(A) ** His soldiers were poorly prepared and didn’t have much training.
(B) He didn’t have many soldiers.
(C) He was a coward.
(D) His troops were recovering from another battle.
EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Concept note-1: -Irvin McDowell was a Union general during the American Civil War (1861–1865). He commanded the army that was defeated at the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861, the first large land battle of the conflict.
Concept note-2: -Confederate reinforcements under Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston arrived from the Shenandoah Valley by railroad, and the course of the battle quickly changed.
Concept note-3: -Irvin McDowell (October 15, 1818 – May 10, 1885) was an American military officer, famous for his loss of the first large-scale battle of the American Civil War, the First Battle of Bull Run.
Concept note-4: -One of the main weaknesses was their economy. They did not have factories like those in the North. They could not quickly make guns and other supplies that were needed. The South’s lack of a railroad system was another weakness.