2008--Manassas, VA
Day One--June 28, 2008
This was a blog I pretty much didn’t expect to write. I have personal reasons, as I am sure everyone does, for writing these things. But among those reasons in not to document my travels for work. I don’t travel in that capacity often. But, when I do it the company likes to keep me busy, to justify the expenses. You can’t blame them, and it is strictly voluntary. The point being, when I travel, unless I want to tell you about the ins and outs of Inventory Control or the joys of air travel, it would be a pretty short blog. This would be perfect, as it would induce slumber anyway.
But, this trip turned out differently. I arrived at Dulles International Airport, Washington DC, about 2:00 PM on Wednesday, June 25th. To accomplish this I had to be up at 3:30 AM (Mountain Time) to catch my 6 AM flight. A layover in Dallas followed that, and then another 3 hours in the air to the East Coast. A rental car and a 40 minutes drive, puts me in the historic town of Manassas, VA.
We’ll put the rest of this day and the next two in a time machine, and pretend they didn’t happen.
HummmmmmmmmmmmClickHmmmmmmWhizBangKherrrrrrrrrrrrr. As we pick up our story it is now 2:45 PM on Saturday the 28th. Mission accomplished, (we moved the contents of one warehouse into another) and the corporate bosses have released us from bondage. Our plans are to head to Washington DC for sightseeing. The “Our” consisted of Me, three guys from our Milwaukee center, a guy from the New Jersey center, and one guy from the Atlanta facility. This was quite the group; two white-bread Midwesterners (me and Milwaukee #1), two first generation Americans from Mexico (Milwaukee #2 & 3), a white Philly urbanite transplanted to Jersey (Rocky meets the Mob), and a black inner city guy from Atlanta. I was the only one who had been to DC before.
It had been 9 years since my last visit, and I was very anxious to return. Walking around the mall, touring the Smithsonian museums, seeing Arlington National Cemetery, touring the White House, and on and on. It was one of the best trips of my life. I spent four full days in DC on that trip. Today we would have more like four hours. In the hope that I would make it to the city for a few hours, I had brushed up just a little to recall where things were and how late the museums were open. It paid off, as I found out that this was one of the Saturdays, the Air & Space Museum was closing early and that the American History Museum was closed all together for renovations.
The locals in the Manassas building strongly suggested we not drive, but instead take the Metro at the closest station. I was familiar with the Metro (DC Subway) from my last visit, and I echoed their recommendation. Driving and parking in DC is stressful and expensive. We piled into a couple of vehicles and by sometime just after 3 PM we were at the Park n Ride. A train had just pulled in, and we had not bought our tickets. I was afraid we were going to miss it, but this one was to scheduled to sit for fifteen minutes. I guess that was to gather up more of us outlying riders. I think everyone, except our Atlanta representative (Marlon) had been on a subway before. Jersey (Pat) had been to NYC. Our three Milwaukee boys (Matt, Eduardo, and Guillermo) had been to Chicago. So we all pretty much knew what to expect.
The Metro is one of the best subways in the country. Clean, fast, easy to figure out, and above all air conditioned. DC and northern Virginia in late June is hot. But to compensate it is humid, too. Today was a standard 90/90 day, meaning both the measures of heat and water density registered just below the century mark. Our ride took about half an hour. We got off at the Smithsonian stop, which was about a dozen stops into our ride. The subway lets you out right in the middle of the National Mall. There was a major festival going on and smells and activity raised our energy level greatly.
I had suggested the National Air & Space Museum as our first destination. I figured it would appeal to everyone, and it got a ringing endorsement from the crowd. The trouble was that the museum was closing in about an hour, and we had not eaten since breakfast. The aforementioned smells made continuing without a nourishment break almost impossible. A ten minute break at a sidewalk vendor fixed that, and were soon fortified enough to begin our tour.
The museums in DC are all free and we were soon inside. When you first walk in to the museum (after the requisite screening) you are greeted by one of the greatest assemblies of aviation history in the world. Hanging from the rafters are such aircraft as; Charles Lindberg’s Spirit of St Louis (1st solo trans-Atlantic flight), The Bell X-1, (flown by Chuck Yeager, it was the first plane to break the sound barrier), and the Apollo 11 Command Module which brought the first moon astronauts home. If aviation or space travel interests you (Me! Me! Pick me!) you have just entered Nirvana.
