Manassas National Battlefield Park

Last updated
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Fence at Manassas Battlefield, VA IMG 4330.JPG
Period fence at Manassas Battlefield
USA Virginia relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Location Prince William County, Virginia, U.S.
Nearest city Gainesville, Virginia. U.S.
Coordinates 38°48′46″N77°31′18″W / 38.81278°N 77.52167°W / 38.81278; -77.52167
Area5,073 acres (20.53 km2) [1]
EstablishedNovember 14, 1936 [2]
Visitors715,622(in 2005)
Governing body National Park Service
Website Manassas National Battlefield Park
Manassas National Battlefield Park
NRHP reference No. 66000039 [3]
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966

Manassas National Battlefield Park is a unit of the National Park Service located in Prince William County, Virginia, north of Manassas that preserves the site of two major American Civil War battles: the First Battle of Bull Run, also called the Battle of First Manassas, and the Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas. It was also where Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson acquired his nickname "Stonewall". The park was established in 1936 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

Contents

More than 700,000 people visit the battlefield each year. The Henry Hill Visitor Center, on Sudley Road by the south entrance to the park, offers exhibits and interpretation regarding the First Battle of Bull Run, including Civil War-era uniforms, weapons, field gear and an electronic battle map. The center offers the orientation film Manassas: End of Innocence, as well as a bookstore.

A recent find in 2014 unearthed bone fragments that led to the discovery of the skeletal remains of two Union soldiers in what is now thought to be a Surgeon's Pit. The remains were found among the bones of several other limbs in the pit. Carbon dating shows that the pair died during the Battle of Second Manassas, also known as Second Bull Run, in August 1862. The remains were moved on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, and transferred from the National Park Service to the US Army who will be burying them in Arlington National Cemetery.

Historic sites

Visitor Center entrance at Manassas Battlefield Manassas, VA, Visitor Center entrance IMG 4327.JPG
Visitor Center entrance at Manassas Battlefield
Cannon at Manassas Battlefield Cannon at Manassas, VA, Battlefield IMG 4322.JPG
Cannon at Manassas Battlefield
  1. Stone House – used as a hospital during both battles. It is near the intersection of Sudley Road and Lee Highway (Warrenton Turnpike).
  2. Stone Bridge – which the Union retreated across after Second Bull Run. It crosses just north of Lee Highway (Warrenton Turnpike) at the Fairfax-Prince William Co. line.
  3. Brawner's Farm – the opening phase of the second battle. The parking lot is off of Pageland Lane at the western edge of the battlefield. It has recently been renovated to become a museum dedicated to the Second Battle of Bull Run.
  4. Battery Heights – where Confederate batteries were deployed to fire on the attacking Union troops at nearby Brawner's Farm. It is off of Lee Highway (Warrenton Turnpike).
  5. Matthews Hill – the opening phase of the first battle. It is off of Sudley Road.
  6. The Unfinished Railroad Grade – where Jackson deployed his men before the second battle after capturing Pope's supply depot. Off of Featherbed Lane.
  7. The Deep Cut – where Pope launched the bulk of his attacks against the Grade. It is off of Featherbed Lane, before you reach the Railroad Grade.
  8. Groveton – an extinct Civil War era village. All that remains is the small frame house that Lucinda Dogan lived in. A Confederate Cemetery is nearby. Both are off Lee Highway (Warrenton Turnpike).
  9. New York Monuments – two monuments dedicated to the 5th and 10th New York Regiments. These mark where the 5th New York Zouaves lost 123 men in 5 minutes in the advance of Hood's men; off of Lee Highway (Warrenton Turnpike), near Young's Branch on 5th New York Avenue and cross from the Confederate cemetery at Groveton.
  10. Hazel Plain – the plantation of the Chinn family. It now sits in ruins, and only the foundation remains. Directly across from the Henry Hill Visitors Center.
  11. Chinn Ridge – across from Hazel Plain. General James Longstreet's massive counterattack during the second battle took place here. A trail leads to a boulder for Union Colonel Fletcher Webster, the son of the famous orator Daniel Webster, who was killed leading a failed attempt at repulsing the Confederate Counterattack.
  12. Portici – the plantation of Francis Lewis, now in ruins. This served as the Confederate Headquarters during the first battle, and minor skirmishes between companies occurred on the surrounding plains.
  13. Robinson House – now in ruins (lost to arson in 1993), was the home of free black man James Robinson. It is on the Henry Hill Loop Trail, walking only. It is not accessible by car.
  14. Stonewall Jackson Monument – bronze monument erected on Henry Hill. Commemorates General Thomas J. Jackson and contains the origin of his moniker.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Bull Run</span> Major battle of the American Civil War

The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against Union Maj. Gen. John Pope's Army of Virginia, and a battle of much larger scale and numbers than the First Battle of Bull Run fought on July 21, 1861, on the same ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince William County, Virginia</span> County in Virginia, United States

Prince William County lies beside the Potomac River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 482,204, making it Virginia's second most populous county. The county seat is the independent city of Manassas. A part of Northern Virginia, Prince William County is part of the Washington metropolitan area. In 2020, it had the 24th highest income of any county in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gainesville, Virginia</span> Census-designated place in Virginia, United States

Gainesville is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 17,287 in the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Battle of Bull Run</span> First major land battle of the American Civil War

The First Battle of Bull Run, also called the Battle of First Manassas by Confederate forces, was the first major battle of the American Civil War. The battle was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, just north of what is now the city of Manassas and about thirty miles west-southwest of Washington, D.C. The Union Army was slow in positioning themselves, allowing Confederate reinforcements time to arrive by rail. Each side had about 18,000 poorly trained and poorly led troops. The battle was a Confederate victory and was followed by a disorganized post-battle retreat of the Union forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Chantilly</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Chantilly took place on September 1, 1862, in Fairfax County, Virginia, as the concluding battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's corps of the Army of Northern Virginia attempted to cut off the line of retreat of the Union Army of Virginia following the Second Battle of Bull Run but was attacked by two Union divisions. During the ensuing battle, Union division commanders Isaac Stevens and Philip Kearny were both killed, but the Union attack halted Jackson's advance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Battle of Rappahannock Station</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The First Battle of Rappahannock Station, as took place on August 23, 1862, at present-day Remington, Virginia, as part of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manassas Station Operations</span>

The Manassas Station Operations included the operations known as Bristoe Station, Kettle Run, Bull Run Bridge, or Union Mills. It took place August 25–27, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War.

