.

General P.G.T. Beauregard: The Confederacy Confederacy, name commonly given to the Confederate States of America (1861–65), the government established by the Southern states of the United States after their secession from the Union.  has no better friend than "Wild Rose" Greenhow! Her note says that the Union's General McDowell has 32,000 troops and thinks we will stay in the Valley. If that's what their General thinks, we'll plan something else!

SCENE 2

Saturday, July 20, 1861

Narrator E: William Howard Russell William Howard Russell (28 March, 1821 - 11 February, 1907) was an Irish reporter with The Times, and is considered to have been one of the first modern war correspondents, after he spent 22 months covering the Crimean War. , a reporter for The Times of London, is in Washington, D.C., to cover the war. He talks with an American reporter The American Reporter is the first online-only newspaper. Started in 1995 by current Editor-in-Chief Joe Shea. It is published seven days per week as an electronic daily newspaper and is owned by the writers whose work it features.  at the Capitol.

William Howard Russell: Your lawmakers seem mighty cheerful, considering that your nation is at war.

Jack Moore: That's because this may be the shortest war ever. Many people say that what started in April will end at Manassas tomorrow.

Russell: Do people really believe that the Union Army's plans are foolproof?

Moore: Don't ask me. Listen to them!

Narrator A: They move nearer to a group of Senators and Congressmen.

Congressman Alfred Ely Alfred Ely (February 15, 1815 – May 18, 1892) was a U.S. Representative from New York.

Born in Lyme, Connecticut, Ely attended the common schools and Bacon Academy at Colchester, Connecticut. He moved to Rochester, New York, in 1835.
: Who wants to ride out there tomorrow? From one of the nearby hills, we should be able to watch our boys win the day.

Senator Charles Sumner For other persons named Charles Sumner, see Charles Sumner (disambiguation).
Charles Sumner (January 6, 1811 – March 11, 1874) was an American politician and statesman from Massachusetts.
: I heard that it's already over--that the Rebs surrendered today without a fight.

Ely: That's just a rumor. Tomorrow is the day for sure.

Moore (to Russell): See? Complete confidence!

SCENE 3

Early Sunday, July 21, 1861

Narrator B: Early next morning, atop a hill near Manassas ...

Hannah Hayes (surprised): What's that?

Mathew Brady For other persons named Matthew Brady, see Matthew Brady (disambiguation).

Mathew B. Brady (ca. 1823 - January 15, 1896), was a celebrated American photographer whose rise to prominence occurred largely in the years preceding and during the American Civil War.
: A camera. Most people have never seen one. I'm hoping to take pictures of today's battle.

Narrator C: Brady's camera looks like a box atop a long-legged tripod. He hides his head and camera under a heavy cloth, so the only light to reach the camera comes through its lens.

Hannah: Do you think we'll be able to see any action from here?

Brady (pointing behind them): They do. Look at all the spectators! Members of Congress. Gentlemen on horses, ladies in carriages.

Hannah: More will come, especially people like me, who live nearby.

Brady: Looks more like a Sunday picnic in a park than a battle site.

Narrator D: At around 6 a.m., the spectators notice distant puffs of smoke and the crackle crackle /crack·le/ (krak´'l) rale.  of faraway gunfire.

Brady: The battle has begun!

SCENE 4

Sunday, July 21, 1861 [later that day]

Narrator E: Along the banks of Bull Run, the battle is in full roar. Men are shooting rifles, slashing with swords, stabbing with bayonets. Officers shout orders. Troops advancing from the rear run over fallen bodies. The battle rages for hours. Amid the chaos ...

Abner Small: I can't see a thing in all this smoke!

David Bates Bates   , Katherine Lee 1859-1929.

American educator and writer best known for her poem "America the Beautiful," written in 1893 and revised in 1904 and 1911.
: All I know is that people are shooting at us. Just shoot back!

Narrator A: There is a sudden boom. Abner's friend lies on the ground, dead.

Small: David! No! Smashed by a cannonball. This is horrible!

