Sesquicentennial of 2nd Manassas

This week marks the sesquicentennial of the Second Battle of Bull Run (August 28-30 1862). Both the First and Second Battles of Bull Run were fought over pretty much the same ground in Manassas, Virginia, ending in victories for the Confederacy. General Robert E. Lee defeated Union General John Pope's forces, allowing the Confederacy to gain a foothold in the East. However, the march into Maryland ended in disaster for Lee. The Second Battle of Bull Run was said to be the catalyst for President Lincoln to plan the Emancipation Proclamation.

Re-enactors demonstrated some of artillery gun fire last saturday. Rob Griesbach, a Confederate re-enactor, stated that "we try to show that the war is [about] more than just slavery. Each soldier had a totally different reason for enlisting. They fought for their kids. They didn't fight for themselves."