The name might not be familiar, but the "phrase" Bull Run is known to those with even a passing interest in that conflict. Run is used in that part of the world for stream or creek, by the way.
The first battle of Bull Run took place in July, 1861, and it was essentially the first battle of the Civil War. Most expected the North to win easily and start to put an end to this little uprising. Civilians even took the trip out to the area to watch from the hills. What they saw was a Confederate victory. The Union side made a disorderly retreat that mixed in with others such as Congressmen who looked on from Centerville. The South was in no position to follow up, so the North escaped. But, it was the first sign that there would be no easy victories.
Along the way, Confederate General Barnard Bee took a look at General Thomas Jackson and said, "There stands Jackson like a stone wall." The nickname stuck forever. The statue pictured is where Jackson was at the time of the remark. General Bee, meanwhile, died shortly after speaking those words, and a monument honors him on that spot just a handful of feet away.
A little more than a year later, the two sides met on more or less the same spot. It was a bigger battlefield and a bigger battle. About 3,300 people died in the three-day battle, a shocking number. The South won again, thanks to a great plan by General Robert E. Lee. Full of confidence, Confederate troops headed north ... and fought an even more bloody battle at Antietam.
The National Park has a few statues and monuments on the grounds, and a couple of buildings and bridges uses in the battle are still standing. Luckily, the visitor center has a nice 45-minute movie that explains what happened, as well as a museum with some relics of the battle.
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