BGuthrie Photos: VA -- Manassas Natl Battlefield -- Henry, Matthews, Buck Hills

VA -- Manassas Natl Battlefield -- Henry, Matthews, Buck Hills:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. MANASH_110520_004.JPG: The Seventy-First Regiment of Infantry New York State Militia From this position the 71st assisted in driving the Confederate forces back toward Henry Hill. The regiment remained in this area for most of the battle and afterward covered the retreat of the Union Army from the field. The unit suffered 10 killed, 40 wounded and 12 missing. Donated by The Veteran Association of the Seventy-First Regiment, National Guard of the State of New York
2. MANASH_110520_015.JPG: Ames Co. Founders Chicopee Mass.
3. MANASH_110520_023.JPG: Vision of Victory: As Pope saw it, the battle was almost won. Stonewall Jackson was the only foe he faced here, and Jackson was retreating after the fight at Brawner Farm. Now the Federals could crush the outnumbered Rebels. Tactical realities were a bit different. Instead of "retreating," Jackson's troops had taken position along the ditches and high embankments of the Unfinished Railroad. By noon on the 29th, Maj. Gen. James Longstreet and 28,000 men - the rest of the Confederate Army - had marched from Thoroughfare Gap to within two miles of Pope's headquarters. Pope, however, seemed to ignore all evidence that did not fit his vision of total victory. During the next thirty-six hours Pope's overconfidence almost destroyed the Union Army. The View from Headquarters Throughout the 29th, thousands of Union troops used these fields as staging areas for assaults on Jackson's line (marked by the tallest trees a half-mile west). The ridge to your left and low hills in front were Union artillery positions. Second Battle of Manassas Day 2 August 29, 1862
4. MANASH_110520_024.JPG: Matthews Hill: First Taste of Combat: Officers were trying to hurry the long Union column down the road past Matthews Hill. (McDowell's flanking plan depended on speed and surprise.) Suddenly there was a rattle of musketry ahead. Like a nightmare in sunlight, men stumbled out of the dense smoke, horribly wounded. Two men rushed past carrying Colonel Slocum. As Union infantry and artillery pushed forward, they could hear the enemy starting to charge upslope. In the distance ahead, near Henry House, Confederate reinforcements were coming into view. The chance for surprise was gone. First Battle of Manassas
5. MANASH_110520_034.JPG: Rhode Island Battery Capt. William H. Reynolds Six 13-Pounder James Rifled Guns "'Forward into line of action, front,' came Captain Reynolds' order. I dismounted and ran to my gun, and found that within 20 yards of us were the Rebels, advancing. I thought for a moment our battery was lost, but the 2d Rhode Island Regiment made a fearful charge and gave a most hideous scream, and never will I forget how the Rebel flag looked as it bobbed out of sight under the hill." -- An unknown Union Sergeant July 21, 1861 11:00 am
6. MANASH_110520_085.JPG: The Visitor center and Henry Hill in the distance
7. MANASH_110520_103.JPG: Blocking the Union Advance: Knowing they were badly outnumbered, Evans' 900 Confederates stared across this open field, waiting for the enemy to appear over the crest of the hill. Their only hope was to slow the 15,000-man Federal column long enough for reinforcements to arrive. When the first Federals topped the rise, the Confederates fired. Both sides rushed reinforcements into the fight, and the battle raged on a half-mile front. After 1 � hours, outflanked and overwhelmed, the Confederates retreated in disarray toward Henry Hill. The battle seemed lost. Col. Egbert J. Jones led the 4th Alabama to shore up the Confederate line. Wounded and captured, Jones responded defiantly, "You may have me..., but ten thousand... will take my place." His response proved prophetic. First Battle of Manassas
8. MANASH_110520_150.JPG: July 21, 1861 11:00 a.m. 3rd Brigade (Bee) Army of the Shenandoah (Johnson), CSA 4th Alabama Infantry Col. Egbert J. Jones "Our regiment had scarcely emerged from the timber before a murderous fire was opened on us by the Yankees. Our brave boys marched steadily up the hill in the face of the shower of balls. We were then ordered to halt and lie down. It was a critical moment, and a fearful position, but the boys stood it with courage and coolness." -- Chaplain James G. Hudson
9. MANASH_110520_153.JPG: This marble marks the spot where fell George T. Stovall of the Rome Light Guards, 8th Regt. Georgia Volunteers in the battle of July 21, 1861. Born at Augusta, GA, April 25, 1835. His life he devoted to his God and sacrificed in his country's defence. His last words were I am going to heaven.
