under Gen. Pierre G.T. Beauregard, who re-
quested that Johnston reinforce him. Bee
formed part of the forces sent to bolster
Beauregard on July 20, 1861. He was posi-
tioned on the Confederate left flank at Bull
Run and angrily commented that the hardest
fighting would most likely occur on the right.
Unknown to him, McDowell had selected his
very position as part of a strategic enveloping
maneuver.
Throughout the day on July 21, 1861—as
onlookers picnicked nearby to relish in the
anticipated Northern victory—the two ama-
teur armies collided and fought. From his po-
sition at Henry House Hill, Bee’s men, greatly
outnumbered, held back superior numbers of
federal troops but were quickly being annihi-
lated. At length Bee’s brigade gave way and
streamed past the brigade of Gen. Thomas J.
“Stonewall” Jacksonon the reverse slope
of the hill. In exasperation, Bee exclaimed to
his men, “There stands Jackson like a stone
wall. Rally behind the Virginians!” Historians
have debated ever since whether that com-
ment was intended as a compliment to Jack-
son for holding firm in the face of the enemy,
or an insult implying he had failed to advance
to the support of his colleagues. In any case,
the moniker stuck and has since passed into
legend. Bee’s initial stand took the steam out
of the initial Union advance, and once the
Confederates rallied, he launched a counter-
attack. His charge, however, carried him di-
rectly into Union artillery fire, and Bee fell
mortally wounded. He was then carried from
the field.
First Bull Run ended in a Confederate rout,
and the bulk of McDowell’s forces stampeded
from the field in disorder. Union losses were
2,706 killed, wounded, and missing, to a Con-
federate tally of 1,981. Among them was the
brave Bee, who died from his injuries the next
day. Throughout this first great clash, he ex-
posed himself recklessly, kept his raw troops
in line, and contributed to the Confederate
victory. Bee also enjoys the melancholy dis-
tinction of becoming the first general-grade
officer to fall in defense of the Confederacy, a
brave man in a lost cause.See also
Jackson, Thomas J. “Stonewall”; Johnston, Joseph E.Bibliography
Agnew, James B. “General Barnard Bee.” Civil War
Times Illustrated14, no. 8 (1975): 4–8; Davis,
William C. The Battle of Bull Run: A History of the
First Major Campaign of the Civil War.Garden
City, NY: Doubleday, 1977; Hennessey, John.
“Stonewall Jackson’s Nickname: Was It Fact or Fic-
tion?” Civil War7 (1990): 10–17; McKissick, J. Rion.
General Barnard Elliott Bee: An Address.Washing-
ton, DC: Government Printing Office, 1939; Sword,
Wiley. Southern Invincibility: A History of the Con-
federate Heart.New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999.DEBIENVILLE, JEAN-BAPTISTELEMOYNE
de Bienville, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne
(baptized February 23, 1680–March 7, 1767)
French Naval Officer; French Army Officer; Colonial Governor
B
ienville was a successful French mili-
tary and administrative figure with a
decided flair for Native American
diplomacy. He helped to guide the colony of
Louisiana through its most difficult periods
and proved instrumental in the founding of
New Orleans.
A native Canadian, Jean-Baptise Le Moyne
was born in Montreal around 1679, one of 12
children sired by Charles Le Moyne, a provin-