 " Bart the General " is the fifth episode of The Simpsons ' first season . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 4 , 1990 . The episode deals with Bart 's troubles with the bully , Nelson Muntz . Bart chooses to go to war with Nelson uniting the neighborhood children against him . The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by David Silverman . 