10. MANASH_110520_163.JPG: July 21, 1861 11:00 a.m. 2nd Brigade (Bartow) Army of the Shenandoah (Johnson), CSA 8th Georgia Infantry Lt. Col. W.M. Gardner "Away we went straight into the teeth of the murderous fire. We entered a thicket and were within 100 yards of the enemy. Yet, not a gun of ours was fired until the command 'commence firing' was given. Most of the men were cool as cucumbers - each would load, pick his man, and take deliberate aim. We stood the fire in that wood for 30 minutes, and had the order not been given to retire, not one man would have left his post." -- Pvt. Robert Grant
11. MANASH_110520_173.JPG: July 21, 1861 11:00 a.m. 2nd Brigade (Burnside), 2nd Division (Hunter) Army of Northeastern Virginia, USA 71st New York State Militia Col. Henry P. Martin "The Alabama 4th, which had long ago expressed, in print, their desire to meet the New York 71st, deployed from a wood. The 71st, recognizing them, answered the challenge with a shout, and, springing forward, delivered a volley of musketry. They then charged down the hill upon them with tremendous vigor, intending to take them with the bayonet. But the Alabamians did not like the war-whoop, nor its prologue, so after a volley and a short pause, they took back to cover, leaving their dead on the field." -Augustus T. Francis Regimental Historian
12. MANASH_110520_222.JPG: August 29 & 30, 1862 Headquarters, Army of Virginia, USA Pope's Headquarters Headquarters, Army of Virginia, USA 1:00 p.m. August 29 to 6:00 p.m. August 30, 1862 "There were no tents, nothing to mark the spot except a cracker box or two for seats." -- Brig. Gen. John Gibbon
13. MANASH_110520_315.JPG: Stone House: Battlefield Landmark: This building links today's landscape to the battlefield scene. The roadbeds have not changed; thousands of soldiers noticed the Stone House as they marched through this strategic intersection. During both battles Federals turned the former tavern into a field hospital. Bloody floorboards were hardly unique -- most houses in the area became crowded with wounded men -- yet in diary after diary soldiers mentioned this particular structure. The relatively unscarred walls may have provided an image of peacetime amid fields of terror. Stone House in March 1862. The Park Service has restored and furnished the house to resemble its 1861 appearance. Much of the structure may be original: the stone walls, window frames, and some floorboards.
14. MANASH_110520_360.JPG: Second Battle of Manassas Confederate Skirmish Line, Afternoon of August 30, 1862 As Union forces prepared to attack General Jackson's Confederate line along the unfinished railroad to the north, Union General John F. Reynolds made a personal reconnaissance of the field beyond his skirmishers posted along the Groveton Road (Lewis' Lane (1)). He immediately drew fire from a Confederate skirmish line deployed in this open ground, providing covering fire as General James Longstreet massed his five infantry divisions for an attack on the Union left flank. Narrowly escaping injury, Reynolds reported his findings and received permission to shift his three brigades of Pennsylvania Reserves to the vicinity of the Chinn Farm (about a mile to the east) where theoretically they could better guard the Union left and rear. This movement created a dangerous gap in the Union lines south of the Warrenton Turnpike. To support Lt. Charles Hazlett's Battery D, 5th U.S. Artillery at Groveton, Colonel G. K. Warren moved his small brigade of New York Zouaves into the position previously occupied by Reynolds' entire division. Longstreet's Confederates advanced at 4:00 p.m. smashing through Warren's two regiments east of the Groveton Road and gaining Chinn Ridge before meeting significant resistance. The attack on the Union left was not checked until Longstreet's lead brigades reached the Sudley Road 1-1/2 miles to the east where Union General John Pope had hastily formed a strong defensive position on Henry Hill. After dark the Union army retreated across Bull Run, ending the battle. Regiments, Brigades, and Division: The regiment was the basic organizational unit of Civil War armies. Soldiers identified with and took pride in their regiments. Volunteer regiments were designated by a number and by the state which raised it. A regiment was composed of a headquarters staff and ten companies identified by letters A-K (J not used to avoid confusion with I). At its initial muster each company would have 100 men with officers, but frequently effective strength was severely diminished by battle losses, disease, and desertions. To facilitate command and control, up to five regiments could be grouped together to form a brigade. Two to four brigades formed a division.
