August 28-30, 1862 - Second Battle of Bull Run
August 28-30, 1862
Second Battle of Bull Run / Second Manassas / Brawner's Farm
Prince William and Fairfax County, Virginia
Union's John Pope
vs.
Confederate's Robert E. Lee
* Lee hooks-up with Longstreet for a big attack before McClellan gets back from the Peninsula Campaign
* Jackson does his sweeping right-flank around the Union army thing; luring them out of defensive positions
*Pretty bad Union defeat, but not as bad as the first time!
* Pope gets fired; Lee marches North
And now, here are some of the sites of the Second Bull Run trail...in reverse, so we start with the stone house, again. I didn't make it to the Brawner Farm, where the fighting took place on the first day, but I'll be back!
Update, Fall of 2025 I made it back - saw the Brawner Farm super-early and added a few additional markers. The fighting started there, and so will we- though I am not committing to strict chronology here.
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=58797 |
The Battle Begins
Second Battle of Manassas
—Day One - August 28, 1862 - 6 p.m.—
Late on the afternoon of August 28, Brig. Gen. Rufus King's division proceeded east towards Centreville. They marched in search of the elusive "Stonewall" Jackson, who was operating behind Union lines with half the Confederate army. As the head of the column passed the village of Groveton, Confederate artillery emerged from the woods and fired upon the unsuspecting Federals. Union troops turned to fight a fierce twilight battle near the Brawner Farm that began the three day battle of Second Manassas.
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=88513 |
Archeology at Brawner Farm
Once the scene of bloody combat, Brawner Farm sits today in a quiet corner of Manassas Battlefield. Archeologists have conducted multiple investigations of the property, which have uncovered the site of several structures and unearthed thousands of artifacts. This rich assemblage of domestic and military objects provides valuable information about those that lived and fought here.
Excavations revealed the foundations of an earlier house partly underneath the current structure, and this earlier house was the one that stood during the Second Battle of Manassas. The chimney pile before you is all that remains of a large outbuilding believed to have served as a combined kitchen and slave quarter. Surveys of the yard produced evidence of former inhabitants - both free and enslaved - including pottery, dishes, tools, jewelry, and children's toys. Mixed in among these household items were heavy concentrations of military artifacts, which have contributed to our understanding of the positions and movements of units during the battle. Together these discoveries shed light on the rich history of Brawner Farm, but also serve as a poignant reminder of the war's impact on local residents.
Evidence of inhabitants included jewelry (left), clay marbles (center top), pieces of glass and pottery possibly used as gaming counters by slaves (center bottom), and a prewar padlock (right).
Artifacts from the August 1862 battle included dropped bullets (left), the sabot and base from a 3-inch Dyer artillery shell (center), and military buttons (right).
Erected by National Park Service.
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=45952 |
Jackson Opens Fire
Second Battle of Manassas
—Day One, August 28, 1862, 6 p.m.—
"My command was advanced...until it reached a commanding position near Brawner's house. By this time it was sunset; but as [the Union] column appeared to be moving by, with its flank exposed, I determined to attack at once."
Observing a column of tired, unsuspecting Federal troops marching eastward on the Warrenton Pike (U.S. Rte. 29 today), General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson chose to reveal his position and draw the Union Army of Virginia into battle on ground favoring the Confederates. The Federals raced for cover along the roadside as Confederate shells burst overhead. The Battle of Second Manassas had begun.
Two divisions of Jackson's hardened infantry swarmed from the wooded ridge behind the house but met unexpected stiff resistance from six Union regiments that advanced from the turnpike. Confederate division commanders William Taliaferro and Richard Ewell were severely wounded in the intense, close range firefight that continued until darkness fell. The fight at Brawner's Farm ended in stalemate leaving Jackson frustrated by his troops' inability to break the Union line.
Erected 2011 by Manassas National Battlefield Park - National Park Service - Department of the Interior.
