Army of the Potomac, First Corps
Brigadier General P G T Beauregard
For brigade assignment, organisation and official report reference numbers of all units in the Army of the Potomac, click on the links opposite.
This section provides a listing of all the units that were organised for the Army of the Potomac, First Corps, during the Manassas Campaign, Virginia, July 16–22, 1861.
Brigadier General P G T Beauregard was appointed to command the army which was formed into eight brigades. The Seventh Brigade was temporarily organised on July 21, 1861 and attached to the Fifth Brigade under the command of Colonel P St G Cocke. Brigadier General T H Holmes commanded a Reserve Brigade. There were several Non Brigaded units, mainly independent cavalry companies, attached to the Army of the Potomac.
A squadron of cavalry under Capt. J F Lay, Powhatan Troop and Little Fork Rangers, were assigned to the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac, acting as guides and couriers during the battle.
The Armies of the Potomac and the Shenandoah were united at Bull Run, Manassas, on July 21, 1861 and organised into two corps. General J E Johnston was appointed overall commander.
The records of some of the ten independent cavalry companies which were attached to the various brigades of the Army of the Potomac are incomplete and therefore their location and brigade assignments are unknown.
After the battle of First Bull Run, Manassas, the two confederate armies were combined and became known as the Army of Northern Virginia.
The above painting, ‘Three Cheers for Louisiana’, is by Keith Rocco, one of the most important historical artists working today. For more information visit www.keithrocco.com.