The Battle of Thoroughfare Gap, also known as Chapman's Mill, took place on August 28, 1862, in Fauquier County and Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. James Longstreet successfully drove back Union forces under Brig. Gen. James B. Ricketts and Col. Percy Wyndham, allowing his corps to unite with that of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson prior to the Second Battle of Bull Run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristoe campaign</span> Military campaign in Virginia during the U.S. Civil War

The Bristoe campaign was a series of minor battles fought in Virginia during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, began to maneuver in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Lee countered with a turning movement, which caused Meade to withdraw his army back toward Centreville. Lee struck at Bristoe Station on October 14, but suffered losses in two brigades and withdrew. As Meade followed south once again, the Union army smashed a Confederate defensive bridgehead at Rappahannock Station on November 7 and drove Lee back across the Rapidan River. Along with the infantry battles, the cavalry forces of the armies fought at Auburn on October 13, again at Auburn on October 14, and at Buckland Mills on October 19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Virginia campaign</span> Series of battles fought in Virginia during the American Civil War

The Northern Virginia Campaign, also known as the Second Bull Run Campaign or Second Manassas Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during August and September 1862 in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee followed up his successes of the Seven Days Battles in the Peninsula campaign by moving north toward Washington, D.C., and defeating Maj. Gen. John Pope and his Army of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ox Hill Battlefield Park</span>

Ox Hill Battlefield Park is a site in Fairfax, Virginia, where the Battle of Ox Hill was fought during the American Civil War. It was the only major battle of the war fought in Fairfax County. The battlefield is now a public park adjacent to suburban developments and the Fairfax Towne Center shopping center, and is maintained by the Fairfax County Park Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Groveton, Prince William County, Virginia</span> Extinct unincorporated village in Virginia

Groveton is an extinct unincorporated Civil War era village in Prince William County, Virginia. The village is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 29 and Groveton Road on land that is now part of Manassas National Battlefield Park, a National Park Service property. The only remnant of the village is the L. Dogan House, a small, white frame structure, and the nearby Groveton Confederate Cemetery that contains the remains of over 260 Confederate soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia State Route 234</span> State highway in Prince William County, Virginia, US

Virginia State Route 234 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from U.S. Route 1 near Dumfries via Independent Hill as Dumfries Road, bypasses Manassas as Prince William Parkway, and has a brief concurrency with Interstate 66 for 2.27 miles (3.65 km) between exits 44 and 47 before continuing northwest via Catharpin to U.S. Route 15 near Woolsey as Sudley Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry House Hill</span> United States historic place

Henry House Hill is a location near Bull Run, a tributary of the Occoquan River, in the U.S. state of Virginia. It was an important battle site during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Baltimore, Virginia</span> Census-designated place in Virginia, United States

New Baltimore is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in eastern Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 census was 8,119. The community has existed since the early 19th century, but it has had its most significant growth since the 1980s. It is the portion of Fauquier County with the easiest access to Washington, D.C., and as a result, many people who live in New Baltimore commute into DC. Other major communities close to New Baltimore are Warrenton, the Gainesville/Haymarket area, and Manassas. The area officially considered to be New Baltimore expanded significantly in 2006 with Fauquier County's designation of service districts, of which New Baltimore is one. The service district designation provides added access to utilities, such as water and sewer, and targets the area for growth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Stone House, Manassas National Battlefield Park</span> United States historic place

The Stone House, Manassas National Battlefield Park, is a two-story stone structure in Prince William County, Virginia. It was built as a stop on the Fauquier and Alexandria Turnpike in 1848. During the American Civil War, The Stone House served as a hospital during the First and Second Battles of Manassas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull Run campaign</span> Military engagements in the American Civil War

The Bull Run campaign, also known as the Manassas campaign, was a series of military engagements in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War in 1861.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robinson House (Manassas, Virginia)</span> United States historic place

Robinson House sits at the bottom of Henry Hill, near Bull Run in Virginia. The house was named for the family of James "Gentleman Jim" Robinson, a free African American, who built the house. The Robinson family, descendants of Gentleman Jim, owned and occupied the house and a large portion of the land around it from the 1840s until 1936. The National Park Service acquired this parcel as part of their effort to commemorate two major battles of the American Civil War, the First and Second battles of Bull Run which occurred about one year apart. Both battles were Confederate victories. However, Robinson House managed to survive virtually unscathed. The house would burn down in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William S. Baylor</span> American lawyer

William Smith Hanger Baylor was an American lawyer and soldier who served as a colonel in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

The 75th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was a unit of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was composed almost entirely of German-speaking residents of Philadelphia and newly arrived German immigrants. Total enrollment, over the course of the war, was 1,293 officers and men. The 75th Pennsylvania participated in several major battles including Second Bull Run, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. The regiment was transferred to the Western Theater in September, 1863. There, it participated in operations in Tennessee, before it was mustered out of service on September 1, 1865, following the close of the war.

References

Notes

  1. "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2020" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved 2021-08-15. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  2. "Park Anniversaries" . Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.