First Bull Run Does battlefield make clear what happened at the first /second battle?

I agree with Pat. The majority of the action in the two battles was fought on different parts of the battlefield. It's when you get to the vicinity of Henry Hill that there's significant overlap, but as I recall the two battles are well distinguished from each other.

One of my favorite CW battlefields. Go for it! :thumbsup:
 
I dont want to hijack the thread but overall is the vegetation close to what it was at the time of the battle. I rode the trails on my horse and it was a great experience but in spots around Henry Hill and the fields in front of the railroad cut it appeared like alot of newer growth.
 
I dont want to hijack the thread but overall is the vegetation close to what it was at the time of the battle. I rode the trails on my horse and it was a great experience but in spots around Henry Hill and the fields in front of the railroad cut it appeared like alot of newer growth.

Several years ago I took part in a Civil War Preservation Trust tour of Second Manassas. I believe John Hennessey was the tour guide. A great deal of tree growth has covered what had been open fields in front of the railroad cut. There is a swath of cleared ground to the railroad cut. If memory serves me well, Hennessy explained that the clearing was made in the 1980s by NPS employees who surreptitiously used a bulldozer while the park supervisor was absent. Since the NPS is mostly focused on wildlife preservation, cutting down trees--even to restore a historical park to its contemporary condition--was frowned on at the time. These particular park rangers wanted to restore a little bit of the ground to its 1862 appearance and figured it was easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission. Since then, the park has maintained the clearing to give visitors a better idea of what the battlefield in front of the Confederate position looked like.
 
It's definitely easy. I think there is more of an emphasis on the 1st battle than the 2nd, though. The visitor center is pretty much 1st battle focused only. There is a little exhibit for the 2nd battle but it doesn't come close to the same sort of in depth coverage as the 1st battle.
 
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