Monday, June 25, 2007

1st Manassas Monuments

There is also a grouping of 1st Manassas monuments, these are located on Henry House Hill near the Visitor's Center. There are four monuments here, below are three of them (the fourth will be the subject of the next post).

This monument marks where General Barnard Elliott Bee was killed while trying to rally his troops. He also uttered the famous remark, "There stands Jackson like a stonewall, rally behind the Virginians." Whether Bee intended it as a compliment or insult is unknown as he was soon after killed. Popular legend has made it a compliment but Bee might have been upset that Jackson hadn't come to his aid.
Near the Bee monument is a monument marking where Brigadier General Francis Stebbings Bartow was mortally wounded. According to the monument he was the first Confederate officer to give his life on the field, but surely they must mean the first general officer as I'm sure some lieutenants and captains probably died before a brigadier general did. The Stonewall monument can be seen in the background.
Finally, the oldest of the monuments on the field. This simple monument stands next to the Henry House and the simple inscription is "In memory of the patriots who fell at Bull Run July 21, 1861." That would be Union patriots.

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