There were three key figures that were important to the First Battle of Bull Run. First, there was Joseph E. Johnston who was the general of the confederate army. During his time in war, Virginia split from the Union and joined the Confederacy which caused Joseph to become the highest ranking officer in the Confederate Army (Gottfried). Johnston was also key to success of First Manassas and organized the army of Shenandoah. As the battle went on he was …show more content…
After the battle, Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, blamed Johnston for his failure to pursue the Federal Army which caused the Confederates to panic and retreat (History.com Staff). After the battle Lincoln called for an enlistment of one million troops for three years. Lincoln believed it may be his only chance to use his massive military and bring the war to an end (History.com Staff). The Civil War also led into the Industrial Revolution which brought railroads, ironclad ships, and rifled muskets (Bowman 13). The First Battle of Bull Run was the first battle in history to use railroads and would play a big role for tactics in the battles to come. The railroads in this battle were used to transport Confederate soldiers to the front lines and was key and a huge advantage to move reinforcements into the battle (History.com