Stone House, Manassas Virginia, 1862
[photo from the collection of Manasses National Battlefield Park]
This is an unused postcard with a hand-printed photograph taken in 1862 of the Stone House located on Warrenton Turnpike (U.S. 29) in Virginia. The picture is from the Manassas National Battlefield Park and was published and distributed by Cards Unlimited, Inc. of Keysville, Virginia. The code at the lower left corner on the reverse side is: MB 001.
The photograph is not large enough to see much detail but it appears that the man in the light colored long coat may be a Confederate soldier or officer, one other man has a light shirt or jacket, the other men are in dark jackets or coats with one having light colored pants. The man closest to the house has a black stovepipe hat. Photographs such as this offer a unique glimpse into the past.
Wormeley Carter inherited the tract from his father in 1801 and by 1805 had sold a substantial portion of the land. After he died his son, Thomas, had the remaining property. The first mention of a house on the land was when Thomas sold the house and 148 acres to John Lee in 1828.
When the Frauquier and Alexandria Turnpike Company began constructing a 28-mile toll road from the Fairfax Court House to Fauquier Court House, toll stations were planned to be located every 5 miles along the route. It is known as the historic Warrenton Turnpike. The project was started in 1812 and took the company 16 years to complete the road. One of the stops was where the Stone House would be built. The early toll stop was in operated by a Mary “Polly” Clark in 1828 but it is not believed the house at that time was the same one. Travelers would pay a toll to use the road and could stop at the house for food, drink and possibly lodging. From tax records and other documents Thomas O. Clark, the son of Polly Clark, probably built the Stone House in 1848. Later, when the toll road traffic had diminished the property was sold to Henry P. Matthew where he farmed the land and his family lived in the house.
The house is primarily known for serving as a field hospital during the First and Second Battles of Manassas also known as the First and Second Battles of Bull Run. It is part of the property of the Manassas National Battlefield Park listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The first major battle of the Civil War was called the First Battle of Bull Run by the Union forces and the First Battle of Manasses by the Confederate forces. It occurred on 21 July 1861 extremely close to Stone House. In the two hours between 10 am and 12 noon there over 1,000 mean were wounded.
As the battle shifted away from the house surgeons and Northern soldiers began to seek refuge inside the house. The strong walls made of stone provided some shelter, there was a well in the yard, and the main road to the hospitals of Washington, D.C. was not far away. Control of the house shifted between the armies with the Union forces eventually settling in. The house was under fire for the rest of the day as the battle raged on. Flags were placed in the windows to indicate that it was being used as a hospital. After a day or two the Confederate forces re-took the house and the Union troops retreated. At the end of the fighting the house continued to be an army hospital with the Confederate forces occupying it until March 1862. It is not known whether the Matthews family returned to the house at that time.
The Second Battle of Manasses or Bull Run was fought 28-30 August 1862. This battle was much larger in scale and numbers than the First Battle held on the same ground. Stone House was quickly reconverted to a hospital. Some Union troops were buried in the Stone House yard. Two wounded Union soldiers were taken to an upstairs room where they carved their names into the floorboards. Those carvings are still visible today.
After the Civil War the house was sold and changed hands a couple more times. Today it is not occupied as a house but is part of the Manasses National Battlefield Park with various tours and programs offered.
For more information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stone_House_Manassas_National_Battlefield_Park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Bull_Run
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Bull_Run
No comments:
Post a Comment