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VOICE 1:

THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English.

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The storm of battle spread across the United States in the summerof eighteen-sixty-one. For several months, small fights had flashedlike lightning around the edge of this great storm.

Soldiers fought pro-southern rioters in the streets of Baltimoreand Saint Louis. A Confederate supporter shot and killed a famousyoung officer from the north. Untrained soldiers of both sidesfought in the mountains of western Virginia.

So far, the fighting had not claimed many lives. But very soon,the storm would break in all its fury.

VOICE TWO:

The old general who commanded the Union forces, Winfield Scott,did not want to rush his men into battle.

Scott believed it would be a long war. He planned to spend thefirst year of it getting ready to fight. He had an army of thousandsof men, and it would get much larger in coming months. But this armywas not trained. His soldiers were civilians who knew nothing aboutfighting a war. General Scott needed time to make soldiers of thesemen.

He also needed time to organize a supply system to get to hisforces the guns, bullets, food, and clothing they would need.Without supplies, his army could not fight very long.

VOICE ONE:

There were many in the north, however, who thought Scott was toocareful. It was true, they said, that Union forces were untrained.But so were those of the south. And the Confederacy's supplyproblems were even greater than those of the Union. The south hadmuch less industry and fewer railroads. It could not produce as muchmilitary equipment, and it could not transport supplies as easily asthe north could.

In the early months of the war, Jefferson Davis, the ConfederatePresident, did not even have guns enough for the men in his army.

Those who demanded immediate action expected a short war. Theysaid Scott should take the army and March to Richmond. They weresure that if Union forces seized the Confederate capital, thesouthern rebellion would end.

Northern newspapers took up the cry, "On to Richmond!" Politicalleaders began pressing for a quick northern victory. Public pressureforced the army to act.

VOICE TWO:

For more than a month, General Irvin NcDowell had been building aUnion army in northern Virginia, just across the Potomac River fromWashington. He had more than thirty-thousand men at bases inArlington and Alexandria. Late in June, McSowell received orders:"March against the Confederate Army of General Pierre Beauregard. "

Beauregard had twenty-thousandsoldiers at Manassas Junction, a railroad village in Virginia lessthan fifty kilometers from Washington. McDowell planned to move onManassas Junction July ninth, but was delayed for more than a week.

He planned the attack carefully. McDowell was worried thatanother large Confederate force west of Manassas Junction might joinBeauregard's army.

This force, led by General Joe Johnston, was in the ShenandoahValley near Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Across from Harpers Ferry, inMaryland, was a Union army almost twice the size of Johnston's. Itwas ordered to put pressure on Johnston's force to prevent it fromhelping Beauregard.

VOICE ONE:

General Beauregard received early warning from Confederate spiesthat McDowell would attack. Much of his information came from awoman, Misses Rose O'Neal Greenhow. Misses Greenhow, a widow, was animportant woman in Washington. She knew almost all the topgovernment officials. And she had friends in almost every departmentof the government.

The beautiful Misses Greenhow also had some very special friends.One was Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts. He was chairman ofthe Senate Committee on Military Affairs. Another special friend wasThomas Jordan, a Confederate colonel in Beauregard's army.

VOICE TWO:

Jordan asked Misses Greenhow, soon after the war started, to be aspy for the south. She agreed and sent much valuable informationabout Union military plans.

Early in July, she sent word to Beauregard that he would beattacked soon. She also sent a map used by the Senate MilitaryAffairs Committee showing how the Union army would reach ManassasJunction.

Then, on the morning of July sixteenth, Misses Greenhow wrote anine-word message. She gave it to a man to carry to Beauregard. TheConfederate General received it that evening. It said: "Order givenfor McDowell to march upon Manassas tonight."

VOICE ONE

Beauregard sent a telegram to Richmond. He told the Confederategovernment that McDowell was on the way. He asked that Johnston'sten thousand-man force in the Shenandoah Valley join him for battle.He was told to expect Johnston's help.

But Johnston's army was threatened by a large Union force thatentered Virginia from Maryland. Led by General Robert Patterson, theUnion troops moved toward the smaller Confederate force. They werenot really interested in fighting Johnston. But they did want toprevent him from reaching Beauregard.

Johnston knew he could not defeat Patterson. So he decided totrick him.

While most of his army withdrew and prepared to join Beauregard,Johnston sent a small force to attack Patterson's army. Pattersonbelieved Johnston was attacking with all his troops. He stoppedmoving forward and prepared to defend against what seemed to be astrong Confederate attack.

By the time the trick was discovered, Johnston and most of histroops were at Manassas.

VOICE TWO

General McDowell's huge Union army left Arlington on theafternoon of July sixteenth. It was a hot day, and the road wasdusty. The march was not well organized, and the men traveledslowly. They stopped at every stream to drink and wash the dust fromtheir faces. Some of the soldiers left the road to pick fruits andberries from bushes along the way.

To some of those who watched this army pass, the lines ofsoldiers in bright clothes looked like a long circus parade.

Most of these men had not been soldiers long. Their bodies weresoft, and they tired quickly. It took them four days to travel theforty-five kilometers to Centreville, the final town before BullRun. The battle would start the next morning -- Sunday, Julytwenty-first.

VOICE ONE

The road from Washington was crowded early Sunday morning withhorses and wagons bringing people to watch the great battle.

Hundreds of men and women watched the fight from a hill nearCentreville. Below them was Bull Run. But the battleground wascovered so thickly with trees that the crowds saw little of thefighting. They could, however, see the smoke of battle. And theycould hear the sounds of shots and exploding shells.

From time to time, Union officers would ride up the hill toreport what a great victory their troops were winning.

VOICE TWO

In the first few hours of the battle, Union forces were winning.McDowell had moved most of his men to the left side of Beauregard'sarmy. They attacked with artillery and pushed the Confederate forcesback. It seemed that the Confederate defense would break. Some ofthe southern soldiers began to run. But others stood and fought.

One Confederate officer, trying to prevent his troops from movingback, pointed to a group led by General T. J. Jackson of Virginia."Look!" He shouted. "There is Jackson...standing like a stone wall!Fight like the Virginians!"

The Confederate troops refused to break.

The fighting was fierce. The air was full of flying bullets. Anewsman wrote that the whole valley was boiling with dust and smoke.A Confederate soldier told his friend, "Them Yankees are justmarching up and being shot to hell."

Neither side would give up. Then, a large group of Johnston'stroops arrived by train and joined in the fight. Suddenly, Unionsoldiers stopped fighting and began pulling back. General McDowelland his officers tried to stop the retreat, but failed. Their menwanted no more fighting.

VOICE ONE:

The fleeing Union soldiers threw down their guns and equipment,thinking only of escape. Many did not stop until they reachedWashington.

It was a bitter defeat. But it made the north recognize the needfor a real army -- one trained and equipped for war. PresidentAbraham Lincoln gave the job of building such an army to GeneralGeorge McClellan.

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VOICE TWO:

You have been listening to the Special English program, THEMAKING OF A NATION. Your narrators were Jack Weitzel and FrankOliver. Our program was written by Frank Beardsley. THE MAKING OF ANATION can be heard Thursdays.