15. MANASH_110520_362.JPG: Historic Landscape Restoration In 1997 the National Park Service and the Smithsonian Institution began to develop a proposal at Manassas National Battlefield Park to mitigate the loss of wetlands resulting from the construction of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, a National Air and Space Museum facility at Washington Dulles International Airport. The two agencies selected a heavily disturbed area here near Stuart's Hill, the site of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's headquarters during the Second Battle of Manassas in August 1862. A development company had graded nearly 125 acres for a proposed mixed-use project, but public outcry led the U.S. Congress to pass legislation in the fall of 1988, seizing the property and saving it from further development. A 1993 study by the University of Georgia School of Environmental Design proposed restoring the land and its vegetative cover to 1860s conditions. Without funding for implementation, however, the study remained shelved for nearly a decade. Consultants for the Smithsonian used these earlier findings to refine plans for restoring the landscape and its wetlands. With funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia, restoration work began in 2003. Environmental Quality Resources, LLC, re-contoured more than 100 acres and restored drainage patters, forming about 30 acres of emergent wetlands, 15 acres of forested wetlands, and native warm season grass meadows. The resultant project, completed in November 2003, represented a unique fusion of history and science meeting the resource management needs of both the Smithsonian and the park.
16. MANASH_110520_371.JPG: One of the period photos shows graves around a wet area of the battlefield that was identified as being here.
17. MANASH_110520_420.JPG: July 21, 1861 2:00 p.m. Army of the Potomac (Beauregard), CSA Washington (Louisiana) Artillery Battalion Maj. John B. Walton Three 6-pounder Smoothbores Two 6-pounder Rifled Guns. "We advanced by hand to the front until finally the battery was upon the crown of the hill, entirely exposed to the view of their artillery and infantry. At this moment their fire fell like hail around us. Notwithstanding, my guns were as rapidly and beautifully served by the cannoneers, with as much composure and silence as they are when upon the ordinary daily drill." -- Maj. John B. Walton
18. MANASH_110520_426.JPG: "...Like a Stone Wall" On the brow of the hill Brig. Gen. Bernard Bee was desperately trying to rally his men when he caught sight of Thomas J. Jackson with fresh troops here at the edge of the pine thicket. "Look!" Bee shouted. "There stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!" The nickname spread rapidly through the Confederate Army and throughout the South. "Stonewall" Jackson was on his way to becoming a legend. Jackson's Line: You are standing in the center of Stonewall Jackson's line - thirteen pieces of artillery, with infantry on the ground behind the cannon and concealed in the woods. Along the rise left and right of Henry House, Ricketts' and Griffin's Union batteries were starting to duel Jackson's artillery. Two hundred yards to your left the 33rd Virginia Infantry was preparing the charge that would ignite the day's most violent fighting. First Battle of Manassas
19. MANASH_110520_446.JPG: Marshall & Co. St. Louis
20. MANASH_110520_453.JPG: 1861
21. MANASH_110520_505.JPG: Brigadier General Francis Stebbings Bartow Born Savannah Georgia, Sept. 16, 1816 Mortally wounded on this spot, July 21, 1861 Commanded 7th, 8th, 9th & 11th Georgia & 1st Kentucky Regiments. The first Confederate officer to give his life on the field. WPA [Works Progress Administration] 1936 (GA Div.) UDC [United Daughters of the Confederacy]
22. MANASH_110520_520.JPG: There used to be a monument to Bartow here
23. MANASH_110520_529.JPG: General Barnard Elliott Bee of South Carolina Commander, Third Brigade Army of the Shenandoah was killed here July 21, 1861 Just before his death to rally his scattered troops he gave this command "Form. form. There stands Jackson like a stone wall: Rally behind the Virginians." Presented by The Mary Taliaferro Thompson Southern Memorial Assn. of Washington, D.C. - July 21, 1939.
