21 JUL--This Day in US Military History

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 09:25:51 -0400

1861 – The first major engagement of main armies in the Civil War takes place along a muddy creek known as “Bull Run.”

The entire Confederate Army was composed of volunteer militia although some of its officers had served in the federal army before the war. While the Union Army had some Regular soldiers in it, most of its ranks also contained volunteer militia. Neither army was well trained and in the regiments of both were found a variety of uniforms in blue and gray, causing confusion on the battlefield.
The battle was a Confederate victory, made notable by the determined defense of General Thomas Jackson and his Virginia troops, hereafter known to history as the “Stonewall Brigade.” When the Union army marched out of Washington, DC, it soon engaged the Confederate army assembled near the railroad junction at Manassas Court House, in Northern Virginia. This marked the first major land combat of the war.
As Union forces started pressing hard against the Confederate left flank, the 4th Alabama Volunteer Infantry was dispatched to plug a gap while other southern forces formed a defensive line behind them. The 4th held its ground for more than an hour, repulsing four assaults by Union troops. Finally the rebels regrouped and went on the attack, winning the battle and sending the Union army reeling back into Washington, DC. The 4th Alabama fought in every major engagement in the Eastern Theater of the war, surrendering less than 100 men at Appomattox in April 1865.

https://thisdayinusmilhist.wordpress.com/2005/07/22/july-21/

July 21

21 July 1667 - The Peace of Breda ended the Second Anglo-Dutch War and ceded Dutch New Amsterdam to the English. The South American country of Surinam, formerly Dutch Guiana, including the nutmeg i...

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Jul 21 at 2015 9:27 AM

SGT Ben Keen — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 09:27:28 -0400

If you ever make it to "Bull Run" I think you may be left as I was, standing there and scratching my head wondering how the heck they fought in those conditions. Some of the places where these armies fought make some of the places were we fight today look easy.

Response by LTC Stephen C. made Jul 21 at 2015 1:04 PM

LTC Stephen C. — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:04:56 -0400

1SG Private RallyPoint Member, the 4th Alabama lives on today as the 1st Battalion, 167th Infantry, "4th Alabama", a unit of the Alabama Army National Guard as you stated. The 4th Alabama Tab was created to honor the 1-167th's Civil War history as the 4th Alabama Regiment. As you can see, this coveted tab is worn proudly to this day.