Manassas National Battlefield Park
The peaceful countryside preserved today at Manassas National Battlefield Park was the scene of two major Civil War battles. The First Battle of Manassas, or Bull Run, was fought here on July 21, 1861, and the armies returned for the much larger Second Battle of Manassas from August 28–30, 1862. Confederate forces prevailed in both battles.
The Stone House, one of only three wartime structures still standing within the park. Built around 1848, it belonged to Henry and Jane Matthews and, before the war, also served as a tavern for travelers along the busy Warrenton Turnpike. Its location at the intersection of two important roads would place the house directly in the path of war.
During the First Battle of Manassas, fighting moved close to the house and Confederate soldiers initially used its strong stone walls for protection. Soon the rooms began filling with wounded soldiers. By the end of the battle, the house had become a field hospital, and after the Union retreat, wounded Federal soldiers remained here under Confederate control.
Just over a year later, war returned to the Matthews family’s doorstep. During the Second Battle of Manassas, Union General John Pope established his headquarters on nearby Buck Hill, and once again the Stone House became a hospital for wounded soldiers. On August 30, 1862, Confederate artillery fire swept across the area surrounding the house.
The Matthews family survived the war, but their home and farm had been badly damaged and their agricultural livelihood devastated. They sold the property shortly after the war. After passing through several owners, the Stone House was acquired by the National Park Service in 1949 and eventually restored to its Civil War-era appearance
Manassas National Battlefield Park itself was established in 1940 and today protects approximately 5,000 acres associated with the two battles.
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