Second Manassas offers an interesting contrast to the opening battle
which had found two armies of raw, undisciplined volunteers courageously
but falteringly battling for supremacy. The raw volunteers had now been
replaced by seasoned veterans, hardened by months of strenuous
campaigning. The campaign just ended had been one to test to the utmost
the endurance and discipline of the men in the ranks of both armies—a
test they had met with valor and high honor. In contrast to the rout of
First Manassas, the Federal army which now retired upon Washington was a
weary but defiant fighting machine. Its defeat had been accomplished by
exceptional daring, combined with a skillful coordination of Confederate
commands. Gambling with long chances, Lee had succeeded in removing some
150,000 invading troops from deep in Virginia and reversing the threat
of impending attack upon the opposing capital.
Commenting upon the battle, Henderson, the English soldier and
historian, writes:
... If, as Moltke avers, the junction of two armies on the field of
battle is the highest achievement of military genius, the campaign
against Pope has seldom been surpassed; and the great counter-stroke
at Manassas is sufficient in itself to make Lee’s reputation as a
tactician.... It was not due to the skill of Lee that Pope weakened
his left at the crisis of battle. But in the rapidity with which the
opportunity was seized, in the combination of the three arms, and in
the vigour of the blow, Manassas is in no way inferior to Austerlitz
or Salamanca.
This brilliant success did much to offset Confederate reverses in the
West—the loss of Missouri, the defeats of Forts Henry and Donelson,
Shiloh, and the fall of Nashville, New Orleans, and Memphis. Contrary to
the inactivity that followed First Manassas, Lee pressed his victory by
the first invasion of the North. On September 4, he began moving his
troops across the Potomac with the hope of winning the support of
Maryland and possibly the recognition of the Confederacy by foreign
powers. In the desperately fought battle of Antietam, September 17, at
Sharpsburg, Md., however, these hopes were dashed by McClellan, now
returned to Federal command.
FEDERAL CONFEDERATE
Strength (_approx._) 73,000 55,000
CASUALTIES
Killed 1,747 1,553
Wounded 8,452 7,812
Captured or missing 4,263 109
Total 14,462 9,474
_The War After Second Manassas_
From Antietam, Lee retired to Virginia. With the coming of winter snows
he bloodily repelled Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside in the Battle of
Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862. In the spring, Confederate arms
achieved brilliant success in the defeat of Maj. Gen. Joseph E. Hooker
in the Battle of Chancellorsville, May 1-6, 1863. Capitalizing on his
victory, Lee again invaded the North. At Gettysburg, July 1-3, he was
defeated by Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade. The next day saw the end of
one of the most brilliant and decisive operations of the war with the
surrender of Vicksburg to Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Its fall cut the
Confederacy in two and opened the Mississippi to Federal commerce and
control. From the telling force of these simultaneous blows the
Confederacy never recovered.
On March 9, 1864, Grant was placed in supreme command of all Federal
armies. Now as never before, the full strength and resources of the
republic were marshalled for a great offensive to be delivered
simultaneously on all fronts. Attaching himself to Meade’s army, Grant
crossed the Rapidan on May 4 to launch his overland campaign against
Richmond, while Sherman began the famous march that was to carry him to
Atlanta and the sea.
In the fiercely contested battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania
Court House, May 5-6 and 8-21, respectively, Grant largely succeeded in
destroying Lee’s offensive power, forcing his retirement upon Richmond.
Repulsed with heavy losses at Cold Harbor, June 3, Grant moved upon
Petersburg again to encounter Lee’s army.
Ten months of siege followed as Grant methodically cut the Confederate
lifeline. On April 2, Lee evacuated Petersburg with the hope of reaching
the Danville railroad and possibly effecting a junction with Johnston’s
forces in North Carolina. Grant’s pursuit, however, was rapid and
relentless. The cutting of the escape route by the Danville line and the
disastrous defeat of a large segment of his army in the Battle of
Sayler’s Creek forced Lee to move farther westward to Appomattox Court
House. There at dusk, April the 8th, the widening circle of Federal
campfires brought realization that the end had been reached. The next
day Lee surrendered to the magnanimous terms of Grant. On April 26,
Johnston yielded to Sherman and by June all isolated units of the
Confederate forces had laid down their arms.
[Illustration: View northwest across Henry Hill. The present Henry House
is seen in center background.]
_Guide to the Area_ (SEE MAP ON PAGE 48.)
This guide has been prepared to enable the visitor more readily to
identify and appreciate the chief points of historical interest on the
two battlefields. While there are other locations of importance on park
property and on privately owned adjacent lands, those listed below may
be considered the most conspicuous.
Wherever an area, such as Henry Hill and Chinn Ridge, featured
prominently in both battles, its story has been told jointly, rather
than separately. This has been done in order to avoid unnecessary
backtracking. It should be observed that the numbers 1 to 9 have been
located on a tour map for the visitor’s convenience.
For the purposes of orientation a visit to the museum should precede a
tour of the fields.