Through mutual unspoken agreement we all stayed together. The museum was crowded and our time was limited. We had to go through most of what we saw pretty fast.
I could list a ton of things that we saw, but that just would not do them justice. Nor was the amount of time we spent. The only two exhibits we spent any time in held the Wright Brothers original Flyer and the display of WW II aircraft. But, it was still great to both experience this, and to give the other guys a taste of the museum. If they ever get back to DC I will very surprised if they don’t spend a few hours here.
After the NASM we made our way back onto the mall. We had already snapped our pictures of the Capital Building at one end, and the Washington Monument at the other. But, towards the Washington Monument end there were many other monuments and memorials to be visited. So we headed west and reached the Washington Monument in about 10 minutes.
There we found a small refreshment stand were we picked up some drinks.
Guillermo, was suffering considerable foot pain, and he decided he had seen enough of Washington and he decided to grab a piece of bench and watch people from the shade. I think a couple of the others were also starting to feel the effects of the 12 hour days and today’s heat. But, they continued. We walked on the northern path so we could see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall). It was quite a hike, but there were a lot of trees and it was hard not to enjoy.
Our first stop was the World War II Memorial. This memorial was not here when I last visited our nation’s capital. I was expecting a relatively small display. I was not disappointed to find that it was huge.
It consisted of about a half acre square reflecting pool, surrounded by a short wall, a few large arches, and keyhole columns. Each structure commemorated some state, country or theatre of war. The reflecting pool had fountains in it, and evidently the public was encouraged (or at least allowed) to cool there feet in the water. That part of the memorial surprised me. I was at first put off as it seemed to be a bit disrespectful. But, then I realized that the memorial did not memorialize the dead, so much as the contribution of the governed. So the governed may as well get a bit of relief on this hot day.
After a few minutes at the WW II Memorial, which we did not get in the water, we walked along the north path towards the Lincoln Memorial. But, that would not be our first stop. About 2/3 the way there was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and before that was the Three Servicemen statue. That particular statue is one of my favorite. I think it captures a combination of fatigue and camaraderie that were both hallmarks of that war.
The wall itself has a special gravity all it’s own. On the path leading up to The Wall people would chat, including our group. But as soon as you turn onto the path that leads to past it, chatter stops. People are quiet. It’s like they are in church. It isn’t like there is a sign that says “Shhhhhhh! Please be quiet.” The emotional weight of the memorial itself is great enough to induce silence. Even the children around sense there is something special about the place. We didn’t spend much time here. None of knew anyone who would appear on the wall (Thank God), so we walled slowly past and paid our respects.
The walk now was pretty short to the Lincoln Memorial. I was gung-ho to see it and to climb the steps. So was Marlon. He was very interested in black history, and was anxious to see where Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1968. He was pretty happy to stand in the same general spot and gaze out over the mall, towards the Washington Monument.
Personally, I still can not get over how big the whole thing is.
We were all getting tired and hungry. Heat, humidity, and an empty stomach are a bad combination. But, we had one more stop. Earlier when we were in the middle of the National Mall, Marlon had mistaken the Capitol Building for the White House. He was a bit disappointed when he found out that he had not seen the President’s home. As the White House was on our way back (sorta) to the Metro station, we meandered over to Pennsylvania Avenue. We didn’t stay here long either. This was a whirlwind tour, and we got a few pictures and were on our way.
This was pretty much it for our DC tour.
We walked back to the subway and a train was pulling in as we got there. We got on it and about a half hour of air conditioned rest later, we were back at the Park n Ride. Everyone voiced their opinion that it had been worth the effort and that they had had a good time. I know I was glad to have gone, even if we had to be on the move, pretty much constantly.
But, this trip turned out differently. I arrived at Dulles International Airport, Washington DC, about 2:00 PM on Wednesday, June 25th. To accomplish this I had to be up at 3:30 AM (Mountain Time) to catch my 6 AM flight. A layover in Dallas followed that, and then another 3 hours in the air to the East Coast. A rental car and a 40 minutes drive, puts me in the historic town of Manassas, VA.
