Soldiers from the Union and Confederate armies met on the battlefield at Manassas more than twice.  Of course, the First and Second Battles of Manassas are the occasions you read about in history books.  The opening salvos on July 21, 1861, were the first of the many major battles that would be fought by the Blue and the Gray.  The Confederate victory at Second Manassas gave the South the momentum to carry the struggle into the North.  Manassas National Battlefield Park  has an audio-visual presentation, electric map program and battlefield maps that provide details of the two pivotal battles.  You can rent an automobile tour tape for the Second Battle of Manassas.

The less well-known meetings are also filled with human interest and historical significance.  In the years after the great struggle soldiers from both armies often visited this battlefield.  They came to remember fallen comrades, reflect on the battles they survived and perhaps relive the times they could not forget.  In the 1920s, before the Manassas battlefield came under the jurisdiction of the federal government, Mr. Adoniram Powell was caretaker.

Mr. Powell conducted tours of  the battlefield and there were occasions when veterans from both sides joined forces to help him retrace the action.  Imagine the difficulty of guiding those who had fought one another and had quite different memories.  During one such awkward tour Mr. Powell pointed out the land where, he said, Jeb Stuart had led his First Virginia Cavalry in a sudden and violent attack that broke through the ranks of the New York Fire Zouaves.  "T'ain't so!" snorted a grizzled Union veteran.  "That ain't the way it was.  I was there, and I know."  With trepidation because the mood of his mixed audience was unpredictable, Mr. Powell explained that according to the stories he had heard, the resplendent Zouaves retreated.  The old warrior proclaimed, "We didn't retreat.  We ran like hell."

Mr. Powell is long gone, as are the veterans of this bitter struggle, but rangers still provide walking tours of First Manassas on the hilly ground surrounding the visitor center.  During the summer months there are special programs highlighting key action during both battles.

The Manassas National Battlefield Park Visitor Center is open daily, except Christmas Day.  Hours are 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., extended to 6:00 P.M. in the summer months.  A park entrance fee, payable at the visitor center, allows for park use and activities for seven days.

The story of the first peaceful meeting between Union and Confederate soldiers at Manassas is one that is all too frequently overlooked.  It was called the National Jubilee of Peace and took place on July 21, 1911, 50 years after the first confrontation. The day began with soldiers of the Blue and the Gray once again lined up facing each other.  This time, instead of responding to the order to fire, they slowly closed the gap between the lines and solemnly clasped hands in friendship. 

The Peace Jubilee continued in town with a speech by President William Howard Taft which, according to a letter by his aide Major Archie Butt, was "a flubdub speech about the Blue and the Gray which brought tears to the eyes of veterans of both sides and smiles to the faces of politicians."  At the base of the stone monument, in front of the former Prince William County Courthouse, are cannons and naval anchors (contributed by Assistant Secretary of Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt) to commemorate the Jubilee.

The Peace Jubilee Monument is one of the points of interest on the tours (either walking or driving) of Old Town Manassas.  There are two museums: the Manassas Museum and Rohr's Museum, adjacent to the late Mayor Edgar Rohr's old-fashioned variety store.  The latter houses a collection of antique cars including a custom-made 1933 Rohr sedan, as well as a rare 1905 Paragon.  Other cars are a 1917 Detroit Electric and a 1957 Thunderbird.  The second floor of Rohr’s Museum  has everything from toys and dolls to light bulbs and license plates.  Rohr’s Museum is open 2:00 to 5:00 P.M. on summer Sundays and by appointment  at other times.  To arrange a visit call (703) 368-3000.

The Manassas Museum interprets the history of the Northern Virginia Piedmont region with Manassas as the focal point. Exhibits feature prehistoric stone tools, Civil War weapons and uniforms, Victorian furnishings, railroad items and textiles.  Two video programs, “A Place of Passages” and the award-winning “A Community at War” tell the story of the region’s development and the effects of the Civil War.  Annual events include a series of outdoor living history programs in the summer and a holiday open house in early December.

The Manassas Museum, at 9191 Prince William Street, is open 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Tuesday through Sunday.  The museum is closed on Mondays, except federal holidays, and Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day and New Year’s Day.  For information on special events call (703) 368-1873. 

Directions: From the Washington Beltway in Virginia take I-66 west to Manassas, Exit 47B.  The Manassas National Park Visitor Center is one mile north of exit at 6511 Sudley Road, Route 234. From I-95 south of Alexandria, take Exit 152 to Route 234 into Manassas.  This will take you through Old Town Manassas.  You can stop at Manassas Visitor Center at 9025 Center Street for additional information and walking and driving tour brochures.