The first organized battle of the Civil war was fought on rolling farm land near Manassas, VA on July 21, 1861. The Union army, led by General Irvin McDowell, proudly marched from Washington into the Virginia countryside with Richmond, the Confederate capital as their goal. The betting line was that the Rebels would run in fear of the organized Union army and that the Southern insurrection would be squashed quickly. So confident were they of an easy victory by the Union army, the wealthy of Washington, including some members of Congress, actually came out to watch with picnic baskets and wine. No doubt these were the ancestors of people who enjoy the “Jerry Springer Show” and “Jersey Shore. “ However upsets happen in sports and wars and the first battle of Manassas showed both sides the realities of what they had gotten themselves into.
Manassas, about 25 miles southwest of Washington, was a strategic point because it was the junction of two railway lines. Bull Run, a creek with steep banks was a natural barrier to the advancing army and the Confederates fortified all the crossing points. The first shots were fired at the famous Stone Bridge over the creek, but this was only a diversionary tactic as McDowell ordered the bulk of the army to march north, around the Confederates’ left flank. Eventually the two sides engaged and while the Rebels did not run in fear as predicted, the superior numbers of McDowell’s force prevailed in pushing the Southerners backwards to the top of Henry Hill. Reinforcements from the Virginia army under the command of General Thomas J. Jackson arrived to join the battle and the afternoon reversed the outcome of the morning as the reinvigorated Confederates gained the upper hand. Jackson received his nickname “Stonewall” on this day in reference to his troops’ refusal to give up ground and the defeated Union army was forced to retreat back to Washington.
I jumped on an invitation from one of my friends to visit the Manassas National Battlefield Park and we spent the morning walking in the footsteps of Jackson, McDowell, and the 900 men who were killed that day. Cannons dot the battlefield and the park is ringed with split rail fencing. Much of the landscape is unchanged from 1861. Bull Run creek still meanders around the property and under the Stone Bridge where it all began. The Visitor Center, on the top of Henry Hill, contains a small museum with weaponry of the day on display. A statue of Stonewall Jackson on horseback looks out over the battlefield outside. Judith Henry’s house still stands near the edge of the hill with her grave and those of her two children right outside. Mrs. Henry, then 85 years old and bedridden, refused to leave her home even though it was clear that the house would be right in the crossfire. She was killed by artillery fire during the battle, the only civilian to die that day. I think she made a good decision. Having lived to 85 in 1861, Judith had blown the life expectancy curve and probably wasn’t long for this world in her condition. Millions of people now know about her and have seen her grave because of her decision to remain in her home.
The battle was called “Bull Run” by the North and “Manassas” by the South. It was fought primarily by inexperienced and naïve young men on both sides who had never seen war. The carnage showed both sides the horrible cost that the Civil War would exact on both sides. A second battle was fought here 13 months later by experienced and more deadly soldiers in both blue and grey. 3300 people died in the second battle of Manassas. The contradiction of the pastoral serenity of the park now with the horrors of the two battles ran through my mind as we walked among the cannons. Manassas National Battlefield Park is beautifully kept by the National Park Service and I left with an important history lesson reinforced by personal experience.
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