Battles that Divided the United States in the Civil War

Oftentimes, when thinking of important battles of the infamous civil war your mind will automatically go to the well-known Battle Of Gettysburg. While that was an extremely important battle that played a significant part in the Civil war, there are lesser know battle that are equally, if not more, important to the war that divided the United States of America. One of these battles was the first Battle at Bull Run. In this paper I will explain when and why it happened. And also, how this battle influenced and shaped the outcome of the Civil War. Three months into the Civil War things were starting off pretty slow. There had only been small battle and not much effort put in from either side. Neither the Confederate Army nor the Union Army had put much training into their troops. And with significant pressure from the North about lack of effort, Abraham Lincoln decided that he had to do something to stay in the favor of the North, and to quickly bring this war to a stop. The pressure was on for him, it was not in the plan for this war to last long and many of the Union soldiers had 90-day contracts that were set to expire soon. It very well may have been is last chance to strike before he lost his great Army force. Lincoln’s strategy was to stop Confederate forces near Manassas, Virginia, deal a devastating blow, and quickly march on Richmond, the Confederate capital and take over from there. With this plan came great risk, General Irvin McDowell was worried that the unionShow MoreRelatedSlavery And The Civil War1706 Wo rds   |  7 PagesAbraham Lincoln once said, â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand.† In the 1800s, the American nation was slowly becoming a house divided against itself. The United States were no longer united, mainly over the issue of slavery. In fact, many historians believe that, â€Å"From the nation’s founding, the issue of slavery threatened to tear the United States apart.† (â€Å"The Civil War† 1). 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