So New Year's Eve we spent with our friends, and Cheryl spent the night at Uncle Kim and Aunt Shannon's house. They live about 30 miles away from us, so it was easy to get there.
The next morning--January 1--we drove out there to pick her up. We stopped at Cafe Rio for lunch and then we went to the Manassas National Battlefield Park.
But it wasn't. Both sides lost hundreds of men and it went on longer than expected.
We watched a video there that described how that day went. Like I said before, it was very sobering. I will admit that I cried a little when I saw and heard the stories of men--very young men--who died and how they did. I could not imagine being in a war--like that or any kind at all.
After looking around inside, we went outside to see some of the cannons and such.
This sign tells about markers that were placed to indicate different battle positions. It was really hard to look at that peaceful and serene place and know that hundreds of men lost their lives there.
I don't remember when this monument was built, but it was in memory of the men who died here on
July 21, 1861.
The day was a bit chilly and gray. It seemed a perfect sort of day to visit. Even the geese flying overhead seemed to fit into the scene.
They also had this large statue of Thomas Jonathan Jackson, also known as "Stonewall Jackson". He was a Confederate General and was so firm and unyielding that they gave him that nickname.
And a few more pictures of the area
Glenn did pretty well here. We tried to explain as best we could what went on here and why we were visiting. I don't know how much a 3-year old can comprehend about war, but we still tried to help him understand that it was a sacred kind of site, where men were brave enough to fight for liberty and freedom!
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