We’ll put the rest of this day and the next two in a time machine, and pretend they didn’t happen.
HummmmmmmmmmmmClickHmmmmmmWhizBangKherrrrrrrrrrrrr. As we pick up our story it is now 2:45 PM on Saturday the 28th. Mission accomplished, (we moved the contents of one warehouse into another) and the corporate bosses have released us from bondage. Our plans are to head to Washington DC for sightseeing. The “Our” consisted of Me, three guys from our Milwaukee center, a guy from the New Jersey center, and one guy from the Atlanta facility. This was quite the group; two white-bread Midwesterners (me and Milwaukee #1), two first generation Americans from Mexico (Milwaukee #2 & 3), a white Philly urbanite transplanted to Jersey (Rocky meets the Mob), and a black inner city guy from Atlanta. I was the only one who had been to DC before.
It had been 9 years since my last visit, and I was very anxious to return. Walking around the mall, touring the Smithsonian museums, seeing Arlington National Cemetery, touring the White House, and on and on. It was one of the best trips of my life. I spent four full days in DC on that trip. Today we would have more like four hours. In the hope that I would make it to the city for a few hours, I had brushed up just a little to recall where things were and how late the museums were open. It paid off, as I found out that this was one of the Saturdays, the Air & Space Museum was closing early and that the American History Museum was closed all together for renovations.
The locals in the Manassas building strongly suggested we not drive, but instead take the Metro at the closest station. I was familiar with the Metro (DC Subway) from my last visit, and I echoed their recommendation. Driving and parking in DC is stressful and expensive. We piled into a couple of vehicles and by sometime just after 3 PM we were at the Park n Ride. A train had just pulled in, and we had not bought our tickets. I was afraid we were going to miss it, but this one was to scheduled to sit for fifteen minutes. I guess that was to gather up more of us outlying riders. I think everyone, except our Atlanta representative (Marlon) had been on a subway before. Jersey (Pat) had been to NYC. Our three Milwaukee boys (Matt, Eduardo, and Guillermo) had been to Chicago. So we all pretty much knew what to expect.
The Metro is one of the best subways in the country. Clean, fast, easy to figure out, and above all air conditioned. DC and northern Virginia in late June is hot. But to compensate it is humid, too. Today was a standard 90/90 day, meaning both the measures of heat and water density registered just below the century mark. Our ride took about half an hour. We got off at the Smithsonian stop, which was about a dozen stops into our ride. The subway lets you out right in the middle of the National Mall. There was a major festival going on and smells and activity raised our energy level greatly.
I had suggested the National Air & Space Museum as our first destination. I figured it would appeal to everyone, and it got a ringing endorsement from the crowd. The trouble was that the museum was closing in about an hour, and we had not eaten since breakfast. The aforementioned smells made continuing without a nourishment break almost impossible. A ten minute break at a sidewalk vendor fixed that, and were soon fortified enough to begin our tour.
The museums in DC are all free and we were soon inside. When you first walk in to the museum (after the requisite screening) you are greeted by one of the greatest assemblies of aviation history in the world. Hanging from the rafters are such aircraft as; Charles Lindberg’s Spirit of St Louis (1st solo trans-Atlantic flight), The Bell X-1, (flown by Chuck Yeager, it was the first plane to break the sound barrier), and the Apollo 11 Command Module which brought the first moon astronauts home. If aviation or space travel interests you (Me! Me! Pick me!) you have just entered Nirvana.
Through mutual unspoken agreement we all stayed together. The museum was crowded and our time was limited. We had to go through most of what we saw pretty fast.
I could list a ton of things that we saw, but that just would not do them justice. Nor was the amount of time we spent. The only two exhibits we spent any time in held the Wright Brothers original Flyer and the display of WW II aircraft. But, it was still great to both experience this, and to give the other guys a taste of the museum. If they ever get back to DC I will very surprised if they don’t spend a few hours here.
After the NASM we made our way back onto the mall. We had already snapped our pictures of the Capital Building at one end, and the Washington Monument at the other. But, towards the Washington Monument end there were many other monuments and memorials to be visited. So we headed west and reached the Washington Monument in about 10 minutes.
