This battlefield, like so many, is almost tangibly serene.
On a sunny autumn morning, the music of insects and birds is more evident than the intrusive drone of distant highway traffic.
Visitors walk these Virginia grounds in respectful silence, as if walking through a church. They read the historic markers and monuments and try to imagine what it was like.
But no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to conjure up the thunder and shouting and smoke and horror and death that violated this place not once, but twice.
What happened here was tragic, not glorious. How many leaders and inventors and artists and scientists had their lives snuffed out? How much further along might our nation have progressed by now if we had not lost so many young men in the Civil War?
With meadows, forests, split-rail fences and a distant mountain ridge, Manassas National Battlefield Park seems very similar to Gettysburg, Pa., and Antietam, Md.
One difference is that this field is dominated by the equestrian statue of a Confederate leader: Thomas Jonathan Jackson. He earned his nickname here: Stonewall.
"There stands Jackson like a stone wall. ..." shouted Gen. Barnard Bee of South Carolina to his men. "Rally behind the Virginians." Just a few moments later, Bee was shot and killed.
The Union army called this place Bull Run. But history has embraced the victorious army's name for it: Manassas. The Confederates won here not once, but twice.
The battlefield is the most nationally significant attraction in Virginia's Prince William County.
The first major land battle of the Civil War took place here on July 21, 1861.
The battle raged 10 hours. About 35,000 men fought for each side. Nearly 900 were killed, a low number compared with the carnage in hundreds of battles that would follow.
The second battle took place in the same area just 13 months later -- from Aug. 28 to 30, 1862. It was larger and more deadly: More than 3,200 were killed.
At the end of that battle, Union forces made a valiant last stand on the same hill Jackson defended in the first battle. Darkness brought an end to the fighting. The Union army was defeated but still intact.
Jackson and his troops again were involved in Second Manassas, supported by troops under Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet. "It was one of Lee's most stunning victories," said park curator Jim Burgess.
About 5,000 acres of the Manassas battlefield have been preserved by the National Park Service, said Ed Raus, the park's chief of interpretation. He recommends visitors spend about three hours here.
You can see exhibits, a slide show and a six-minute battle map presentation in the visitors center, go for a mile-long self-guided walk that focuses on the first battle and take a 12-mile driving tour that focuses on the second battle.
Ranger-guided hikes through the battlefield are offered daily in summer, on weekends in spring and fall. The park has 30 miles of hiking trails, said Raus.
Most visitors might not realize major action in both battles took place on the hill at the visitors center. Burgess said the walking tour outside the center focuses only on the first battle because if it contained signs about both, "I dare say most of our visitors would be totally confused by the time they got done."
WHEN YOU GO ...
The Battlefield: The Manassas National Battlefield Park is near Interstate 66 and Route 234, 26 miles southwest of Washington. The visitors center is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Christmas. The park is open dawn to dusk. Entrance fee is $2, free for children under 17. Information: Superintendent, Manassas National Battlefield Park, 12521 Lee Highway, Manassas, Va. 20109-2005; 703-754-1861 or 703-361-1339.
Nearby:
* Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum is at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, Va., 36 miles south of Washington. Visitors arriving at the base are issued vehicle passes and given directions to the museum. It is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. No admission is charged and parking is free. Call 703-784-2606 weekdays, 703-784-2425 weekends.
* Potomac Mills is off Exit 156 of Interstate 95, 12 miles south of Washington, D.C.'s Capital Beltway. The outlet mall is open 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter; 703-643-1770.
* Prince William Forest Park is popular for camping, hiking and biking. It has 37 miles of hiking trails and a 9-mile driving loop.
It has five cabin camps, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The rustic cabins have no indoor plumbing (restrooms and showers are in separate buildings), TV, air conditioning or fireplaces. Four-person cabins cost $20 a night; six-person cabins cost $25. The park also has 80 campsites, which cost $10 a night, plus a group camping area; 703-221-7181.
Dining: I had good meals at Carmello's Ristorante Italiano in Old Town Manassas, Silver Diner in Dale City, Tim's Rivershore Restaurant and Crabhouse in Dumfries, Don Pablos Mexican Kitchen in Woodbridge and Garden Kitchen in Occoquan.
Information: Prince William/Manassas Conference Center & Visitors Bureau, 14420 Bristow Road, Manassas, Va. 20112-3932; 800-432-1792 or 703-792-4254. The bureau's Web site address is: www.visitpwc.com.
Pub Date: 03/07/99