A Critical Junction

If you had been here in July 1861, you could have seen Confederate soldiers jumping down from one train after another at the junction half a mile in front of you. The trains were bringing Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army from the Shenandoah Valley on the Manassas Gap Railroad to join Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard's army here at Manassas Junction. They arrived just in time to tip the balance of the battle.

A small collection of railroad shops, a telegraph office, a hotel, and a few farms were clustered around the junction. The few residents' lives revolved more around the rhythm of the seasons than the train schedule. One-third of Prince William County's population was enslaved—men, women, and children whose labor brought comfort and profit to their owners. Except for the occasional train, life here was quiet.

With war, that all changed as the rail lines that intersected here made Manassas strategically important. The Orange & Alexandria Railroad linked Manassas by roundabout route to Richmond and also offered the Union army a promising avenue of advance into Virginia from Washington, D.C. The Manassas Gap Railroad connected Manassas Junction to the Shenandoah Valley, Breadbasket of the Confederacy. The quiet times were over.

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  

The Manassas Museum
Wartime Manassas
War on the Landscape
Manassas Veterans Memorial, a War Memorial
Wartime Manassas
Occupation or Liberation
Burning of Manassas
Manasss 1905 - The Great Fire
Liberty Street
Site of Manassas Junction

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.