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=58808 |
A Stand Up Fight
Second Battle of Manassas
—Day One-August 28, 1862-Nightfall—
Union Brig. Gen. John Gibbon advanced through the woods with his men intent on driving off the Confederate artillery. Discovering Stonewall Jackson's infantry in force and "...finding that the regiment had become badly involved I ordered the rest of the brigade rapidly up to its support. They moved up and promptly formed in line ... then for over an hour the most terrific musketry fire I have ever listened to rolled along those two lines of battle."
"A sheet of flame seemed to go out from each side" as the exchange of deadly volleys continued into the growing darkness. Outnumbered and exposed, the Union line held its ground, returning fire with discipline and great effect. Fence rails gave little protection to the famed "Stonewall Brigade" less than 50 yards in front. Gibbon was pleased with his largely untested Midwestern troops who stood firm under fire.
John Gibbon's "Black Hat" Brigade - named for their distinctive black Hardee hats - first proved their tenacity at Second Manassas. Here they held their ground against an overwhelming force of Stonewall Jackson's battle hardened veterans.
Losse on both sides were frightful. Gibbon's brigade lost 725 out of 1,937 men. The 56th Pennsylvania and 76th New York of Abner Doubleday's brigade lost 236 of about 550 men. The Stonewall Brigade lost 340 of 850 men. One in three men who fought here were casualties.
Caption:
Union Brig. Gen. John Gibbon was reared in North Carolina and had three brothers in the Confederate army.
Erected by Manassas National Battlefield Park - National Park Service - Department of the Interior.
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=8430 |
19th Indiana Infantry
— Second Battle of Manassas —
August 28, 1862
7:00 p.m.
4th Brigade (Gibbon), First Division (King)
Third Corps (McDowell), Army of Virginia, USA
19th Indiana Infantry
Col. Solomon Meredith
"The enemy was secreted under cover of a fence and did not make their appearance until we had approached to within 75 yards. Immediately upon our halting the enemy fired. Three different times they came up at a charge, but the 19th stood firm. They fell back to their fence each time."
-Col. Solomon Meredith
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=8465 |
First Brigade
(The Stonewall Brigade)
— Second Battle of Manassas —
August 28, 1862
7:00 p.m.
Jackson's Division (W. B. Taliaferro)
Left Wing (Jackson)
Army of Northern Virginia, CSA
First Brigade
(The Stonewall Brigade)
Col. William S. Baylor
2nd Virginia 5th Virginia
4th Virginia 27th Virginia
33rd Virginia
"Here one of the most terrific engagements that can be conceived of occurred. Our troops held the farmhouse while the enemy held the orchard. To the left our men stood in the open field without shelter of any kind. For two hours and a half, without an instant's cessation of the most deadly discharges of musketry, round shot and shell, both sides stood unmoved, neither advancing and neither yielding until at last, about 9 o'clock the enemy slowly and sullenly fell back."
- Brig. Gen. William B. Taliaferro
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=58863 |
Shooting Gallery
Second Battle of Manassas
—Day Three -August 30, 1862- 3 p.m.—
On the morning of August 30, 1862, Confederate Col. Stephen D. Lee deployed 18 guns from his artillery battalion along this commanding ridge. Additional cannon, under Maj. Lindsey M. Shumaker, unlimbered to his left. The artillery linked the two winds of the Confederate army. In total, as many as 36 guns occupied this ground overlooking the rolling fields of Lucinda Dogan's farm.
At 3:00 p.m., Union troops poured out of the Groveton woods to attack Jackson's line along the unfinished railroad. From this position, Confederate gunners had a clear view of the assault - the most formidable onslaught of the three days. The artillery concentrated their fire on the advancing enemy line, one-half mile ahead. The lethal bombardment kept reinforcements from crossing the field and helped ensure the failure of the Union attack.
"Our position was an admirable one and the guns were well served."
-Col. Stephen D. Lee.
Erected by Manassas National Battlefield Park - National Park Service - Department of the Interior.
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=58897 |
Groveton Confederate Cemetery
Manassas National Battlefield Park
—National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior—
Neither side had anticipated the war's cost in blood. After the fighting at Manassas, burial details dug shallow graves where soldiers had fallen. There was little time for ceremony. Crude wooden headboards sometimes noted the soldier's name and regiment. Many went to their graves anonymously.