There we found a small refreshment stand were we picked up some drinks.
Guillermo, was suffering considerable foot pain, and he decided he had seen enough of Washington and he decided to grab a piece of bench and watch people from the shade. I think a couple of the others were also starting to feel the effects of the 12 hour days and today’s heat. But, they continued. We walked on the northern path so we could see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall). It was quite a hike, but there were a lot of trees and it was hard not to enjoy.
Our first stop was the World War II Memorial. This memorial was not here when I last visited our nation’s capital. I was expecting a relatively small display. I was not disappointed to find that it was huge.
It consisted of about a half acre square reflecting pool, surrounded by a short wall, a few large arches, and keyhole columns. Each structure commemorated some state, country or theatre of war. The reflecting pool had fountains in it, and evidently the public was encouraged (or at least allowed) to cool there feet in the water. That part of the memorial surprised me. I was at first put off as it seemed to be a bit disrespectful. But, then I realized that the memorial did not memorialize the dead, so much as the contribution of the governed. So the governed may as well get a bit of relief on this hot day.
After a few minutes at the WW II Memorial, which we did not get in the water, we walked along the north path towards the Lincoln Memorial. But, that would not be our first stop. About 2/3 the way there was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and before that was the Three Servicemen statue. That particular statue is one of my favorite. I think it captures a combination of fatigue and camaraderie that were both hallmarks of that war.
The wall itself has a special gravity all it’s own. On the path leading up to The Wall people would chat, including our group. But as soon as you turn onto the path that leads to past it, chatter stops. People are quiet. It’s like they are in church. It isn’t like there is a sign that says “Shhhhhhh! Please be quiet.” The emotional weight of the memorial itself is great enough to induce silence. Even the children around sense there is something special about the place. We didn’t spend much time here. None of knew anyone who would appear on the wall (Thank God), so we walled slowly past and paid our respects.
The walk now was pretty short to the Lincoln Memorial. I was gung-ho to see it and to climb the steps. So was Marlon. He was very interested in black history, and was anxious to see where Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1968. He was pretty happy to stand in the same general spot and gaze out over the mall, towards the Washington Monument.
Personally, I still can not get over how big the whole thing is.
We were all getting tired and hungry. Heat, humidity, and an empty stomach are a bad combination. But, we had one more stop. Earlier when we were in the middle of the National Mall, Marlon had mistaken the Capitol Building for the White House. He was a bit disappointed when he found out that he had not seen the President’s home. As the White House was on our way back (sorta) to the Metro station, we meandered over to Pennsylvania Avenue. We didn’t stay here long either. This was a whirlwind tour, and we got a few pictures and were on our way.
This was pretty much it for our DC tour.
We walked back to the subway and a train was pulling in as we got there. We got on it and about a half hour of air conditioned rest later, we were back at the Park n Ride. Everyone voiced their opinion that it had been worth the effort and that they had had a good time. I know I was glad to have gone, even if we had to be on the move, pretty much constantly.
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Day Two--June 29, 2008
Today I am flying back home to Denver. My flight was scheduled to leave at 3 PM, so I was hoping I could take some time and see Manassas Battlefield, which is just a mile or so away. The only obstacle was that I was sharing the rental car with Matt, one of the guys from Milwaukee. His flight left much earlier, and if I had to take him to Dulles, it wouldn’t make sense to try to back track. I didn’t have a lot of hope, but Matt made a point of checking to see if our hotel had a shuttle that would take him to Dulles.
It did, and he had no problem using it. Perhaps, the fact that I picked up the bar tab at last nights post-DC dinner factored in. But, I’m probably just being overly cynical.
The Visitor’s Center at the Battlefield Park opened at 8:30 AM. My plan was to be there shortly after it opened and spend two or two and half hours there. I Map quested directions, but evidently I either have a learning disability or they were wrong. I went south and couldn’t find the exit. I went east to try to link up with the turn off. That didn’t work. I finally back tracked, went north and found the right turns off. Even after I got to the battlefield the map didn’t make sense. I threw it in the trash to prove my supremacy over a piece of paper.
I was a half hour behind schedule.
