On July 19, 1861, some number of Union soldiers walked through D.C.  President Abraham Lincoln waved at them as they walked past the White House. They were going to a battle that they would remember for the rest of their lives (at least the soldiers who lived). They walked out of D.C. and camped only 3 miles away. The next day they walked many miles to the battleground. They stopped constantly. Once on the way they had to cross a creek. Some soldiers drank from it. The Union soldiers tried going across a log but took their shoes off until the leaders told them to walk through the river without their shoes or socks. After the long walk they slept before a good day of war.

On July 21, 1861, a very bloody battle started. At the start of the battle everyone rushed into battle; Union soldeirs and Confederate soldiers. A number of soldiers died just running across Bull Run by simply slipping on the edge of the creek-like river. Each side came to fight unorganized and tired. The battle went like any other battle, guns firing, and cannons blasting. But this was before tanks, helicopters or even cars! So this battle was a little old-fashion but very violent indeed.  Congressmen and other spectators were watching the battle. Some of the spectators fled trying to get away from the battle because of how dangerous it was. Even though the Confederate side won, it was an epic battle.
At the end of the battle 460 Union soldiers died and 37 Confederate soldiers died. Thousands more on both sides were wounded. The battle ended when the retreat of the Union soldiers. Some soldiers found a creek filled with blood and even though they were so thirsty, they didn’t drink it but some did. The Confederates went back on a long walk to their camp with many soldiers wounded and everybody waiting to sit around a camp fire or fall asleep on their beds. Some even went home early because they just could not take war. After the battle the Unions called it “Black Monday” because they had such a bad loss. Even though the Unions lost the battle they still won the whole war.

Sources:
http://www.nps.gov/archive/mana/battlefield_history/bhistory.htm 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle _of_Bull_Run
Ray, Delia.  “Behind the Blue and Gray: The Soldier’s Life in the Civil War”, Lodestar Books, New York, 1991.