The Bull Run and Groveton Ladies' Memorial Association, established in 1867, launched a campaign to recover Confederate dead from the battlefield. The organization established this cemetery and orchestrated the re-interment of an estimated 500 soldiers. Few could be identified and only two graves have individual headstones. Many of the Union dead were reburied in Arlington National Cemetery.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=167095 |
Dulce et decorum
est pro patria mori.
Erected
by the
United Daughters
of the
Confederacy
to the
Confederate Dead.
We care not whence they came,
Dear in their lifeless clay!
Whether unknown or known to fame,
Their cause and country still the same.
They died—and wore the gray.
(east face)
They sleep well
in their unknown
graves on this
far-away
battle field.
(north face)
They gave their lives
in defense of their
country on the fields
of the First and
Second Manassas.
(west face)
But for them the
counting of time
is not: for they
dwell in the
City of God.
Erected 1904 by The Bull Run Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Maybe it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. However, it is bitter and shameful to die fighting against one's country, as these traitors did.
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| My favorite kind of Confederates |
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=195124 https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=195125 |
Groveton Confederate Cemetery
Honoring the Fallen at Groveton
After the war, the remains of Confederate dead were reburied on the knoll to your right. To your left, a footpath leads to the house of the widow Lucinda Dogan, on whose land the cemetery was located.
Manassas National Battlefield Park preserves nearly 5,000 acres of historic land. History and nature converge here to create an absorbing visitor experience. In addition to historic structures, archaeological sites, and cultural landscapes, the park provides habitat for a wide variety of plants, birds, and other wildlife. Please enjoy your visit and help us protect the park for future generations.
[Caption:]
The Confederate Monument crowns the center of the Groveton Confederate Cemetery.
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| Same house, two years earlier. |
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=57997 |
Lucinda Dogan House
This small frame house stands as the only surviving original structure of the crossroad village of Groveton. Widow Lucinda Dogan and her five young children moved here shortly after their residence, “Peach Grove,” burned in 1860. The family joined to smaller outbuildings to create the present dwelling.
The house was repeatedly caught in the crossfire of opposing Union and Confederate armies during the Second Battle of Manassas. Numerous bullets and shell fragments scarred the structure. Years later, the family sought compensation for property damage during the war. The government denied the claim.
*
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=195165 https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=195166 Battery Heights |
A Prized Position
Union and Confederate armies alike recognized the value of this hill as an artillery position during the Second Battle of Manassas. Union artillerists occupied this spot first, on August 28, 1862, during the Brawner Farm engagement. Two days later, Confederate gunners unlimbered here to help repulse the Federals attacking at the Deep Cut. Walk the grounds for a view of the battlefield. The Brawner Farm area lies to your left. The Unfinished Railroad crosses the ridge in front of you and through the Deep Cut area, nearly one mile away.
Manassas National Battlefield Park preserves nearly 5,000 acres of historic land. History and nature converge here to create an absorbing visitor experience. In addition to historic structures, archeological sites, and cultural landscapes, the park provides habitat for a wide variety of plants, birds, and other wildlife. Please enjoy your visit and help us protect the park for future generations.
[Caption:]
Artillery on Battery Heights today marks the position of Confederate Capt. William Chapman's Dixie Artillery on August 30, 1862.
Erected by National Park Service,
U.S. Department of the Interior.
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=58895 |
Battery Heights
Second Battle of Manassas
—Day One- August 28, 1862 - 6:30 p.m—
As General Rufus King's Union division marched eastward along the Warrenton Turnpike (U.S. Route 29 today), they came under fire from Confederate artillery on the distant ridge. Captain Joseph Campbell's Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery wheeled off the road and into position atop this rise to return fire. Campbell's six guns effectively silenced the Rebel batteries, allowing Federal infantry to confront the Confederates on the neighboring Brawner Farm. These were the opening salvos of the Second Battle of Manassas.
Erected 2012 by Manassas National Battlefield Park - National Park Service - Department of the Interior.
