The First Battle of Bull Run, Part 2: Blackburn’s Ford

Season 3, Episode 12. Three days before the major battle, regiments from the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under the command of Irvin McDowell, and the Army of the Potomac, under Pierre Beauregard, face off on the southeastern point of the Manassas battle site, resulting in a minor Confederate victory. For most soldiers, this skirmish offered them the first glimpse at what real combat was like, having had no formal training to prepare them.