Zeke Jones Zeke Jones is an American sport wrestler who won a silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics and was the Head Coach of the 2004 US Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team. He was an All-American from Arizona State University and he was on a NCAA Championship team, coached by famed Bobby : Run, or we'll be next!

Narrator B: By midafternoon, a Union victory seems near. On the Confederate side, a blast kills the horse General Beauregard is riding. The General leaps to his feet.

Beauregard: Get me another horse!

Aide: Look! The Union soldiers on that hill are moving their cannons to face us. They could wipe us out.

Beauregard: Not if our surprise works.

Narrator C: Up by those cannons, Union officers notice movement to their right.

Captain James D. Ricketts: Soldiers are coming out of the woods. Men, turn our cannons to face them!

Major William F. Barry: No! Keep your positions! Those men are ours.

Ricketts: But they're wearing gray! Barry: Some Union units have gray uniforms. Look at their flag. Red and white stripes!

Narrator D: There is no wind, so the flag is hanging limp. Major Barry can't see that it's a Confederate flag, not the Stars and Stripes Stars and Stripes

nickname for the U.S. flag. [Am. Hist.: Brewer Dictionary, 8567]

See : America
 of the Union.

Ricketts: As you wish, sir.

Narrator E: Moments later, Confederates are storming the hill. Ricketts's men have no time to turn their cannons in defense. They are falling, dead or wounded. With fierce Rebel yells, Confederates take over the area. Terrified ter·ri·fy  
tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies
1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten.

2. To menace or threaten; intimidate.
 Union troops flee, clogging the roads. So do panicking spectators from another hill.

Tobiah Hayes: Something went wrong! The fighting shifted. Some Rebs took that hill. Now others are heading our way.

Hannah: Run, everybody, run!

Tobiah: Quick! Jump onto that wagon. We have to reach the road before it's too crowded.

Ella Hayes: Too late! The road out of here is already jammed.

Tobiah: At least we're at a safe distance now. Look back where we were standing. The Rebs are capturing people who waited too long to leave.

SCENE 5

Monday, July 22, 1861

Narrator A: The next day, stunned Union soldiers straggle strag·gle  
intr.v. strag·gled, strag·gling, strag·gles
1. To stray or fall behind.

2. To proceed or spread out in a scattered or irregular group.

n.
 into Washington. It is pouring rain, so everyone is soaked and mud-splattered as well as discouraged. Watching them pass ...

Moore: What a disaster! Did you hear what happened to Congressman Ely?

Russell: Yes. He was taken prisoner by the Rebs.

Moore: Look! There's Mathew Brady.

Russell: Mr. Brady! You're covered in mud. What happened?

Brady: I lost my camera and photos in the crush to escape. I lost everything! Russell (nodding toward the passing soldiers): So has your Union, it seems.

AFTERWORD

The Northern and Southern armies each sere about 18,000 troops into battle at Bull Run. The Union lost nearly 3,000 men that day; the Confederacy, just under 2,000.

Bull Run shattered the dreams of people who had expected a quick and easy Union victory. It forced both sides to realize that much more fighting and bloodshed were to come.

Congressman Alfred Ely spent nearly six months in a Confederate prison before being released. Rose O'Neal Greenhow continued to spy for the Confederacy--even after she was arrested and jailed. William Howard Russell, already a famous war correspondent war correspondent
n.
A journalist, reporter, or commentator assigned to report directly from a war or combat zone.

Noun 1. war correspondent
, was dubbed "Bull Run" Russell for the newspaper articles he wrote on the battle and retreat. As for Mathew Brady, his war photos made him world-famous.

In 1862, there was a second Battle of Bull Run For other uses, see Bull Run (disambiguation).

The Second Battle of Bull Run, or the Battle of Second Manassas, was fought between August 28 and August 30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War.
, also won by the South. Most Civil War battles were fought on Southern soil. But historians sometimes say that "the war was won in the West," because the Union's first major victories, in 1862, gave it control of the Mississippi River.

The bloodiest war ever fought on U.S. soil lasted four years. The Civil War officially ended on April 9, 1865, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia.