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=195169 |
Broken by Artillery
Second Battle of Manassas: Day Three, August 30, 1862 3:30 p.m.
— Manassas National Battlefield Park, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
In response to Stonewall Jackson's urgent request for support, General Robert E. Lee directed General James Longstreet to send reinforcements to bolster the Confederate line along the Unfinished Railroad, one-half mile ahead of you. Union troops were threatening to overwhelm the gray-clad defenders near the Deep Cut. Longstreet, on his own initiative, chose instead a far swifter method of relieving Jackson. He ordered artillery on this knoll.
Captain William Chapman's Virginia battery, the Dixie Artillery, swept forward and unlimbered. The open ground afforded a perfect line of fire into the flank and rear of the advancing Union troops. The fire from Chapman's four guns, adding to that from other Confederate batteries on the Brawner Farm, effectively broke up the Union attack. As the enemy troops fled the field, Longstreet launched a massive counterattack that drove back the Federal left flank.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
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https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=89980"Vision of Victory— Second Battle of Manassas - Day Two - August 29, 1862 —The opening fight at Brawner Farm revealed Stonewall Jackson's position north of Groveton. In response, General John Pope ordered his entire force - nearly 65,000 Federal Troops - to converge on the Confederates and bring them to battle. This directive led the army back to the First Manassas battlefield, stirring poignant memories of the previous year's defeat. Pope remained confident of victory at daybreak on August 29. The Federal commander assumed Jackson's outnumbered force was isolated and in retreat. Pope believed his troops were positioned to prevent Jackson's escape. He fully expected that Jackson would be destroyed before Confederate reinforcements could intervene. Tactical realities were a bit different. Instead of "retreating," Jackson's troops had taken a strong defensive position along the embankments of an unfinished railroad. By noon, General James Longstreet had nearly 30,000 men - the rest of Lee's Confederate army - deploying on the battlefield. Pope, however, discounted all evidence that did not fit his vision of total victory. Pope arrived on the battlefield and established his headquarters here atop Buck Hill. Federal troops used the surrounding fields as staging areas for assaults on Jackson's line, one mile to the northwest." |
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| https://www.nps.gov/places/information-panel-advancing-into-the-woods.htm Is this not a historical marker? Why does the Park Service record it but not HMDB.org? I don't have the capacity to find out right now. [Sept 2025, I finally have my answer: because the markers are always changing and the database is imperfect; if it is not in there, I will need to add it myself!] "Originally expected to attack over open ground west of the Groveton-Sudley Road (Featherbed Lane today), Grover shifted his brigade to the right of his initially assigned position and into these woods to mask his movement and avoid Confederate artillery fire. While the timber would disrupt his line formations, it would provide enough cover for the troops to advance as close as possible to the Confederates undetected, before charging with their bayonets. For the Confederates, the woods in their front blinded them to the approaching threat. The crackling of underbrush could be heard long before the enemy could be seen, and the Yankees closed to within 100 yards of the railroad embankment before the Rebels realized the enemy was upon them. Colonel Edward Thomas, commanding a brigade of Georgians here, ordered his men to rise up and fire. The opening salvo "seemed to create a breeze that made the leaves upon the trees rustle," according to one Federal, "and a shower of small boughs and twigs fell upon the ground." At that moment, General Grover spurred his horse to the front and yelled for his men to "Charge!" |
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https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=90889The Rock FightSecond Battle of ManassasDay Three August 30,1862 3:30 p.m.Yankees were pinned down on the far side of the embankment only yards away. After twenty minutes of continuous shooting, Confederates here were running out of ammunition. Frantically, they searched their dead and wounded comrades for cartridges. Others pried stones from the railroad grade and hurled them down on the enemy. Already shell-shocked, some bewildered Federals threw the stones right back. The rock fight lasted but a moment. By the time the Confederates resorted to such desperate tactics, the enemy attack had already weakened. Soon reinforcements arrived to drive off the remaining Federals. The rock-throwing had no effect on the battle's outcome. Yet the incident grew legendary, an image of the desperate, close-quarters fighting at Deep Cut." |
