Manassas, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Occupation or Liberation
Eight months after their victory at the First Battle of Manassas (five miles north of here), the Confederates abandoned Manassas Junction, burning more than a million pounds of provisions and destroying the railroad line as they left. Days later, the Union army arrived. A reporter for Harper's Weekly wrote:
The sight here cannot be portrayed; the large machine shops, the station-houses, the Commissary and Quartermaster store-houses, all in ashes. On the track stood the wreck of a locomotive, and was not far down the remains of four freight cars which had been burned...
Harper's Weekly, March 29, 1862
Most local residents saw the Union troops as hostile invadersobjects of fear and loathing. But many enslaved people saw in the Union army the promise of freedom. Over the coming months, thousands of enslaved people from Prince William and nearby counties fled into Union lines. Soldiers called these people "contrabands."
Contrabands are coming in freely. Today I counted twelve...coming down the track of the Orange and Alexandria Railway, each with a little bundle sling on a stick over his shoulder. Over $15,000worth of property walking on its own hook!
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A soldier of the 21st New York, April 15, 1862
[Captions:]
This dramatic photograph shows the ruins of Manassas Junction in the spring of 1862, destroyed by the Confederate Army when it fell back towards Richmond.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
These striking images tell two very different stories experienced by area residents during the war. In the photo on the left, a white family prepares to leave their home in Centreville before the advancing Union Army. In the sketch above, enslaved people took the opportunity to come into Union lines seeking freedom.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Union Officer's sword and scabbard, retrieved from the battlefield after the Battle of Second Manassas, August, 1862.
Photograph by Don Flory
Manassas Museum Collection
Erected by City of Manassas, Virginia.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, and the Virginia, City of Manassas series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is March 29, 1862.
Location.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 30, 2019
2. Occupation or Liberation Marker
This is a previous iteration of the marker. The main difference is that the title ribbon is cyan in the earlier version.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Jackson's Raid (within shouting distance of this marker); Wartime Manassas (within shouting distance of this marker); Liberty Street / First African-American School (within shouting
Other markers no longer nearby. Site of Manassas Junction (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); War on the Landscape (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Manassas Museum (was about 300 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Manassas 1905 - The Great Fire (was about 300 feet away but has been permanently removed); Manassas (was about 300 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Wartime Manassas (was about 300 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Wartime Manassas (was about 300 feet away but has been confirmed
Credits. This page was last revised on July 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 30, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 380 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 12, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on November 30, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on July 12, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 4. submitted on November 30, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
