![]() ![]() ![]() Johnston arrived from the Shenandoah Valley by railroad, and the course of the battle quickly changed. McDowell's ambitious plan for a surprise flank attack on the Confederate left was poorly executed nevertheless, the Confederates, who had been planning to attack the Union left flank, found themselves at an initial disadvantage.Ĭonfederate reinforcements under Brigadier General Joseph E. Beauregard, whose forces were camped near Manassas Junction. Yielding to political pressure, Brigadier General Irvin McDowell led his unseasoned Union Army across Bull Run against the equally inexperienced Confederate Army of Brigadier General P. Just months after the start of the war at Fort Sumter, the northern public clamored for a march against the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, which was expected to bring an early end to the Confederacy. The battle was a Confederate victory and was followed by a disorganized post-battle retreat of the Union forces. ![]() Each side had about 18,000 poorly trained and poorly led troops. The Union Army was slow in positioning themselves, allowing Confederate reinforcements time to arrive by rail. The battle was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, just north of the city of Manassas and about thirty miles west-southwest of Washington, D.C. The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas by Confederate forces, was the first major battle of the American Civil War. These were even more interesting than the “tourist trail” things we did such as the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum or the Imperial City (although they were also very good).Virginia (1861) Northeastern Virginia (1861) In particular, the “cultural tours” that we did from time to time were fantastic – dropping in on farmers growing mushrooms, pepper, and cashews, visiting a rice-paper operation, seeing local people grinding corn, processing peanuts, peeling garlic, harvesting rubber, etc, etc. His local knowledge and familiarity with the people and country meant we had the best possible experience. Also Da Nang to Hue via Hai Van Pass was a spectacular and extremely varied day of riding.Īnh was a superb tour leader. I loved the big 30 km descent from Da Lat to Nha Trang, which had some of the most spectacular scenery on the trip, as well as being an exhilarating descent. The trip lived up to all my expectations, which were pretty high due to a number of people telling me what a great country Vietnam was to visit! Well organised, packed with great experiences, great guides, and a great group of travelling companions. With its lovely sunny climate, crystal clear blue waters, stunning 6km beach and fantastic seafood, it’s little wonder that Nha Trang is Vietnam’s premier beach resort. Once we’ve reached the plains, we’ll board the support vehicle and continue our journey to Nha Trang. The descent is on wide sweeping roads and loses 1500m in vertical height over 30kms and is a real treat. What goes up, must come down and from here we continue on the bikes with a stunning downhill to the valley floor. The route this morning heads through some stunning scenery, and sees us riding deep in the Central Highlands through a mix of agricultural land, coffee plantations and lush tropical forest.Īlthough the route contains a number of climbs, the stunning scenery throughout will spur you along, as will the thoughts of another delicious lunch that will be taken at the top of the final climb. Time to head to the coast! Riding straight from the hotel, we’re soon climbing gently out of town. Whilst the French colonialists are long gone, Dalat still retains its colonial charm with a large number of magnificent villas reminding us of days gone by. This former French colonial hill station was founded over 100 years ago, as a resort town to escape the humidity of the coast. At the end of the ride we transfer up into the higher reaches of the Central Highlands and our overnight destination of Dalat.Īlong the way, we pass-by an abundance of coffee and tea plantations as well as flower gardens and pine forests. This rural route whilst remarkably quiet does have a few pre-lunch hills to test the legs.Īfter lunch at a small roadside café specialising in noodle soup, we’ll be back on our bikes and return to the quiet rural roads, that are fortunately flatter than those we encountered earlier in the day. Starting from the hotel, our initial cycling sees us following the coastline before we turn inland into the foothills of the Central Highlands. ![]()
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