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=90825 In memory of the patriots who fell at Groveton. Aug 28th 29th & 30th 1862 "Like its companion monument on Henry Hill, this obelisk was constructed by Union soldiers at the close of the Civil War. It honors the Federal dead of the Second Battle of Manassas. The monument was dedicated on June 11, 1865. Souvenir hunters later stripped the monument of the field artillery shells that originally adorned it." Here's a uniquely weird historical marker demanding an explanation. |
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=20395 "The Wisconsin Company 1st Regiment of Berdan's U.S. Sharpshooters used many cartridges on this spot, August 30, 1862. Losing 1 man killed and 8 wounded position marked by Geo. E. Albee, a private of the company" "Jim Burgess of Manassas National Battlefield offers this brief history of the marker: The sign in question, known locally as the "Cedar Pole Monument," was first erected by George E. Albee, a veteran of Co. G (Wisconsin Company), 1st U.S.S.S. who was wounded at Second Manassas, and a Medal of Honor recipient (Indian Wars service). The exact date for the original sign is not known but it was put in place during one of Albee's several visits to the battlefield after his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1878 and before his death in 1918. Albee reportedly boarded with the Dogan family during his visits. We speculate it may date to about 1890. The present marker, as John Hennessy has correctly pointed out, is a replacement fabricated by the NPS while what we believe to be the original sign, now barely legible, resides in the park's museum collection (Catalog # MANA 1657)." |
I mean, I am familiar with Porter's Assault, but not this sign.
 https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=213663 New York Monuments New York Remembers Its Own In 1906 the State of New York authorized the erection of three monuments on the field of the Second Battle of Manassas, honoring the sacrifices of the Fifth New York Volunteers, the Tenth New York Volunteers, and the Fourteenth Brooklyn. Follow the mowed path on your left to the site of the Fourteenth Brooklyn Monument. The park road continues 0.3 mile to the monuments to the Fifth and Tenth New York. Manassas National Battlefield Park preserves nearly 5,000 acres of historic land. History and nature converge here to create an absorbing visitor experience. In addition to historic structures, archeological sites, and cultural landscapes, the park provides habitat for a wide variety of plants, birds, and other wildlife. Please enjoy your visit and help us protect the park for future generations. Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.  5th Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry Duryee Zouaves Erected by the State of New York September 29, 1906, to commemorate the heroic services of the 5th Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry (Duryee Zouaves) ———————————— Here, about 4 p.m. August 30, 1862, the regiment, 482 strong, supported Hazlett's Battery, "D" 5th U.S. Artillery, when attacked by a Division of the victorious Confederates. The Regiment stubbornly withstood this force, and checked its advance, until the Battery had withdrawn. In holding this position, the regiment suffered the greatest loss of life sustained by any infantry regiment, in any battle, during the entire Civil War. The casualties were: killed or mortally wounded, 124; wounded 223. Both color bearers, and seven out of eight of the color guard were killed; but the colors were brought with honor, off the field. Erected 1906 by State of New York.  |
| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=9836 |
Erected by the State of New York, to commemorate the patriotic services of the 10th Reg't New York Volunteers
National Zouaves
Mustered into the U.S. Service April 27th 1861. Reorganized as a Battalion, April 27th 1863. Participated in 23 battles and campaigns, including the surrender of the Confederate Army at Appomattox, Va. April 9th, 1865. Here, August 30th 1862 the Regiment assisted in resisting the assault of a superior force of the enemy, losing nearly a third of its number, one officer and thirty men were killed or mortally wounded. "Braver men than those who fought and fell that day could not be found."
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=58861 |
Confederate Counterattack
Second Battle of Manassas
—Day Three-August 30, 1862-4 p.m.—
Generals Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet both concluded the moment had arrived to launch a massive Confederate offensive at Second Manassas. Longstreet's wing of the army - nearly 30,000 troops - stood primed to sweep forward and sever the Union army's line of retreat. Their goal, ironically, was Henry Hill - the key terrain of the First Battle of Manassas.
