First Battle of Bull Run

On 21 July 1861, Union forces commanded by Irvin McDowell attacked Confederate positions near Manassas Junction in Virginia. The Union flanking movement initially drove back parts of the Confederate line, but reinforcements arrived by rail and resistance formed around Thomas J. Jackson’s brigade.

Confederate counterattacks turned the Union withdrawal into a disorderly retreat towards Washington. The fighting destroyed widespread expectations that the rebellion could be settled by one decisive engagement and revealed how unprepared both armies were for a prolonged war.

This context supports fiction about the formation of volunteer regiments, divided loyalties in Virginia and the first large confrontation between Union and Confederate armies. Rebel culminates in the battle as Nathaniel Starbuck and the fictional Faulconer Legion enter combat.