24. MANASH_110520_584.JPG: The grave of our dear mother Judith Henry Killed near this spot by the explosion of shells in her dwelling during the Battle of the 21st of July, 1861. When killed she was in her 85th year and confined to her bed by the infirmities of age. Her husband Dr. Isaac Henry was a Surgeon in the United States Navy on board the frigate Constellation, Commanded by Com. Truxton, one of the six Captains appointed by Washington in the organization of the Navy, 1794. Our Mother through her long life, thirty five years of which were spent at this place, was greatly loved and esteemed for her kind, gentle and Christian sprit.
25. MANASH_110520_589.JPG: Invaded Farmland: The morning of the battle was hot and still. Except for a few details the scene mirrored today's pastoral landscape. Fields lay fallow, overgrown with tall grass. Around the Henry House grew rose bushes and a small peach orchard. Eighty-five-year-old Judith Henry was inside, bedridden, too old to work the farm that had been in her family for more than a century. At ten o'clock Confederate cannon suddenly rumbled into position on the rise 100 yards ahead. There artillerists turned their guns towards Matthews Hill. Henry House as it appeared just after the battle, riddled with bullets and cannon-fire. Mrs. Henry had insisted on remaining in her house. That afternoon she was killed by an artillery shell meant for sharpshooters firing from her windows. (Judith Henry's grave and inscribed headstone are in the cemetery nearby.) First Battle of Manassas
26. MANASH_110520_598.JPG: Position 7th GA Regt. Captured Rick- etts Battery July 21, 1861
27. MANASH_110520_603.JPG: 7th Georgia Markers: Sometime after 1903, veterans of the 7th Georgia Infantry erected at least six markers on the Manassas battlefield to locate battle positions. Only this marker and one other approximately 350 yards southeast of here survive. Colonel Francis S. Bartow was killed while leading the 7th Georgia against Captain James B. Ricketts' battery. During the battle the 7th Georgia suffered 153 casualties out of 580 men present.
28. MANASH_110520_606.JPG: The Fight for Rickett's Guns Shells were exploding overhead as Ricketts' men dueled Stonewall Jackson's artillery, directly across the field. Sharpshooters' bullets thumped into the wooden limber chests. On the rear slope horses were screaming, dying. Suddenly from the far woods came an eerie, blood-chilling cry -- the rebel yell. Through dense smoke, Ricketts could see Confederate infantry starting across the field. Up to that moment the Confederates appeared to be loosing the battle, and possibly the war. Here the momentum shifted. At Henry House and other stops on the tour, exhibits reveal how the battle rushed toward the unexpected climax at Ricketts' guns. Captain James B. Ricketts, Company I, 1st U.S. Artillery: In the Confederate charge, Ricketts was badly wounded in the leg, captured, and taken to Confederate headquarters at the nearby Lewis plantation. Above the portrait to the right is a painting depicting the loss of Ricketts' Guns. First Battle of Manassas
29. MANASH_110520_619.JPG: Henry Hill Walking Tour: Retracing the Battle On the tour route you follow in the footsteps of charging Union and Confederate troops, and stand where they loaded cannon or braced for a bayonet assault. Terrain and tree lines have changed little since that day. As you walk imagine deafening cannon and musket fire, whizzing shell fragments, and smoke rolling like acrid fog across the slope. Some of the bloodiest fighting occurred at Ricketts' artillery, twenty yards ahead. Most of the recruits had never been shot at before. At several exhibits, recorded messages describe the nightmare in the soldiers' own words - quotations from survivors' letters and diaries. First Battle of Manassas