Only three Federal brigades - fewer than 5,000 men - stood in their path. Following the bloody repulse at Deep Cut, other Federal troops had shifted north of the turnpike to restore order. This tactical blunder weakened the Union left, against which the Confederates now struck. John Pope's blindness to Longstreet's arrival had led to disaster.
Erected by Manassas National Battlefield Park - National Park Service - Department of the Interior.
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https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=58858"The Very Vortex of Hell"Second Battle of ManassasDay Three August 30,1862 4:15 p.m.From their position atop this ridge, the soldiers of the 5th New York Infantry listened to the crash of battle. It appeared the regiment had escaped combat that day. Most of the fighting raged one mile to the north near Deep Cut. Around 4 p.m. an ominous silence took hold. Much of the distant firing had stopped. Suddenly a violent burst of musketry pierced the stillness. Terrified Union skirmishers came running out of the woods, followed by a tremendous crashing of brush and leaves - the sound of a large army approaching. The 5th New York hurried to form a battle line along the crest of this slope. By then, thousands of Confederates were at the edge of the trees firing volley after volley. The New Yorkers were overrun in less than ten minutes. The unit sustained 123 men killed or mortally wounded - the greatest loss of life in any Union infantry regiment in any single action of the war. Remembering the one-sided slaughter, a veteran compared it to "the very vortex of Hell." The grassy slope behind you, covered with the colorful red and blue uniforms of fallen Zouaves, reminded one Southerner of a field of Texas wildflowers. |
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| The grassy slope |
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https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=232640
James Robinson House
To the south stood the farmhouse of James Robinson, a former slave freed by Landon Carter. There, during the First Battle of Manassas on 21 July 1861, Col. Wade Hampton’s Legion covered the Confederates falling back to Henry Hill, where Jackson stood “like a stone wall.” The house survived that battle, and during the Second Battle of Manassas in August 1862 served the Union troops as a field hospital. Congress later authorized compensation to Robinson for property damages. The present house stands partially on the foundation of the original.
Erected 1991 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number G-16.)
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=152390
Stone Bridge
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Virginia
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
A War-Torn Landmark
As the scene of the opening shots of the First Battle of Manassas and the retreat of Federals from the Second Battle of Manassas, the Stone Bridge witnessed the ebb and flow of Union fortune and misfortune in the two battles. Follow the paved path to the reconstructed bridge. A trail on the other side of Bull Run leads to sites significant to the fighting at First Manassas on July 21, 1861.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
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| Bull Run * |
These are the remnants of a home called Hazel Plain, over on the Chinn Ridge side of the battlefield, where fighting ended the third day. I visited the area again in Sept. of 2025 and probably still haven't seen it all. Here's a bunch...
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=58865 |
Hazel Plain
In 1860, Benjamin Chinn and his family lived here in a two-and-a-half story frame farmhouse. Known as "Hazel Plain," the modest plantation comprised several hundred acres. The property was typical of those in Prince William County, yielding wheat, corn, oats, and potatoes for cash and subsistence. Like roughly one-third of their immediate neighbors, the Chinn family owned slaves.
War engulfed the Chinn homestead twice in thirteen months. Prominently located on a high ridge overlooking the Warrenton Turnpike and Young's Branch, Hazel Plain stood as a silent witness to some of the heaviest fighting during both battles of Manassas. On each occasion the family took refuge with relatives. They returned to find their house stained with blood and their well fouled by amputated limbs. It was a scene familiar to many local residents whose homes stood in the crosshairs of combat.
Erected by Manassas National Battlefield Park - National Park Service - Department of the Interior.
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=221622 |
A Battle For Time
During the late afternoon of August 30, 1862, Union defenders staged a desperate battle against overwhelming numbers of Confederates. While the battle raged along Chinn Ridge, Union Maj. Gen. John Pope organized a new defensive line on Henry Hill and along the historic Manassas-Sudley Road. The paved path retraces the course of fighting here during the Second Battle of Manassas.
