#civilwar

On July 21, 1861, the First Battle of Bull Run (also known as the First Battle of Manassas) became the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Fought near Manassas Junction, Virginia, the battle saw Union forces under General Irvin McDowell clash with Confederate troops led by Generals P.G.T. Beauregard and Joseph E. Johnston.

Many in the North expected a quick victory, but the battle proved that the conflict would be far longer and bloodier than anticipated. Confederate forces rallied after early setbacks, helped by the arrival of reinforcements, and pushed the Union army into a chaotic retreat back toward Washington, D.C.

On July 7, 1865, four conspirators involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln were executed at the Fort Lesley J. McNair. Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt were hanged after being convicted by a military tribunal for their roles in the plot to kill the president.