30. MANASH_110520_629.JPG: Point-Blank Volley: An Officer's Error? In clear view of artillerymen here, Confederates lined up at the fence and trees across the open field. The two cannon and supporting infantry could have stopped the Rebels cold, yet the four hundred charging Virginians were able to fire a musket volley at such close range that they virtually wiped out the Union gun crews. Congressional inquiries failed to clear up the mystery: how did the Confederates manage to get that close? Though the 33rd Virginia captured these guns, the battle was far from over. New York infantry were marching up from Sudley Road to counterattack. First Battle of Manassas
31. MANASH_110520_634.JPG: Counterattack: Dead cannoneers lay in rows between their cannon, dead horses along the back slope; the Union guns were immobilized yet still a magnet for both armies. Up this slope marched the 14th Brooklyn, resplendent in Zouave uniforms. They managed to recapture Griffin's two guns -- for a few moments. From here to Ricketts' cannon (the start of the walking tour) the fighting fell into a bloody, seesaw pattern: Confederates capturing the line or artillery, Federals driving them off, then reinforcements again charging the guns. Late in the afternoon Confederates finally seized and held Henry Hill. Union Retreat: The battle was decided on Henry Hill but ended on Chinn Ridge (the rising ground to the left). From here fresh Confederate brigades crossed Sudley Road and overwhelmed the Union right flank. An exhibit there depicts that final assault. Thirteen months later, these armies fought over the same terrain. Check the park folder for the auto tour of Second Manassas. First Battle of Manassas
32. MANASH_110521_007.JPG: Stone House embedded projectiles
33. MANASH_110521_021.JPG: Battlefield of Bull Run or First Manassas July 21, 1861. Confederates under General Beauregard defeated Federals under General McDowell. General Jackson given name of "Stonewall" on this field. Generals Bee and Bartow killed. Old stone house used as hospital. This marker erected July 21, 1928.
34. MANASH_110521_074.JPG: Historic Stone House: The Stone House was built around 1825 as a tavern and residence and quickly became a local landmark for travelers. The appearance of the house and its surroundings has changed over the years.
35. MANASH_110521_077.JPG: The Stone House During the Civil War: View of the Stone House in March, 1862. During the First Battle of Manassas, fighting swirled around the house as Confederates were driven from the high ground in the left rear of the photograph across Youngs Branch in the foreground. Drummer Edgecomb of the 23rd New York Infantry and a comrade entered the Stone House during the Union retreat on August 30, 1862, and tried to carry a wounded soldier from the house to safety. The chaos on the turnpike and the man's weight forced them to abandon the soldier along the road near the Stone Bridge. Aerial view of the Stone House intersection during the afternoon fighting of August 30, 1862, Second Battle of Manassas. During the Second Battle of Manassas, Union casualties were brought to the Stone House. Two wounded soldiers of the 5th New York Infantry left their names carved in the floor and baseboard on a second floor room. Their names were Eugene P. Geer and Charles E. Brehm. Union medical officers used the rooms in the Stone House to gather and treat the wounded. Corporal William H. Merrill on the 27th New York Infantry was wounded during the First Battle of Manassas and sought refuge with others in the Stone House basement. "The floor above," he wrote, "was also covered with wounded soldiers, whose cries could be distinctly heard."
