Manassas National Battlefield

Where: 6511 Sudley Rd., Manassas, VA
When: Open daily from dawn to dusk- admission is free

Imagine this. You are 85 years old, and very ill, confined to your bed. You’ve heard talk of some big to-do going on in the area but otherwise, you are largely oblivious to the general climate of the country and the inferno steadily building in the now-early days of the Civil War. One morning, there is quite the ruckus going on out in the yard and you are told there will be a battle and you must be moved. But no. You are old. You want to stay in your own bed. So there you stay, even as Confederate sharpshooters enter your home and tuck themselves into niches and nooks and crannies to use as vantage points for shooting at Federal troops out in the field.

 

As you are lying helpless in bed, there is suddenly a monstrous noise and a piece of hot, burning metal rips its way through the wall and tears off one of your feet. Yes, one of your feet. Your home has just been shelled in an attempt to rout out the Confederate sharpshooters within. They’re okay. But you have lost a foot. A few hours later, you die from your injuries.

Such was the plight of Judith Henry, civilian casualty of the first Battle at Manassas during the Civil War. Foot blown off, and death. War is hell, man.

RIP Judith. And Judith’s foot.

The Civil War is chock-full of stories like that. For the United States, the Civil War is kind of like that one great-great-uncle who is somewhat embarrassing because he’s full of outdated and offensive beliefs, but has some interesting tall tales that are cool to hear when he’s lucid enough to tell them. It’s one of our nation’s strangest episodes, as fascinating as it is ugly. And we are lucky enough here in Virginia to be close to many integral sites featured in some of the most famous stories from the Civil War- including Manassas National Battlefield, home to not one but two battles during the Civil War.

Probably the most important thing you should know about Manassas Battlefield is that it is here where General Thomas Jonathan Jackson earned his legendary and enduring nickname, “Stonewall.” Most likely, this is the only way you know him- Stonewall Jackson, as if it were his given name. It’s not- he was bestowed this nickname by fellow Confederate Army General Barnard E. Bee, who yelled to his troops, “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!”

Unfortunately, Bee died at Manassas as well, shortly after coining one of the most famous nicknames in history. RIP Bee.

Interestingly enough, there’s a decent amount of controversy surrounding Bee’s nickname for Jackson. Some say it was a compliment to Jackson’s bravery and discipline and command- that he was figuratively a sturdy, unshakable “stone wall.” Others who were on the field that day claimed that Bee actually meant it as an insult. There’s Jackson, just standing there doing nothing, like a stone wall. It’s possible to see it both ways I suppose, if you subtly adjust your inflection when saying it to yourself:

“There stands Jackson… like a stone wall!!”

“There stands Jackson. Like a stone wall.”

However, because Bee shortly after perished of injuries sustained in this battle, no one knows for sure what his true intent was in calling Jackson “Stonewall” and the nickname became one representing admiration, loyalty, and deep respect. You can be anyone you want to be if people who say bad things about you die before you do.

Here’s another interesting thing about Manassas Battlefield- the two battles fought there are referred to by different names. Depending on where you grew up, you may know these battles to be called the Battle(s) of Bull Run. Or you may know them to be called the Battle(s) of Manassas. The Confederate forces referred to the Battles as occurring at Manassas, whereas the Union forces used Bull Run. Technically either name is correct but the Confederate Army won that bout and we are in Virginia after all, so it is most often referred to around here as Battle of Manassas.

There are walking trails of varying lengths around Manassas Battlefield- the 1 mile Henry Hill loop which is accessible from the Henry Hill Vistor’s Center, and the longer First and Second Battle Loop Trails. Guided tours are available beginning at the Visitor’s Center, as well as a 45-minute movie detailing the battles and various interactive displays that detail the battles. Although now closed for the season, on weekends beginning in April 2016, you can stop by the Stone House, which was used as a field hospital for the two battles, and the Brawner Farm Interpretive Center, which sits at Brawner Farm, site of the Second Battle at Manassas.

Because we went on a winter day when these auxiliary sites were closed, we settled with a tour around Henry Hill and the site of First Battle at Manassas, and a visit to the GIFT SHOP. I’m a sucker for a gift shop. My kids always say, “Can we go in the gift shop?” and I usually say, “Yes, but we aren’t buying anything,” and then at least 50% of the time I end up buying something. Because I’m a sucker.

I did buy something at the Henry Hill Vistor’s Center gift shop, but hear me out. I decided it was high time my family had their own National Park Passport. Have you heard of these? A company called Eastern National makes them and there’s a space to stick a collector’s stamp (also made by Eastern National each year) and a hand-cancellation from every national park in the U.S. Many parks sell them in their gift shops (including Henry Hill) and they’re just $8.95. We purchased ours and plan to take it along on every national park trip we make in the future. This now gives me even more reason to visit Gift Shops (score).

At Manassas Battlefield, you get FOUR stamps in your passport: one for the main battlefield at Henry Hill, one for the Stone House, one for Brawner Farm, and one for a somewhat new thing called the Journey Through Hallowed Ground, which is a 180-mile loop through four states (Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia) that includes presidential homes, battle sites, and other sites of historical importance. The sites along the Journey Through Hallowed Ground loop get their own JTHG stamp and I gather this is a very big deal because the JTHG site uses language such as “thrilled” and “most exciting” to reveal their inclusion in the Passport program. It just seems like this might be a deeply felt honor. Actually, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground thing looks pretty neat and I requested a map and will likely plan some trips to follow a couple of their suggested itineraries. 

Make a day of it:

Nearby is The Winery at Bull Run (or, I guess you could call it The Winery at Manassas if you want), open at 11 am-7pm Saturday-Wednesday, and until 8 pm on Thursdays and 9 pm on Fridays.

While we were out in this direction we decided to visit the tiny town of Clifton for lunch. Clifton is a one-street, no-stoplight throwback of a town with an adorable Main Street dotted with wine shops, cupcake bakeries, and several restaurants. We ate at Main Street Pub and then took a stroll up and down Main Street, stopping in to let the kids climb on the red caboose before heading out.

Clifton was so charming that I came home, got a babysitter, and made reservations for my husband and me to return Friday evening for dinner at Trummer’s on Main. I’ll be celebrating January 1st with one of their signature cocktails, The Titanic. Cheers!