MANASSAS (FIRST & SECOND BULL RUN)

Today we drove to Manassas to the battlefield overlooking the Bull Run River.  First Manassas (First Bull Run) occured in July, 1861 and the Second Manassas (Second Bull Run) occured a year later in August, 1862.

The First Bull Run, July 1861, started out with ranks of enthusiastic young volunteers in two armies, confident that their foes would run at the first shot.  Soldiers on both sides were stunned by the violence and destruction they encountered.  At day's end nearly 900 young men lay lifeless on the fields of Matthews Hill, Henry Hill, and Chinn Ridge.

MANASSAS BATTLE FIELD

The Second Bull Run, a year later in August 1862, covering three days produced far greater carnage . . . 3,300 killed.

The Civil War was the most violent and fateful experience in American History.  At least 620,000 soldiers were killed in the war, 2% of the American population in 1860.  If the same percentage of Americans were to be killed in a war fought in the 1990's, the number of American war dead would exceed five million.  An unknown number of civilians, nearly all of them in the South, died from causes such as disease, hunger or exposure inflicted during the conflict.  As a consequence, more died in the Civil War than in all of the country's other wars combined.

HENRY HOUSE

The Henry House was the home of Judith Carter Henry who was mortally wounded by artillery fire and the only civilian killed during the first battle.  The house was destroyed and the above is a picture of the house rebuilt in 1870.



The grave of Judith Carter Henry in the yard of the Henry home.

Cam at the Stonewall Jackson Monument at Manassas

The Stone House sheltered the wounded as a Union field hospital during both battles.

The history buff taking a break

The Stone Bridge over the Bull Run River was partially destroyed by Confederate forces to stop the Union Army.  The North repaired the bridge in order to bring supplies and troops in.

Cam and I on the Stone Bridge