Manassas National Battlefield Park preserves nearly 5,000 acres of historic land. History and nature converge here to create an absorbing visitor experience. In addition to historic structures, archeological sites, and cultural landscapes, the park provides habitat for a wide variety of plants, birds, and other wildlife. Please enjoy your visit and help us protect the park for future generations.
Erected by National Park Service.
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=88714 |
Chinn Ridge
Second Battle of Manassas - Day Three
—August 30, 1862—
The massive Confederate counterattack appeared unstoppable. General James Longstreet’s wing of the army – upwards of 28,000 troops – steadily pushed east toward Henry Hill. If the Confederates occupied that plateau, ironically the same ground on which the First Battle of Manassas had culminated the previous summer, they could cut off the Federals’ line of retreat and possibly annihilate the Union army.
Finally comprehending the magnitude of the crisis, General John Pope raced to save his command. Pope worked to establish a new defensive position and safeguard his avenue of escape. To gain time for his new line to take shape, the Federal commander ordered additional troops onto Chinn Ridge. Here a handful of Union brigades struggled to slow the Confederate advance and buy that time in blood.
Fight at the Fence Line
Second Battle of Manassas
—Day Three August 30, 1862 4:30 p.m.—
Colonel Nathaniel McLean braced his men for the coming onslaught. The Union officer, a civilian attorney with no prewar military background, commanded 1,200 Ohioans on Chinn Ridge. The ground directly in front of his brigade was open at the time of the battle and McLean's men could see the approaching enemy. At this moment only the Ohioans stood between the Confederates and Henry Hill.
The Confederate attack soon drew the attention of Federal artillery north of the Warrenton Turnpike. To avoid this raking cannon fire, some of the advancing troops crowded into the woods to your far left front. Rather than continue straight ahead into McLean's waiting guns, the weight of the Confederate attack now fell upon the Ohioan's left flank. McLean's line was caught in a devastating crossfire and quickly crumbled.
In desperation McLean ordered two of his regiments to change front and reform at the fence line. By this point Confederate forces were sweeping onto the Chinn farm. As they surged past the Chinn house, McLean's brave remnant rose and fired. Their concentrated volley struck the Confederates like a shock wave. For ten minutes deafening musketry continued until overwhelming numbers forced the Ohioans back along the ridge.
Erected by Manassas National Battlefield Park, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=94600
Defending the Cannon
Second Battle of Manassas
Day Three August 30, 1862 5:30 p.m.
As the Ohioans strived to delay the Confederates, Federal reinforcements rushed to Chinn Ridge in support. With these troops came the 5th Battery, Maine Light Artillery, under the temporary command of Lt. William F. Twitchell. The five guns unlimbered here atop the ridge, but the retreating Ohioans momentarily obstructed their field of fire.
With the onrushing Confederates nearly upon them, the battery unleashed a thunderous volley of canister that "seemed to shake the very Earth." The blast caused the Confederate line to shudder. Colonel Frederick Skinner of the 1st Virginia Infantry rode into the maelstrom wielding his sword. Following his example, the Confederates swarmed the battery and captured four of the cannon.
The fighting swirled around the guns for the next thirty minutes. This stubborn pocket of resistance caused the Confederates many lives and valuable time. Meanwhile, Federal reserves assembled in the rear to stave off disaster. By the time Confederate forces overcame Union opposition on Chinn Ridge, fresh Federal troops were waiting along Sudley Road and on the slopes of Henry Hill.
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=231305 |
In memory of
Colonel Fletcher Webster
Who here fell August 30, 1862
while gallantly leading his regiment
the 12th Mass. Volunteers
This memorial was dedicated Oct. 21, 1914
by survivors of his regiment and
Fletcher Webster Post, G.A.R.
of Brockton, Mass.
He gave his life for
the principles laid down by his father
Daniel Webster
"Liberty and union,
now and forever, one and inseparable"
This boulder was taken from
the Webster place, Marshfield, Mass.
Remember that monument on NY Ave. to all those Zouaves that got killed on the hillside? Here's a monument for the people who killed them! If you'll excuse a bit of editorializing: FUCK TEXAS.
