Blogs from Manassas, Virginia, United States, North America

STONEWALL Thomas Johnathan Jackson was a school teacher at VMI and highly regarded as a soldier by Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, when the War of Northern Aggression began in 1861. A fellow named Pierre Beauregard was the rascal who opened fire on Fort Sumter that opened the war, and Pierre was given command of the Confederate Army of the Shenandoah. Jackson was given command of a brigade in that new army. Another brigade commander was a fellow named Barnard Bee from South Carolina. On July 21, 1861 the confederate army and the federal Army of the Potomac collided at a place called Manassas in Virginia. A fellow named Irvin McDowell was in command of the federal army. Manassas was about midway between Washington DC and Richmond and an important rail junction. For that reason ... read more

Hello, Well, I just finished enjoying a short hike in part of Prince William Forest Park NP in Manassas, VA, USA. www.nps.gov/prwi/index I found Prince William Forest Park while I was visiting some friends in the area. It seems to have a handful of hiking and biking trails available. The day I visited the park it had just finished storming, so it wasn't too hot, but the humidity was very high. I only did a couple of quick hikes. (1.5 miles and 3.5 miles) to see if the park was a place I wanted to come back to in the near future. Needless to say, it is a place I am planning on returning to, soon. I am still in the area visiting with my friends, so I hoping to hike the North Valley Trail (3.1 ... read more

It is very difficult to get through Virginia. There is so much history here as well as government stuff. Anyway, the RV park we are at right now is only a few miles from the Bull Run Battlefield. It was the first big battle of the Civil War fought in the summer of 1861. Everyone thought the war would be over in a month. Civilians from nearby towns even took carriage rides with blankets and picnic baskets to watch the battle thinking it might be kinda fun. It was a real wake up call to the whole nation. It would not be over quickly and it would cost many lives. In fact about 620,000 all total over 4 years. This battle started out to be a Federal victory but the tide turned and the Confederates ended ... read more

So, it's my last day in the U.S. I arrived last night in Washington, DC and went a little south with Julian to his place. I really enjoy train rides. It was a long ride from Amherst to DC, but it was extremely pleasant. I had plenty of room and very smooth trip without much effort at all. The DC-metro area is really pretty nice. The people here are quite friendly and there's a lot of stuff to see. I went to the Bull Run Battlefield sight today with Julian. It's very beautiful, in a creepy kind of way. It's especially interesting to consider that the Confederates ended up winning that battle. Near Julian's apartment is pretty much every major food and shopping chain that anyone could ever want. It's a little disturbing how much commercial ... read more

This morning was weird - I woke up in Nashville, of course, but it took a few seconds for that to register when I first woke up. So in the meantime, I was all, "Um, *where* am I?" All good, we figured it out. And I had company for most of the night - the creature known only as "White Kitty" kept me from feeling lonely. Seriously guys, that cat needs a name before it develops serious behaviourial difficulties. Dave and I took Winston the dog for a walk as Brooke got ready for work, then after some coffee I was off. Up through Tennessee and Virginia, which proved to be a lot bigger than I imagined! (Granted, the interstate takes pretty much the longest path imaginable through the state on the way to DC...) It ... read more