What did the first battle of Manassas symbolize to soldiers and civilians at the outbreak of the Civil War? Objective 1. To explain the physical features of the area that brought the armies to Manassas; 2. To describe how the fighting of July 21, 1861 affected soldiers and the local population, both immediately and in the months and years following the battle; 3. To describe how the impact of the battle changed the way Americans of the time--military and civilian--viewed the Civil War; 4. To discover the effects of the Civil War on their own community, as well as communities around the nation. Duration: 90 Minutes.