I was disappointed not only in the lost time, but because the time I lost was cool morning time. Hot morning time was rapidly on its way. I went into the Visitor’s Center/Museum and paid my admission. The Park Service guy gave me a quick overview and a recommendation for the amount of time I had to spend. There were several trails that would take you to various parts of the battlefield. I only had time for the short Henry Hill trail.
But first I took a quick tour of the Museum. They had several displays, but the one that really caught my eye was the one with the 6 pound canister. A canister is kind of like a very large shotgun shell for the cannon. It is a cylinder packed with lead balls the size of small plums. The cylinder/canister is packed into the cannon, with a charge of gun powder and when the charge is ignited (touched off); the carnage this would cause was devastating. Battles in the Civil War, especially early on featured Napoleonic tactics, with lines and lines of men marching forward.
When a canister shot would be leveled against the advancing lines, 10 to 20 foot sections of men would fall. Getting hit anywhere would guarantee that you were at least out of action, if not killed. Taking one of these balls in a limb meant a surgeon would be sawing off what ever the shot did not carry away.
Directly outside the museum was a row of cannons, and a display to explain the Henry Hill walking trail and a bit about the battle. This leads into another history lesson. There were two battles fought here in Manassas. The Northerners called them the First and Second Battles of Manassas, or just First Manassas and Second Manassas. The Southerners called them The First and Second Battles of Bull Run. The different descriptors are due to the naming rules of the two sides. The Union generally named a battle after the nearest town. The Rebels generally named them after a physical feature of the land.
Bull Run is a small creek that runs through the battlefield.
The trail and site that covered the First Battle of Manassas was all that I would have time to tour. First Manassas was the first major battle of the Civil War. When it was fought on July 21, 1861 many in the North thought this was going to be a quick war. The better funded and more numerous Union troops would handle the Southern rebels quickly. Things didn’t turn out that way.
But, that is what was expected. There was no secret that a battle was joining to take place and people from nearby Washington DC showed up to watch as if it would be sort of gladiatorial display.
Lunches, lemonade and chairs were packed. And in the early stages of the battle it looked like both sides were following the Vegas line. The Union troops had the upper hand, with the Southern disciple starting to break and the men starting to retreat. Rebel General Bernard Bee was trying to rally his men, when he looked behind him and saw General Thomas Jackson with his artillery troops and cannons. He yelled
“Form! Form! (The command to make straight battle lines and face the enemy) There stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!”
It worked; the Southern boys made a stand and turned the tide of battle. And, not inconsequentially a legend was born. Not General Bernard Bee, who was killed in battle just minutes after making his plea.
No, that day, the legend of Stonewall Jackson was to carry to troops on both sides of the fight.
I already knew this story before I arrived, but reading the words, and seeing the cannons and topography, I got goose bumps. I can only imagine what it was like 145 years ago.
I spent about two hours wandering the Henry Hill trail. I saw the Henry home. Henry was the name of the family that owned a good part of the land where First Manassas was fought. The "Hill" part came from the high ground on the farm. The matriarch, Judith Henry, in her eighties, was the only civilian casualty that day. She had not wanted to leave her home and was killed when battle fire passed through her home. I also saw the Stone House, which was used as a hospital that day.
Most accounts of the battle mention this house, as it was such a prominent landmark.
I learned quite a bit about the people of lived on the land during the battle. But, mostly, I picked up things about the battle and then the quest to honor those who fought and fell during the battles. There are numerous markers and memorials to those men. Some very specific, like the large statue of General Jackson, and some, like the Henry Hill Memorial, cast the net to capture all the men who fought.
I wished I could have spent all day there. I would have loved to wander all of the various trails and see all that the park had to offer. But, I had to settle for the time I had. But, all too soon I was back in my car and heading for Dulles International and my flight home. But, I can tell you I will never forget my first experience on a Civil War battlefield. I’m looking forward to my trip to Gettysburg!
It did, and he had no problem using it. Perhaps, the fact that I picked up the bar tab at last nights post-DC dinner factored in. But, I’m probably just being overly cynical.
The Visitor’s Center at the Battlefield Park opened at 8:30 AM. My plan was to be there shortly after it opened and spend two or two and half hours there. I Map quested directions, but evidently I either have a learning disability or they were wrong. I went south and couldn’t find the exit. I went east to try to link up with the turn off. That didn’t work. I finally back tracked, went north and found the right turns off. Even after I got to the battlefield the map didn’t make sense. I threw it in the trash to prove my supremacy over a piece of paper.
