We met in Frederick early in the morning, and by 9:45 A.M. had arrived at the Manassas Visitor Center. Paying the $3.00 entrance fee, we next enjoyed a fiber-optic map demonstration which briefly, but very clearly, explained the First Battle of Bull Run. The adjacent museum was top-notch.
Heading out to the battlefield. . .Our first stop was the Superman Statue—uhh, I mean Jackson Statue behind the visitor center. Keith Snyder, our colleague at Antietam, told us a few days back all about the statue being struck by lightning when he worked at Manassas. We were initially skeptical, but, wouldn’t you know it. . .
The modern bridge just a few yards away detracted a bit from the historical ambiance of this battlefield landmark. . .but it was still pretty cool to be there.
Here's Mannie in the Bull Run, giving the old thumbs-up. . .

Mannie points to the high ground of Henry House Hill beyond
Wartime sketch of Ambrose Burnside leading his brigade on Matthews Hill
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Making our way down the southern slope of Matthews Hill and toward the Warrenton Turnpike once again, we both snapped several shots of the famous Stone House, which, as a wayside panel informed us, was seen by tens of thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers and which survived not one but two major battles.
This monuments was dedicated in June 1865, just months after the guns fell silent, and even before most of the volunteers were mustered out of service. . .
My ’94 Oldsmobile led us toward the scene of much of the Second Battle. Along the way, I showed Mannie, ad neauseum, where Nagle’s Brigade and the men of the 48th attacked Jackson’s line. . .
We made a brief stop at the Confederate Cemetery at Groveton, then checked out the new Stuart’s Hill interpretative center. . .It was pretty cool, and we both agreed we would have to come back to hike the Second Battle’s trails. . .
266 Confederate soldiers were buried here; only 2 are identified. . .
A view from Stuart's Hill. . .if you squint, you can see the Brawner Farm in the distance
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The men of Nagle's Brigade--including the 48th PA--broke through the Confederate line here, along this unfinished railroad cut. . .We couldn't do much hiking here even if we wanted to, for it was closed due to the tree removal. . .
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A few more stops, including the spot where the 5th &10th New York Zouave regiments met with slaughter, and then to Chinn Ridge, where I cautioned many a deer to be careful on the park’s roads.
In all, it was a great trip, and we learned a great deal. I told Mannie throughout that my impression of Manassas had changed almost from the minute we arrived. I have only been there a half dozen times or so growing up; the last time was maybe six or seven years ago. In my mind, I remembered it as a battlefield surrounded by sprawl and development, but this, to me, no longer seems to be the case. They really got a great place down there, and there is a lot of the battlefield that still remains protected.
Before parting ways, we agreed that our next little excursion would be to tramp the gaps at South Mountain. . .Turner’s, Fox’s, and Crampton’s. We set a tentative date for sometime in October.