A House Divided
Henry Hill, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Virginia
"A house divided against itself cannot stand."
- Abraham Lincoln, paraphrasing Matthew 12:25
Such a beautiful place as this witnessed the shock of a nation, not once, but tragically twice. Manassas at the start of the American Civil War was a major railroad hub in northern Virginia, and therefore made for an important strategic objective for Union forces to capture. Manassas was the very first major battle of the American Civil War. The stunning defeat of numerically superior but unprepared Union forces here on July 16, 1861, shocked the North to the core; most Americans at the time had thought it would be a short and relatively bloodless war. They were wrong by 4 years and over 600,000 dead.
You may know the name of this battlefield as "Bull Run", as in the First Battle of Bull Run. This was the Union name for the battle, and its fame spread via Northern newspapers. But now 150 years later, the actual policy of the National Park Service, which dutifully manages this hallowed ground, is to name battlefields after the pattern of the victor of that particular battle. The Union usually (but not always) named battles after the nearest geographic feature, hence, Bull Run, a creek that runs across the battlefield even to this day. But the Confederates named them after the nearest town or city, hence Manassas. When Union forces tried again in late August 1862 and once again were crushed, the Second Battle of Manassas repeated much of the loss of blood across the very same ground.
Here at Henry Hill, the Park Service has worked hard to recreate the terrain as it was then, including a reconstruction of Henry House. The Park is a lovely break from surrounding Northern Virginia (NOVA), which sadly is surrendering to continuous urban sprawl from nearby Washington D.C.
Runners and those wishing to get some fresh air enjoy the space; I had to wait multiple times for groups to pass out of view to get this shot. How strange history flows, echoing down the years from such tragedy to create in the present a fine running path in the morning air...
Also on the same battlefield, the Old Stone House.
Selected for FLICKR Explore February 4, 2022, # 45.
*Press L or left click on the photo for best viewing.
Link to ~My best photos~
*** All my photos are © All Rights Reserved. ***
A House Divided
Henry Hill, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Virginia
"A house divided against itself cannot stand."
- Abraham Lincoln, paraphrasing Matthew 12:25
Such a beautiful place as this witnessed the shock of a nation, not once, but tragically twice. Manassas at the start of the American Civil War was a major railroad hub in northern Virginia, and therefore made for an important strategic objective for Union forces to capture. Manassas was the very first major battle of the American Civil War. The stunning defeat of numerically superior but unprepared Union forces here on July 16, 1861, shocked the North to the core; most Americans at the time had thought it would be a short and relatively bloodless war. They were wrong by 4 years and over 600,000 dead.
You may know the name of this battlefield as "Bull Run", as in the First Battle of Bull Run. This was the Union name for the battle, and its fame spread via Northern newspapers. But now 150 years later, the actual policy of the National Park Service, which dutifully manages this hallowed ground, is to name battlefields after the pattern of the victor of that particular battle. The Union usually (but not always) named battles after the nearest geographic feature, hence, Bull Run, a creek that runs across the battlefield even to this day. But the Confederates named them after the nearest town or city, hence Manassas. When Union forces tried again in late August 1862 and once again were crushed, the Second Battle of Manassas repeated much of the loss of blood across the very same ground.
Here at Henry Hill, the Park Service has worked hard to recreate the terrain as it was then, including a reconstruction of Henry House. The Park is a lovely break from surrounding Northern Virginia (NOVA), which sadly is surrendering to continuous urban sprawl from nearby Washington D.C.
Runners and those wishing to get some fresh air enjoy the space; I had to wait multiple times for groups to pass out of view to get this shot. How strange history flows, echoing down the years from such tragedy to create in the present a fine running path in the morning air...
Also on the same battlefield, the Old Stone House.
Selected for FLICKR Explore February 4, 2022, # 45.
*Press L or left click on the photo for best viewing.
Link to ~My best photos~
*** All my photos are © All Rights Reserved. ***