36. MANASH_110521_148.JPG: Back to Henry Hill
37. MANASH_110521_182.JPG: In Memory of the Patriots who fell at Bull Run July 21, 1861
38. MANASH_110521_212.JPG: Erected June 10, 1865
39. MANASH_110521_240.JPG: Honoring the Dead: Union Soldiers built Henry Hill Monument to commemorate those who died at First Bull Run (Manassas). For many Civil War veterans this had been their first battle. Intense memories drew both Union and Confederate soldiers back to this scene years after the war. First Battle of Manassas
40. MANASH_110521_244.JPG: In memory of Hugh Fauntleroy Henry, Sr. son of Isaac & Judith Henry died June 20, 1898 Aged 86 years. Forty years of his life were spent in school teaching
41. MANASH_110521_247.JPG: In memory of my dear sister Ellen Phebe Morris, daughter of Isaac & Judith Henry. Died Oct. 10, 1888 Aged 81 years. She was a self sacrificing devoted daughter, sister & aunt
42. MANASH_110521_281.JPG: Attack from Matthews Hill: Cannoneer's-Eye View: From the ridge beyond Stone House 15,000 Federals were swiftly advancing in this direction. Confederate Capt. John Imboden rushed four cannon into position here, to try to slow the Federal attack. Behind this slight rise the artillerists had some protection from enemy bombardment. Though the smoke and dust, Imboden's men could see outnumbered Confederate infantry starting to fall back from Matthews Hill. The cannoneers kept firing at top speed, knowing it would take massive reinforcements to stop the Yankees. Retreating Confederates fled past Robinson House (the next tour stop) where Wade Hampton's South Carolinians made a desperate stand. First Battle of Manassas
43. MANASH_110521_306.JPG: Outnumbered: The Stand in Robinson's Lane: Shot-up Confederate regiments stumbled past, in retreat from Matthews Hill. First along Warrenton Pike, then in Robinson's Lane, Col. Wade Hampton's South Carolinians tried to delay the Union advance. Slowly, with volley after volley of musket fire, the Union wave forced Hampton's Legion back past Robinson House toward the pine woods. At this point the Confederate Army seems on the brink of defeat. Col. Wade Hampton: South Carolina planter Wade Hampton organized this famous legion. His 600 infantry arrived by train from Richmond only hours before the battle. You are standing at the historic farm lane and fence line. On this battlefield there was no time to build earthworks. Soldiers used every wrinkle of terrain for protection -- firing prone from the road cut, or behind field stones and fence rails. First Battle of Manassas
44. MANASH_110521_371.JPG: Confederates Rally: This field was a scene of confusion. Shells were exploding all around. Hot, tired, shot-up during the retreat from Matthews Hill, Confederate units had fallen out of line and were milling about. They felt they'd lost the battle and maybe the war. At that moment Generals Johnston and Beauregard arrived on the field to rally the scattered regiments, and the Confederate line began to re-form. Out of the woods behind you filed fresh reinforcements - Thomas J. Jackson's Virginia infantry. There at that line of cannon Jackson stood firm. The sight of Gen. Joe Johnston - wounded three times in previous wars - gave the battered soldiers new courage. Learning that the 4th Alabama had lost most of its field officers, Johnston personally lead those troops forward, keeping the regimental flag at his side. The Robinson house and farm are pictured in the background. First Battle of Manassas
45. MANASH_110521_414.JPG: July 21, 1861 2:00 p.m. Army of the Potomac (Beauregard) and Army of the Shenandoah (Johnston), CSA Loudoun Artillery Capt. Arthur L. Rogers Wise Artillery Capt. Ephraim G. Alburtis Rockbridge Artillery Capt. William N. Pendleton Staunton Artillery Capt. John D. Imboden Thomas Artillery Capt. Philip B. Stanard "The ground occupied by our guns was an open space just at the eastern verge of the plateau. Here thirteen pieces, mostly 6-pounders, were maintained in action alternating to some extent with each other, and taking part as needed, all from the onset displaying that marvelous capacity of our people as artillerists which has made them, it would appear, at once the terror and the admiration of the enemy." -- Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard
46. MANASH_110521_421.JPG: Historic Farm Road Trace: Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson's First Virginia Brigade, plus artillery, marched from Confederate headquarters at the Lewis House ("Portici") along this wagon path to Henry Hill, arriving here about noon.
47. MANASH_110521_428.JPG: "...Like a Stone Wall" On the brow of the hill Brig. Gen. Bernard Bee was desperately trying to rally his men when he caught sight of Thomas J. Jackson with fresh troops here at the edge of the pine thicket. "Look!" Bee shouted. "There stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!" The nickname spread rapidly through the Confederate Army and throughout the South. "Stonewall" Jackson was on his way to becoming a legend. Jackson's Line: You are standing in the center of Stonewall Jackson's line - thirteen pieces of artillery, with infantry on the ground behind the cannon and concealed in the woods. Along the rise left and right of Henry House, Ricketts' and Griffin's Union batteries were starting to duel Jackson's artillery. Two hundred yards to your left the 33rd Virginia Infantry was preparing the charge that would ignite the day's most violent fighting. First Battle of Manassas
48. MANASH_110521_436.JPG: Where the Bartow monument had been
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