Manassas National Battlefield Park , Manassas, VA

 Manassas or Bull Run – doesn’t matter which name you give the place. It remains the site of two bloody battles during the War Between the States.

We visited the 5,000+ acre Manassas National Battlefield Park on a gray and gloomy day which seemed perfectly suited to the solemnity of the locale. The park is located outside of the town of Manassas (formerly known as Manassas Junction), thus the Confederacy name of the Battles of Manassas; Bull Run, a stream, runs through the area and was used by the Union to identify the conflicts.

 

In the gracious Henry Hill Visitors Center, we found a dry place to catch our breath and check in with the Park Ranger. Displays within demonstrated the terrible efficiency of the mini ball, the proper steps for loading a muzzleloader and other handy hints of the era. A heartrending graphic on one wall put the loss of life during the Civil War in perspective: more American troops killed between the two sides than those lost in any other U.S. military conflict to date.

From the center, a statue of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson is easily accessible across the parking lot, as are samples of cannons and caissons.

The Visitors Center offers a map of a walking tour or driving tour. Yielding to the weather, we opted for the driving tour of the Second Battle of Manassas. By its completion, we were emotionally drained by the events we traced.

Three major roads (Rtes. 234, 822 and 29) cut across the park and Interstate 66 borders it on the south, making navigation a bit interesting. No stopping along the side of the road for photos – there’s very little shoulder in many places. You will find several designated parking areas along the tour, indicated by numbered red arrowheads. The numbers correspond to the descriptive blurbs on the map.

A stone house used as a field hospital during the conflict remains a watchful sentinel at the intersection of routes 29 and 234 in the heart of the park. I couldn’t help but wonder how many commuters pass the site each day without giving a thought to the men injured in the conflict or the blood spilled within the house. (The house is open for tours during the summer, but was not yet open for the season when we visited the park.)

One of the most emotional sites is the ridge bearing the New York Regiments monuments. The Fifth and Tenth Regiments of the New York Volunteer Infantry lost 123 men in the battle, the largest percentage of any unit in the engagement. The State of New York later erected monuments honoring the two regiments on the ridge where they made their stand.

Manassas National Battlefield Park is a place of monuments and lessons. Both emotional and educational, the park is a beautiful yet tragic site – a grim reminder to the costs of war and a memorial to those who paid the price with their blood.

For information on hours and special events, contact:

Manassas National Battlefield Park

12521 Lee Highway

Manassas, Virginia 20109

Henry Hill Visitors Center  -  (703) 361-1339

Park Headquarters  -  (703) 754-1861

© Mary Beth Magee 2007