When my parents were in town we toured the Manassas battlefield. It's the site of the very first battle of the civil war and where Stonewall Jackson earned his nickname. There were two battles fought there, but the first battle is the most interesting to me.
Both sides thought the war would be over with that first battle. Spectators from both sides watched from the hills nearby. Some brought picnic lunches. People all the way in DC (which is about a 35 minute drive without any traffic) heard the cannon fire and thought it was distant thunder.
In the photo of Mom and Dad in front of the Stonewall Jackson memorial, notice the cannons to the right in the background - that was Jackson's line. The other picture is of the cannons in the union line, beside the Henry Hill house. That house was demolished during the first battle and later rebuilt. Mrs. Henry died in the house during the first battle - she was old and bedridden, and didn't want to b
e moved away from her home.In the years after the war ended, the owner of the Hill property charged $0.50 admission for tours. They made $5 a day.
Some of our relatives fought for the confederates, although I'm not sure in which battles.
