The Most Surprising Battle of the American Civil War (Patreon)

The Most Surprising Battle of the Civil War

Grab Atlas VPN for $1.39/mo before the deal expires: http://atlasv.pn/MrBeat This video is dedicated to Wes Byers (1956-2021). Mr. Beat tells you about that time or two a sitting U.S. President got in trouble for breaking the law. Produced by Matt Beat. All images/video by Matt Beat, found in the public domain or creative commons (credits listed in video), or used under fair use guidelines. Music by Quinn Parsley. https://www.facebook.com/quinnparsleymusic https://www.youtube.com/c/QuinnParsley http://instagram.com/qparsley1 Sources/further reading: https://www.nps.gov/mana/learn/historyculture/first-manassas.htm https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Witness_Bull_Run.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Bull_Run https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2010/spring/civilwarpension.html https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/exhibitions/artifact/proclamation-president-united-states-april-15-1861 https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/spectators-witness-history-manassas https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/was-first-battle-bull-run-really-picnic-battle-180964084/ https://vinepair.com/articles/civil-war-battles-wine/ https://www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/placesinhistory/archive/2011/20110721_firstbullrun.html https://www.nps.gov/places/000/henry-house.htm https://encyclopediavirginia.org/883hpr-58fcfd78ac66063 Cameo, yo: https://www.cameo.com/iammrbeat?qid=1614915028 Snail mail Mr. Beat: PO Box 1982 Lawrence, KS 66044 Donate to Mr. Beat for great perks on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/iammrbeat Buy Mr. Beat's book, The Ultimate American Presidential Election Book: Every Presidential Election in American History (1788-2016) https://amzn.to/3fdakiZ Donate to Mr. Beat on Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/mrbeat Buy Mr. Beat T-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.: https://sfsf.shop/support-mrbeat/ More merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/mr-beat/ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/mrbeat/ Mr. Beat's band: http://electricneedleroom.net/ Mr. Beat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beatmastermatt Mr. Beat on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iammrbeat/ Mr. Beat on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iammrbeat Mr. Beat's Discord server: https://discord.gg/g8cZPjt Mr. Beat's Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iammrbeat?lang=en Mr. Beat favorites: POP! Icons: George Washington https://go.magik.ly/ml/11jrb/ Useful Charts: https://usefulcharts.com/?aff=12 Recommended books: Republic, Lost by Lawrence Lessing https://go.magik.ly/ml/11jul/ Truman by David McCullough https://go.magik.ly/ml/11jwc/ Studio equipment: Canon EOS M50 Camera EF-M 15-45mm Lens https://amzn.to/3dcNPen Samtian LED Video Light Kit https://amzn.to/3llDwHO TroyStudio Acoustic Panel https://amzn.to/33CkqHn Blue Snowball iCE USB Mic https://amzn.to/2GseOHa I use MagicLinks for all my ready-to-shop product links. Check it out here: https://www.magiclinks.com/rewards/referral/mrbeat/ FTC Disclosure: This post or video contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through my links. #civilwar #ushistory #apush Here’s the story of a picnic that got interrupted by a major American Civil War battle. I recently went to the site of it. It’s quite a lovely area, honestly. About 30 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. in northern Virginia. Today, it’s so peaceful, but on July 21, 1861, it was the site of horrifying death and destruction. But let’s back up a bit. Three months prior was the Battle of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina. A new country had seceded from the United States called the Confederate States of America. On April 13, 1861, some rebel Confederate soldiers had successfully taken over an American fort, marking the beginning of the American Civil War . It was after the bombardment of Fort Sumter that all of a sudden there was widespread support from both the North and South to fight. President Abraham Lincoln declared that the Southern states that seceded had broken the law, essentially calling it an insurrection. In response, 750,000 men volunteered to fight the rebels. Many of them had no military experience whatsoever. Americans seemed pumped up, man. Horace Greeley’s New York Tribune proclaimed “Forward to Richmond! The Rebel Congress must not be allowed to meet there on the 20th of July!” By the way, Richmond, Virginia, was now the capital of the newly formed Confederate States of America. Many Americans believed that capturing Richmond would quickly end the insurrection. By July, thousands of volunteers had camped in Washington, D.C., excited to fight as part of what became known as the Union Army, or Northern Army. Lincoln, realizing he had to take bold action, picked an inexperienced major named Irvin McDowell to lead around 35,000 men down to Richmond. It would be the largest field army ever gathered on the North American continent up to that point.