Manassas National Battlefield Park, where the first major battle of the Civil War was fought, has two panels that have been called into question under the White House’s 2025 Executive Order that says it is restoring “sanity” to the way history is taught in the United States. The battlefield was the scene of two very important fights of the war. First Bull Run fought in July of 1861 was the largest battle ever fought on United States soil up until that time. The Union defeat signaled that the war would not be quickly resolved and the Union virtually bloodlessly restored. The 1862 Battle of Second Manassas also saw the Union forces defeated which opened the way for Robert E. Lee’s Antietam Campaign.
Interestingly, part of the signage under review deals with how the First Bull Run Battle was remembered long after the fighting took place. On Henry House Hill in 1861 Union forces had pressed the Confederates back and were almost victorious. However, a little-known commander named Brigadier General Thomas Jackson arrayed the men of his First Brigade at the top of the hill. In spite of repeated attacks, his men held long enough for the Confederate reserve to reinforce the position, drive back the Union troops, and claim the first important victory of the war for themselves. Confederate General Bernard Bee saw Jackson’s actions and encouraged his men by yelling out “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Rally behind the Virginians!” Because of his heroism and because of Bee’s rallying call, Jackson would forever be known as “Stonewall” Jackson.
In 1936, the Virginia legislature approved a budget measure appropriating $25,000 to build a monument to Jackson. The monument was placed at the crest of Henry House Hill. The statue was dedicated on August 31, 1940 after the land had been transferred to the National Park Service. The statue was immediately criticized for being too old and way too muscular, but in the years afterwards it became one of the most visited sites at the battlefield.
Here are close-ups of the text that were taken by the Interior Department’s staff.
