On July 16, 1861, Gen. Irvin McDowell's army of 35,000 men marched out of Washington to begin a long-awaited campaign to capture Richmond and end the war. The army was made up of green recruits, very few of whom had any idea the magnitude of the task ahead.

The first day's march covered only 8 kilometers (5 miles), as some recruits straggled to pick blackberries or fill canteens. Many citizens and congressmen with wie and picnic baskets followed the army into the field to watch what all expected to be a colorful show.

McDowell's army was heading for the vital railroad junction at Manassas where the Orange and Alexandria Railroad met the Manassas Gap Railroad, which led to the Shenandoah Valley. McDowell felt that if he could seize this junction, he would stand astride the best overland approach to the Confederate capital.

Manassas, July 18th -- 22nd