Stone Bridge - Manassas, VA
Posted by: Rayman
N 38° 49.460 W 077° 30.224
18S E 282647 N 4300261
The stone bridge across Bull Run was an important location during both the First and Second Battles of Manassas during the U.S. Civil War.
Waymark Code: WM7E88
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 10/13/2009
Views: 9
From Virginia: A Guide to the Old Dominion as part of Tour 4 (US Route 29):
At the STONE BRIDGE (R), 24.5 m., the First Battle of Manassas began on July 21, 1861. Along the stream here - Bull Run - and the hills to the west, the first major battle of the War between the States was fought. Commanded by Generals Joseph E. Johnston and P.G.T. Beauregard, the Confederate army was south of the bridge when General Irvin McDowell attacked here with one division and sent two other divisions three miles north to sweep down Bull Run in a flank attack. A Condederate observer six miles south signalled by wigwag and the Confederates were able to hold McDowell on Matthews Hill until late in the morning, when they fell back to the turnpike. There, reinforced, they held McDowell for two hours until forced to withdraw to Henry Hill. It was here that General Barnard E. Bee exclaimed, 'There stands Jackson like a stone wall.' The Confederates rallied, held their position while reinforcements were hurried forward, and two hours later drove the Federals from the hill. Again on the turnpike, McDowell's lines were broken and, in his own words, 'The retreat soon became a rout, and this degenerated into a panic.'
While the Guide only mentions events that took place during the First Battle of Manassas, the bridge also played a role in the Second Battle. Under the cover of darkness, the defeated Union army withdrew across Bull Run in this vicinity toward Centreville and the Washington defenses beyond. General Robert E. Lee's bold Second Manassas campaign opened the way for the South's first invasion of the North and possible European recognition of the Confederate government. Source: park brochure
The stone bridge still exists over Bull Run and is used by pedestrians to gain access to a myriad of trails on the west side of the creek. This area is a subunit of the Manassas National Battlefield Park and is the last stop on the driving tour featuring sites involved in the Second Battle of Bull Run.
Book: Virginia
Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 403-404
Year Originally Published: 1940
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