On the 150th Anniversary of The Battle of Bull Run I think it is important that we remember all of the brave soldiers that fought on both sides of this devastating war.
On July 2, 1861, on the grounds of the Ellipse, the Washington Nationals baseball club played a baseball game against a team that was made up of soldiers from the 71st Infantry New York Regiment.The Nationals were clearly dominated by the boys from New York as the soldiers whipped the local team 41-13. Three weeks later on 21st of July the boys from New York found themselves at Manassas Virginia, in the middle of the Battle of Bull Run. The 71st were right in the middle of the battle as the Regiment of 380 New Yorkers had a total of 62 casualties during the battle.
In July of 1862 the 71st New York Regiment was once again ordered to go to Washington D.C. to help guard the Nation’s Capital. This gave the Washington Nationals an opportunity for redemption on the baseball diamond.
The Nationals did get their redemption as they beat the New Yorkers 28-13 at a game that was played in Tenleytown. A big reason for the Nationals victory was because some of the best ball players of the 71st New York Regiment were killed or wounded at the Battle of Bull Run.
