Shenandoah 1861 (Expanded, Annotated)

The disaster at the First Battle of Bull Run shocked Union loyalists to a depth difficult to realize today. Unfortunately, a large part of the blame was laid at the doorstep of a veteran general who was not even there.

Major General Robert Patterson was a veteran of the War of 1812 and the Mexican War where he served with distinction and was wounded.

In the early days of the American Civil War, he was blamed for not preventing the forces of General Joseph Johnston from reinforcing the Confederates at Bull Run. Yet Johnston later stated as a main reason for not pursuing the shattered Union Army was the size, integrity, and mobility of Patterson's army in the Shenandoah.

Here is Patterson's own defense of his actions, as written by him in 1865. Using official documents and letters from military comrades, he builds a credible case. He was honorably discharged from the army after Bull Run and did not serve again.

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