Manassas National Battlefield Park marks the site, north of the strategically important railroad junction at Manassas, where two great battles of the Civil War - the First and Second Battles of Manassas or Bull Run - were fought.
On July 21, 1871, picnickers and other sightseers accompanied the ill-trained Union Army under General Irvin McDowell as it marched out of Washington to fight the Confederate Army under generals Pierre Beauregard and Joseph Johnston. After 10 hours of deadly fighting it became apparent that this conflict was not going to decide the war, as most had expected. It was at this battle that General Thomas J. Jackson earned the nickname "Stonewall."
When the armies returned to the plains of Manassas in August 1862, they were no longer young recruits in colorful new uniforms. A year of battle had hardened both armies and brought the Confederacy to the peak of its power, soon to be realized with the outcome of this battle. The encounter also proved to be a bloody demonstration of Robert E. Lee's genius, as he beat the larger army of General John Pope.
Lee first divided his army and sent Jackson on one of his legendary marches to attack the Union Army's rear. Having easily captured and destroyed Pope's supplies at Manassas Junction, Jackson's outnumbered Confederates battled the Federals to a standstill in 2 days of fierce fighting.
On the third day Lee delivered a final blow that would have annihilated Pope's army but for the heroic stands by Union troops, first at Chinn Ridge then at Henry House.
Victory on the field was only part of Lee's success; the Second Battle of Manassas not only enhanced the Confederacy's bid for recognition by foreign nations but also allowed Lee to carry the war to the North for the first time.