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Manassas, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
REMOVED
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Mayfield Civil War Fort

Fortifying the Junction

— The Manassas Museum System —

 
 
Mayfield Civil War Fort Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, September 2, 2007
1. Mayfield Civil War Fort Marker
Inscription.
Following Virginia’s decision to secede from the Union in in April 1861, Southern troops began arriving here at the small village of Tudor Hall, which soon came to be known as Manassas Junction. This place, where the Orange & Alexandria and Manassas Gap railroads intersected, was quickly transformed from a quiet farming community into a military stronghold. Some 20,000 new recruits poured in from across Virginia and other Southern states.

Confederate leaders recognized the importance of holding Manassas Junction against an assault by Union forces. Possession of the junction meant control of the only continuous rail link between Washington, D.C. and the Confederate capital, Richmond, as well as the connection to the agricultural bounty of the Shenandoah Valley.

In June 1861, Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard took command of the troops defending Manassas. Seeking to utilize all available resources, he issued a proclamation to the people of Loudoun, Fairfax, and Prince William counties calling on them to contribute to the military preparations.

Some of the resources were human. Slaves from area farmers were sent to work alongside Confederate soldiers to construct a ring of defensive works around the Junction.

“We are expecting an attack every day on the Junction; ordered hands out to assist in throwing
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up a breast-work. Jack and our hands with others from the neighborhood start in the morning bright and early.”


Diary entry of Amanda Virginia Edmonds of Fauquier County, Va., June 6, 1861.
 
Erected by Civil War Trails.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1861.
 
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 38° 45.266′ N, 77° 27.126′ W. Marker was in Manassas, Virginia. Marker could be reached from the intersection of Battery Heights Boulevard and Quarry Road, on the left when traveling south. Located on the trail path into Mayfield Fort, on the outer embankments of the fort, about 300 feet from the parking lot. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Manassas VA 20110, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. Building Mayfield Fort (here, next to this marker); Role of Mayfield in Battle of First Manassas (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Battle of Bull Run Bridge (about 300 feet away); Building the Fort System (about 300 feet away); a different marker also named Battle of Bull Run Bridge
Marker Posted along the Trail up to Mayfield Fort image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, September 2, 2007
2. Marker Posted along the Trail up to Mayfield Fort
(about 300 feet away); Why the Forts? (about 300 feet away); Casualties of Battle (about 300 feet away); Camps of Instruction (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manassas.
 
More about this marker. On the left side of the marker is a drawing captioned, “Confederate soldiers and slave labor were used to dig the trenches and construct the earthworks surrounding the junction.” On the right side is a facsimile of Gen. Beauregard’s request to citizens, “This proclamation of June 5, 1861, from P.G.T. Beauregard, was a rally cry to the civilian population for the support of the Southern military operations at Manassas Junction.”
 
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has been replaced by the linked marker.
 
Also see . . .  Mayfield Fort Historic Site - Manassas, Virginia. Explore Southern History website entry (Submitted on June 7, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 8, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,121 times since then and 5 times this year. Last updated on April 7, 2011, by Jonathan Carruthers of Bealeton, Virginia. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on September 8, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.

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Mar. 19, 2024