Spring Fling 2026 - Day 23: Manassas National Battlefield Park

Martha and I drove the CRV over to the city of Manassas to check out the Manassas Battlefield Park.

The site of two US Civil War battles: 1st and 2nd Bull Run or 1st and 2nd Manassas.  Why the two names you ask?  Well it depends on whose side's naming convention you want to use. The North would use the name of the nearest land mark or river, in this case the nearby Bull Run Creek.  If you refer to use the naming convention used by the southern forces, they used the name of the nearest town or railroad junction.

So, why were there two battles here?

The visitor center on Henry Hill (battle site of First Manassas) is small but nicely done.  Their lighted map display gives you a very good understanding of the battle flow during the Battle of First Manassas.  That along with the film it's worth watching before you venture out onto the actual battlefield sites. 

In case you've been both wondering about the difference between smooth bar and rifled artillery:

The hideous price paid in terms of casualties in the Civil War, both sides included since they were all Americans.

At the start of the Civil War units tended to be more individualistic in terms of uniform composition and colors.  There would not be a standardization of blue for the north and gray for the South until later on. 

Martha and I took the 1.1 mi self-guided loop tour and we checked out the various artillery pieces located in the battlefield area along with informational placards.

Here I am standing in the location used by Union Army's Ricketts Battery, it was the eventual overwhelming of this position by the soldiers of Stonewall Jackson's brigade that led to the union army's rout and defeat.

Union Artillery, Napoleon 12 Pounders:

Taking pictures of the battlefield Ariel failed to give a good idea of how things went. So what you're getting today is pictures of artillery and of the Statue of Stonewall Jackson. I recommend you come to this park if possible to get a good idea of the flow of battle. 

The artillery pieces I used to show the location of the firing batteries during the 1st Manassas battle.

Southern artillery positions, and yes, they were also Napoleon 12 pounders.  Not exactly a coincidence, since both sides drew from the same stocks prior to hostilities beginning.  

Even though the superior number of Union soldiers initially seemed to give the battle to them, the arrival of Stonewall Jackson's brigade and his defense of the way to the Manassas railroad junction led to a union defeat. 

The statue faces in the direction the union forces came...

It did not take us very long to do the 1.1 mi loop, and the weather was almost perfect for it. The last 3 days or so have been very hot so today is cloudy conditions were great.

Note: Such was the naivete of folks at the start of the war, some actually came out on the day of battle and pic-nic'ed nearby to watch the only expected battle of the war.  It would be four more long and bloody years 

Spring Fling 2026 - Day 22: the National US Army Museum and Visiting More Friends

We drove the CRV about 2 hours in morning rush traffic to the National US Army Museum in Fort Belvoir, VA.

A very well laid out museum that used basically the snapshot method to try and give the visitor an idea of the 250 year history of the Army and the US.

As usual, here's some of the things that caught my eye: 

Today's moto content:

This flag was floor to ceiling.  It's filled with rows of soldier figures representing the number of soldiers who served in WWII:

The predecessor to the Army's C Rations: K Rations.

More on K rations: Link 

A nuclear weapon for the Infantry!

Zoom in to see the NATO vs Warsaw Pact opposing alignments....I was with the 1st Armored Division, part of VII Corps 

C Rations, the rations I "enjoyed" early in my career.  These were the predecessors to todays MRE meals.  Note: the versions I had didn't have cigarettes, I figure these were from Vietnam era.  More info here.

Update: the "C-Rats" I was issued in the early 80s were updated rations called MCI or MeL Combat Individual.  They retained the moniker of C-Rats:  more info.

A display in the Global War on Terror Section, showing soldiers use some new technologies such as drones/small robots.  The captured motorcycle is the last of today's Moto content.

I learned the Army had the initial mission to protect what became some of the earliest national parks:

Cool ceiling display of army ribbons:

Officers Manual from the Revolutionary War:

I learned also of the role played by Native American fighters and Slaves:

A very good museum, I recommend visiting it.  And, it's free admission!

We were finished at the museum shortly before noon so we drove the short distance over to Alexandria to meet up with a ROTC friend of mine John W.  We had a nice chat with him and his wife Jean.

We then went to lunch at a nearby Greek restaurant: 

We return to John's house after lunch and he showed us his beautifully landscaped backyard and front yard. 

John and Jean's dogs, very friendly and active.

Soon enough it was time to hit the road and spend a glorious 2 hours or so driving in afternoon rush hour traffic this time heading west back towards Marshall, VA.  We were pelted by some pretty heavy rain for a few minutes while on westbound interstate 66 but no issues. 

Lee and Lyn's son Christopher, along with his lovely wife Katelyn and 2 yr old daughter Ripley had arrived today from New Mexico. They will be here through the memorial day weekend.

Spring Fling 2026 - Day 18 thru 21: Hot Days at FOB Lee&Lyn nee Marshall

Saturday, May 16

Sunny and warm till late afternoon, then rain clouds his the sun but very little rain.

Relaxed with my college ROTC friends while Martha took the opportunity to meet up with Tracy, a friend of hers from work when they were both in the Cherry Creek School district in Colorado. 

The local volunteer fire department was having a barbecue ribs fundraiser, so Lee and I headed over there and picked up four orders. The ribs were quite tasty and sorry I did not even think about a picture before wolfing down mine.

Here's a pic of Lee S. and myself taken by Martha:

Sunday, May 17

My honorary niece, Jennifer, daughter of Lee and Lyn S. met us at Molly's Pub in oldtown Warrenton for lunch.  Her husband Kevin was with her of course and we had us a nice and tasty lunch courtesy of Lee S. And the great service at Molly's.

I had a Guinness...

After lunch, we drove back to the FOB, now renamed more appropriately to FOB Lee&Lyn.

We visit with Jennifer (whom I've known since she was about 4 years old) And Kevin , catching up on things since I last saw them at their wedding.

Too soon, it was time for the youngsters to head back home.  

Jennifer, Martha, Lyn, Lee and Kevin

Monday, May 18

Hot and humid!  Lyn and Martha did a grocery run while I stayed at the FOB with Indy, their German Shepherd.  Google said was 92°F in Fauquier County, the RV thermometerz read 86 outside and 83 inside, we ran the AC for a bit to "exercise" the 4KW generator.

We did get a visit from a couple of the locals while it was still cool in the morning:

3x zoom (optical)

17.6x zoom (digital)

Tuesday, May 20

Another hot day with a high of 92°F.

The main event was a drive to nearby Warrenton for Martha to have lunch with a friend she'd worked with when we lived in VA back in the mid-90s 

In the late afternoon, it rained for a bit which served to cool things down to the low 80s.

Tomorrow, the Army Museum...