National History Nearby

Many of us know the name, “Stonewall Jackson”, and some even remember the location “Bull Run Creek”.  For local residents, these names don't need to be abstract names from the history books.  You can go to the place where General Jackson got his nickname and where the first American Civil War battle occurred.

At the Battlefield of Mananas, you can learn all about the two Civil War battles that occurred in Mananas.   

Interestingly, Congress set aside the historic battlefields in the thick of World War II – an indication that one war made them realize that we'd want to know all about the history and sites of earlier wars.  The first sad detail that you learn is that because this was the first battle of the war, aside from the leading generals, the soldiers were as green as they come.  Also, the blue & grey uniforms weren't issued yet, so it was hard to tell who fought for what side of the war.  The flags also looked quite similar, so some people died from friendly fire and by mistaking the enemy for friends.  Naively, the soldiers thought that war is glamorous, and in the first battle of Mananas, they were fighting so close to each other that all they'd see are dead bodies of young men just like them.  There was, they realized, no glamor in war.

Stone Wall Jackson statue

The great thing about this historic site is that the current roads are built upon what was there at the time, so the tavern that they turned into a Federalist hospital is easy to get to.  So is the site of the New York City volunteer army, and the Stone Bridge which became a central part of the battle that morning.  The first battle site gives you a brief tour of their grounds and a narrative of what occurred on the day of battle.  They also give you a handout with a driving tour that includes the second battle, and the sites for both Mananas battles.  I liked the driving tour, it felt a bit like a scavenger hunt for historic locations.

This site is very close to anyone in the DC area, and in fact my drive home replicated the Federalist army’s retreat back to the Capital!  I will let you visit yourself for the history lesson, but give you the following tidbits: 

• part of the Federalist guarded the Stone Bridge to keep the Confederate army from invading Washington DC, where President Lincoln was,

• this was the first time railroads were used to transport American soldiers for combat, and

• Thomas Jefferson knew that the nation would fight about slavery.  He thought it should be abolished, although his vast estate was supported by slaves.