Wartime Manassas, On to Richmond, Manassas, VA - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

On July 16, 1861, confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard received a coded message here from the famous Confederate spy, Mrs. Rose O’Neal Greenbow, in Washington. She warned him that she had copies of orders for Union Gen, Irvin McDowell to march 35,000 troops to capture Manassas and then move on to Richmond. Beauregard wired Confederate President Jefferson Davis to request reinforcements. Davis confirmed McDowells advance, then ordered Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s army from the Shenandoah Valley to Manassas Junction.
Early on July 18, just as Union Gen. Robert Patterson telegraphed Washington that he had “succeeded in keeping Johnston’s force at Winchester,” Johnston slipped his command out of town. Johnston did not tell his men where they were going, and their forced march did not end until 2 a.m. on July 19, at Paris, Virginia. As the soldiers rested, Johnston rode ahead to Piedmont Station (present day Delaplane) to arrange for trains to transport them here. When he learned of the fight at Blackburn’s Ford earlier that day, he sent word to Beauregard that he was on his way. About 6 a.m., Johnston’s first brigade, under Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, marched into view and soon boarded railroad cars for the 8 hour ride. The brigade arrived here in time to help defend the junction at the First Battle of Manassas. Within 28 hours, the men had covered 60 miles and made history as the first soldiers ever to move from one theater of war to another by train. (Marker)

Type of site: Transportation Route or Facility Address: West St. Manassas, VA USA 20110 Admission Charged: No Charge Website: [Web Link] Driving Directions: At the West St. rail crossing, Old Town Manassas, VA Phone Number: Not listed

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