Manassas Battlefield to mark 156th anniversary of First Battle of Manassas July 22

Manassas National Battlefield Park will commemorate the 156th anniversary of the First Battle of Manassas on Saturday, July 22, with special programs and living history demonstrations. 

On Saturday, July 22, park historians will offer special extended tours highlighting sites significant to the First Manassas battle.  These will include a tour of the Stone Bridge area at 9:30 a.m., a Matthews Hill tour at 11 a.m., and a tour of Chinn Ridge at 4 p.m. 

In addition, park interpreters will conduct 45-minute walking tours of Henry Hill, the scene of the heaviest action at 10 a.m., noon., and at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. 

On Saturday and Sunday, July 23, living history demonstrations on Chinn Ridge will provide visitors with an opportunity to learn about the experiences of the soldiers who fought at First Manassas.  Musketry and artillery firing demonstrations will also be conducted at 11 a.m and 2 p.m. on both days.

At 5:30 p.m., folk singer Judy Cook will perform a program of Civil War music in the Visitor Center auditorium.  Her program, titled “On the Home Front,” will feature popular songs of the period and readings from letters written by her great-great-grandparents.  The program lasts one hour.

At 7:00 p.m., park historian Hank Elliott will offer an evening tour at Portici (Tour Stop 11).  The program, titled “‘Our Forces Have Won a Glorious Victory’: President Jefferson Davis at First Manassas,” will detail the Confederate president’s visit to the battlefield in the immediate aftermath of the battle.  The tour, part of the park’s History at Sunset series, will last approximately 90 minutes.

The Henry Hill Visitor Center is located at 6511 Sudley Road (VA Rte. 234), three-quarters of a mile north of Interstate 66 and adjacent to the NVCC Manassas Campus.
For more information on these programs, contact the Visitor Center at 703-361-1339, or visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/mana .