as it is the capital of the
country today. While the
city was never invaded
by the Confederacy,
thousands of Union
soldiers passed through,
trained and drilled inside
of the city; indeed, the
official name of the North’s
main fighting force was
the Army of the Potomac.
The National Museum
of American History
(www.americanhistory.si.edu;
cnr 14th St & Constitution
Ave NW; h10am-5:30pm, to
7:30pm Jun-Aug; c), located
directly on the National
Mall, has good permanent
exhibitions on the Civil
War. Perhaps more
importantly, it provides
visitors with the context
for understanding why
the war happened.
Following the war, a
grateful nation erected
many monuments to
Union generals. A statue
worth visiting is the
African American Civil WarMemorial (www.afroamcivilwar.
org; cnr U St & Vermont Ave NW;
underground rail U St-Cardozo),
next to the eastern exit
of the U St metro stop,
inscribed with the names
of soldiers of color who
served in the Union army.The Drive » From Washington,
DC, it takes about an hour
driving along I-66W to reach
Manassas.3 Manassas
National Battlefield
Park (Bull Run)
The site of the first major
pitched battle of the Civil
War is mere minutes
from the strip malls of
Northern Virginia. NPS-
run Manassas National
Battlefield Park (%703-
361-1339; http://www.nps.gov/mana;
12521 Lee Hwy; adult/child $3/
free, film $3; h8:30am-5pm,
tours 11:15am, 12:15pm, 2:15pm
Jun-Aug) occupies the site
where, in 1861, 35,000
Union soldiers and 32,500
Confederates saw the view
you have today: a stretch
of gorgeous countryside
that has miraculouslysurvived the predations
of the Army of Northern
Virginia real-estate
developers.
This is as close as many
will come to 19th-century
rural America; distant
hills, dark, brooding tree
lines, low curving fields
and the soft hump of
overgrown trench works.
Following the battle,
both sides realized a long
war was at hand. Europe
watched nervously; in
a matter of weeks, the
largest army in the world
was the Union Army
of the Potomac. The
second biggest was the
Confederate States of
America Army. A year
later, at the Battle of
Shiloh, 24,000 men were
listed as casualties – more
than all the accumulated
casualties of every
previous American war
combined.5 p286
The Drive » In Manassas,
take US 29N for 13 miles and
then turn left onto US 17S
(Marsh Rd). Follow it south
for about 35 miles to get to
downtown Fredericksburg.4 Fredericksburg
If battlefields preserve
rural America, Fredericks-
burg is an example of
what the nation’s main
streets once looked like:
orderly grids, touches
of green and friendly
storefronts. But for all its
cuteness, this is the site of
one of the worst blundersTRIP HIGHLIGHTTRIP HIGHLIGHTWHAT’S IN A NAME, PART 1?
Although the Civil War is the widely accepted label
for the conflict covered in this trip, you’ll still hear
die-hard Southern boosters refer to the period as
the ‘War Between the States.’ What’s the difference?
Well, a Civil War implies an armed insurrection
against a ruling power that never lost its privilege to
govern, whereas the name ‘War Between the States’
suggests said states always had (and still have) a
right to secession from the Republic.VIRGINIA.TRIPS23
(^) THE CIVIL W
AR TOUR