Mayfield Civil War Fort

Following Virginia’s decision to secede from the Union in April 1861, Southern troops began arriving at the small village of Tudor Hall, which soon came to be known as Manassas Junction. Where the Orange & Alexandria and Manassas Gap railroads intersected, the place was quickly transformed from a quiet farming community into a military stronghold as some 20,000 new recruits poured in from across Virginia and other Southern states. Confederate leaders recognized the importance of holding Manassas Junction against a Union assault because possession of the junction meant control of the only continuous rail link between Washington, D.C. and the Confederate capital, Richmond, as well as the connection to the agricultural bounty of the Shenandoah Valley. In June 1861, Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard took command of the troops defending Manassas and, seeking to utilize all available resources, called on the people of Loudoun, Fairfax, and Prince William counties to contribute to the military preparations. Slaves from area farmers were sent to work alongside Confederate soldiers to construct a ring of defensive works around the Junction as an attack was expected daily.

Manassas, Virginia · United States