IntroductionOn July 19, 1861, the first major land battle of the American Civil War began. The Battle of Bull Run began after a complex web of economic, political, moral and constitutional issues that the country had faced for many years. Accelerated by Northern opinion, expressed in editorials and speeches in Congress, General McDowell and General Patterson fighting for the North attacked the South. Although some knew that the troops in the North were not ready, many believed that a battle would decide the fate of the war, ending it. On the Confederate side, General Johnston reinforced General Beauregard's forces while General McDowell was en route to Manassas. General McDowell's plan was to surprise the South with a rapid attack on the Manassas Gap Railroad to prevent General Johnston from reinforcing Beauregard. This plan was excellent but the timing was too slow. Overall the battle began what would be a tough and long battle while laying the groundwork for modern military training. History In recent years America was moving ever closer to war with itself. Four decades of compromise between parts of the country had made war inevitable. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina formally adopted an ordinance of secession, and within a few days other states passed similar ordinances. With seven states withdrawn from the Union, a constitution for the Confederate States of America was formed, and Jefferson Davis was chosen provisional president the next day. President Lincoln had just been elected and during his inauguration he stated several times that there was no real crisis, but only an "artificial" one. Neither side wanted to go to war mainly because neither side was really prepared for it. At the beginning... middle of the paper... another language. General McDowell's indecision to push his untrained troops forward to gain the upper hand showed his lack of effective communication with his combat commanders. This led to a slightly too late concept that ultimately resulted in the South winning the battle. The North lacked execution during the battle. Since his troops were untrained and ill-prepared for this battle, giving them complicated orders led to poor execution. His troops carried out his orders to the best of their ability, but lack of training and communication breakdowns led to delays in execution. All three lessons learned here show how one is complementary to the others and should not be ignored. Although the South did not always know the exact plan of action for the North, being better organized and executing commands on time keeps them ahead of the North throughout the battle..