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| https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=231306 TEXAS Remembers the valor and devotion of her soldiers who participated in the battle of Second Manassas, Virginia - August 28-30, 1862.On this field Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia won the decisive battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign against Union Maj. Gen. John Pope's Army of Virginia. Arriving on the second day, August 29th, Confederate Maj. Gen. James Longstreet's wing took position opposite Pope's left-flank late that afternoon. Brig. Gen. John Bell Hood's Texas Brigade saw its first combat of the engagement advancing into the Union line at Groveton. Their position untenable, the Brigade withdrew the following morning. Misinterpreting Confederate maneuvers as a retreat, Gen. Pope ordered another attack on Gen. Stonewall Jackson's position on August 30th. With the help of Gen. Longstreet's artillery the Union attack was repulsed. Gen. Longstreet's five divisions then counterattacked in one of the largest simultaneous mass assaults of the war. Hood's Texas Brigade led the advance with the entire wing pivoting on the brigade. In the ensuing combat Hood's Texas Brigade overwhelmed the 5th and 10th New York Zouaves at Groveton and drove off a brigade of Pennsylvania reserves, their efforts climaxed with the capture of Kern's Pennsylvania Battery. Although the terrain and stubborn Union resistance on Chinn Ridge ultimately broke the tactical integrity of the unit, the Texas Brigade contributed significantly to the collapse of the Union left flank which forced Pope's retreat that night and opened the way for Lee's invasion of Maryland. The Battle of Second Manassas, VA Brig. Gen. John Bell Hood's Brigade 1st Texas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 4th Texas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 5th Texas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 18th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment Hampton's Legion, South Carolina (8 Infantry Companies) Texas units formed the major portion of Hood's Brigade, thus it was commonly known as the Texas Brigade, but the 18th Georgia, Hampton's Legion, and later the 3rd Arkansas were integral parts of the brigade. Texas remembers and honors her sons and those of her sister states who fought with them. They sleep the sleep of the brave."   Campaign of Second Manassas Here Taliaferro, of Jackson’s force, came into the highway in the late night of August 27, 1862. He was marching from Manassas to the position about a mile and a half to the north held by Jackson in the Second Battle of Manassas. Erected 1931 by Conservation & Development Commission. (Marker Number C-48.)  https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=108461 Second Battle of Manassas On the Henry Hill, Pope’s rear guard, in the late afternoon of August 30, 1862, repulsed the attacks of Longstreet coming from the west. If the hill had been taken, Pope’s army would have been doomed; but the Unionists held it while the rest of their troops retreated across Bull Run on the way to Centreville. Erected 1931 by Conservation & Development Commission. (Marker Number C-46.)  Union Retreat Second Battle of Manassas - Day Three —August 30, 1862 - 9 p.m.— Under cover of darkness, the defeated Union army withdrew toward Centreville, four miles to the east. The troops crossed Bull Run on a makeshift wooden span, constructed several months earlier by Union engineers using the remaining bridge abutments. After the last soldiers filed across the stream, the replacement bridge was destroyed by the Union rear guard. If you can find records of this sign then you're a better amateur historian than me.  |
Short of Total Victory
Second Battle of Manassas Day Three August 30,1862
Nothing could stop them now: sweeping downhill from Chinn Ridge thousands of Confederates crossed Chinn Branch and began crashing through these woods. Ahead was Sudley Road - the road to the Stone House intersection, and the chance to cut off any Union retreat.
At the last minute, regiments of Pennsylvania Reserves and U.S. Regulars came running full-tilt from Henry Hill, and took position along the road cut. From the hill behind them artillery started lobbing shells in this direction; Union small arms fire ripped through the trees. Here the Confederate counterattack lost momentum.
The hour's fighting on Chinn Ridge had given the Union just enough time to establish this defense along Sudley Road. Confederates made repeated, disjointed assaults along the half mile line but could not quite break through. This was the Confederates' last opportunity to annihilate the Union Army, but darkness fell before they could concentrate their forces."
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The end
Sources include:
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/second-manassas
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