Words to Know

* Confederates: supporters of the Confederate States of America [also known as Rebels or Rebs].

* secede: formally withdraw from membership in an alliance [such as a union of states], political party, or organization.

* Union Army: the army of the North, fighting for the federal government of the United States.

characters

Rose O'Neal Greenhow, a Confederate spy

Bettie Duvall, 161 a Confederate sympathizer

Colonel Milledge Bonham, a Confederate Army officer,

General P.G.T. Beauregard [BOW-ruh-gard], a Confederate Army officer

William Howard Russell, a British newspaper reporter

* Jack Moore, an American newspaper reporter

Congressman Alfred Ely, from New York New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of


Senator Charles Sumner, from Massachusetts

* Hannah Hayes, a girl living near Manassas, Virginia

Mathew Brady, a well-known photographer

Abner Small David Bates Union soldiers * Zeke Jones

* Aide, to General Beauregard

Captian James D. Richetts Union Major William F. Barry officers

Tobiah Hayes, Hannah's father

* Ella Hayes, Hannah's mother

Narrators A-E A-E, AE above-elbow; see under amputation.

*an imaginary character; all the others were real people

Think About It

1. If you had lived in or near Washington that Sunday, would you have gone to watch the battle? Why or why not?

2. In 2003, U.S. officials expected a quick and easy victory in Iraq. Do you see any similarities between what happened in Iraq and at Bull Run? Explain.

* Objectives

Students should be able to:

* understand that at Bull Run, the first major battle of the Civil War, the South (Confederate Army) unexpectedly defeated the North (Union Army).

Words to Know

* confederate: member of a confederation, which is a group of states, organizations, or individuals joined in a common purpose.

* Rebel yell: the battle cry of Confederate (Southern) soldiers, used to encourage themselves and intimidate their enemy.

* socialite: someone with high status or popularity among fashionable society.

Background

Many Civil War battles have two names. The North often named battle sites for the nearest waterway, while the South did so for the nearest town. Examples: Bull Run/Manassas, Antietam/Sharpsburg, Stones River/Murffeesboro, and Wilson's Creek/Oak Hills.

Critical Thinking

USING CONTEXT CLUES: Why were Union leaders confident of an easy victory at Bull Run? (They believed their military and industrial power and attack plan were superior to the South's.)

DEFINING AN ARGUMENT: Do you think a Union victory at Bull Run might have ended the war? Why or why not? (Answers will vary.)

Activity

LIFE STORIES: Have students (individually or in small groups) choose one of the play's real-life characters, learn more about that person's life, then share the most interesting points with the class.

STANDARD

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

* Individuals, groups, and institutions: Wars rarely proceed as "logically" as their leaders envision.

RESOURCES

PRINT

* McPherson, James M., Fields of Fury: The American Civil War American Civil War
 or Civil War or War Between the States

(1861–65) Conflict between the U.S. federal government and 11 Southern states that fought to secede from the Union.
 [Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster

U.S. publishing company. It was founded in 1924 by Richard L. Simon (1899–1960) and M. Lincoln Schuster (1897–1970), whose initial project, the original crossword-puzzle book, was a best-seller.
, 2002]. Grades 5-8.

* Pfleuger, Lynda, Mathew Brady: Photographer of the Civil War [Enslow Publishers, 2001]. Grades 5-12.

WEB SITES

* Civil War Photographs/ Library of Congress memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml

* The Time of the Lincolns pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lincolns

* Match each person or phrase in the left column with the correct description in the right column.
--6. P.G.T. Beauregard   A. noted photographer
--7. Mathew Brady        B. a Confederate spy
--8. Alfred Ely          C. British war
                            correspondent
--9. Rose O'Neal         D. a general in the
     Greenhow               Confederate Army
--10. William Howard     E. Congressman
      Russell               taken prisoner by the
                            Confederate Army
COPYRIGHT 2007 Scholastic, Inc.
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2007, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Title Annotation:American History Play
Author:Wilmore, Kathy
Publication:Junior Scholastic
Date:Jan 8, 2007
Words:2001
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