I was a half hour behind schedule.
I was disappointed not only in the lost time, but because the time I lost was cool morning time. Hot morning time was rapidly on its way. I went into the Visitor’s Center/Museum and paid my admission. The Park Service guy gave me a quick overview and a recommendation for the amount of time I had to spend. There were several trails that would take you to various parts of the battlefield. I only had time for the short Henry Hill trail.
But first I took a quick tour of the Museum. They had several displays, but the one that really caught my eye was the one with the 6 pound canister. A canister is kind of like a very large shotgun shell for the cannon. It is a cylinder packed with lead balls the size of small plums. The cylinder/canister is packed into the cannon, with a charge of gun powder and when the charge is ignited (touched off); the carnage this would cause was devastating. Battles in the Civil War, especially early on featured Napoleonic tactics, with lines and lines of men marching forward.
When a canister shot would be leveled against the advancing lines, 10 to 20 foot sections of men would fall. Getting hit anywhere would guarantee that you were at least out of action, if not killed. Taking one of these balls in a limb meant a surgeon would be sawing off what ever the shot did not carry away.
Directly outside the museum was a row of cannons, and a display to explain the Henry Hill walking trail and a bit about the battle. This leads into another history lesson. There were two battles fought here in Manassas. The Northerners called them the First and Second Battles of Manassas, or just First Manassas and Second Manassas. The Southerners called them The First and Second Battles of Bull Run. The different descriptors are due to the naming rules of the two sides. The Union generally named a battle after the nearest town. The Rebels generally named them after a physical feature of the land.
Bull Run is a small creek that runs through the battlefield.
The trail and site that covered the First Battle of Manassas was all that I would have time to tour. First Manassas was the first major battle of the Civil War. When it was fought on July 21, 1861 many in the North thought this was going to be a quick war. The better funded and more numerous Union troops would handle the Southern rebels quickly. Things didn’t turn out that way.
But, that is what was expected. There was no secret that a battle was joining to take place and people from nearby Washington DC showed up to watch as if it would be sort of gladiatorial display.
Lunches, lemonade and chairs were packed. And in the early stages of the battle it looked like both sides were following the Vegas line. The Union troops had the upper hand, with the Southern disciple starting to break and the men starting to retreat. Rebel General Bernard Bee was trying to rally his men, when he looked behind him and saw General Thomas Jackson with his artillery troops and cannons. He yelled
“Form! Form! (The command to make straight battle lines and face the enemy) There stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!”
It worked; the Southern boys made a stand and turned the tide of battle. And, not inconsequentially a legend was born. Not General Bernard Bee, who was killed in battle just minutes after making his plea.
No, that day, the legend of Stonewall Jackson was to carry to troops on both sides of the fight.
I already knew this story before I arrived, but reading the words, and seeing the cannons and topography, I got goose bumps. I can only imagine what it was like 145 years ago.
I spent about two hours wandering the Henry Hill trail. I saw the Henry home. Henry was the name of the family that owned a good part of the land where First Manassas was fought. The "Hill" part came from the high ground on the farm. The matriarch, Judith Henry, in her eighties, was the only civilian casualty that day. She had not wanted to leave her home and was killed when battle fire passed through her home. I also saw the Stone House, which was used as a hospital that day.
Most accounts of the battle mention this house, as it was such a prominent landmark.
I learned quite a bit about the people of lived on the land during the battle. But, mostly, I picked up things about the battle and then the quest to honor those who fought and fell during the battles. There are numerous markers and memorials to those men. Some very specific, like the large statue of General Jackson, and some, like the Henry Hill Memorial, cast the net to capture all the men who fought.
I wished I could have spent all day there. I would have loved to wander all of the various trails and see all that the park had to offer. But, I had to settle for the time I had. But, all too soon I was back in my car and heading for Dulles International and my flight home. But, I can tell you I will never forget my first experience on a Civil War battlefield. I’m looking forward to my trip to Gettysburg!
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Day Three-
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Day Four-
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Day Five
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