James Baquet In mid-April of 1861, the army of the Confederate States of America — a coalition of southern states that had broken away from the U.S. — launched a bombardment on Fort Sumter in South Carolina, beginning the American Civil War. This was the culmination of a long period of grievances by the southern states, ostensibly over “states’ rights” but actually turning on the possession of slaves: the South wanted to have them (mainly to work the large plantations), and the increasingly industrialized North had been phasing them out. Just over three months after Fort Sumter, on July 21, the first major face-to-face confrontation took place between the two armies. The North called it “The Battle of Bull Run,” named for the creek alongside which the battle took place; the South called it “The Battle of Manassas,” after a nearby city in the southern state of Virginia. The North with its superior firepower was expecting an easy victory. In fact, so confident were the Northerners that wealthy families, including those of members of Congress, had come out from Washington, D.C., around 40 kilometers away, to picnic and watch the excitement of the battle. As it turned out, although the South made a poor showing before noon, with the arrival of reinforcements and the strategic capture of some Union artillery, the tide of battle was turned. Union soldiers began to scatter, and by late afternoon were in full retreat. The panicked spectators who had foolishly come out for a good time added to the confusion, with their carriages blocking the retreat. The Union defeat was a shock, and the severity of the battle — the bloodiest in U.S. history to that point — convinced both sides that the war was going to be longer and more difficult than either side had expected. There was a second battle on the same ground — called the Second Battle of Bull Run, or the Battle of Second Manassas — a little over a year later, on Aug. 28-30, 1862. By this time, both sides had become more sophisticated in military craft, and the casualties were much higher. This battle also ended in a Union retreat. Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. using good military planning 2. very large farms 3. harshness, intensity 4. alarmed, terrified 5. complaints, offences 6. small river, stream 7. people who watch, as at a sporting event 8. getting rid of gradually 9. supposedly, at first glance 10. attack with large guns | 