Manassas National Battlefield Park, courtesy NPS
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Manassas, Virginia
The First Battle of Bull Run (also known as First Manassas) and the Second Battle of Bull Run (or Second Manassas) were fought on 5,000 acres now set aside as Manassas National Battlefield Park.
“The first, on July 21, 1861, was the first battle of the American Civil War,” said James Burgess, museum specialist at the park. “This is where an unknown Confederate colonel, Thomas Jackson, stood his ground and received the nickname Stonewall Jackson. This is also where it became obvious that the Confederates were trying to destroy the Union.”
Groups are introduced to the mayhem at the visitors center with the orientation film “Manassas — End of Innocence” and educational exhibits that offer glimpses into what both armies faced.
The second battle, waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, was a battle of larger scale and numbers, according to Burgess.
“A second visitors center is located in the Brawner farmhouse, partially reconstructed, as it suffered major damage in this battle,” Burgess said. “It offers insight with not only exhibits but its key location.”
Gettysburg National Military Park
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Fought the first three days in July 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War and the Union victory that ended Lee’s second and most ambitious invasion of the North.
“Often referred to as the high water mark of the rebellion, Gettysburg was the war’s bloodiest battle with 51,000 casualties,” said John Heiser, historian. “At the time, the Confederacy was close to winning and ending the war. This was the farthest north the war had come, and after the battle, the ending was sealed.
“It was also the inspiration for President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address that he delivered four months after the battle.”
Before touring the 5,500-acre battlefield and cemetery, groups go to the visitors center, home to the Gettysburg Museum of the Civil War. Featuring “A New Birth of Freedom,” a film narrated by Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman, the venue also includes one of the largest collections of Civil War relics in the world and the Gettysburg Cyclorama, a 360-degree painting from 1884 that depicts the final battle.
“With points of view from not only the soldiers but the civilians who had war on their doorsteps, anyone who goes through the center understands the battle and aftermath,” said Heiser. “It culminates what caused the war and the legacy that was left.”
www.nps.gov/gett
