Special Offer: All participants who register for this tour by October 21 will receive a complimentary registration to the October 24 Tale of Two Armies: The Second Manassas Campaign online program on Zoom. Further information will be shared with qualifying registrants via email in mid- to late October.
In mid-July 1862, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee found himself on the horns of a major dilemma. His Army of Northern Virginia had just concluded a series of battles that saved Richmond, Virginia, from what was thought to be inevitable capture by Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac. Lee managed to drive McClellan’s army away from the Confederate capital, but he was unable to annihilate the Federal force.
To further complicate matters for Lee, the Lincoln administration had created a second Federal army in central Virginia. This Army of Virginia was under the command of Maj. Gen. John Pope and, operating in cooperation with McClellan’s force, threatened the Army of Northern Virginia. Over the next two months, Lee used a calculated strategy to defeat each of the Federal armies, beginning with Pope’s. His strategy ultimately resulted in a return to Bull Run and the Battle of Second Manassas.
The tour begins with a visit to Brawner Farm and Battery Heights, where Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Thomas Stonewall Jackson first fought Federal units on Aug. 28. Next is Sudley Church, near Bull Run, where Pope launched his initial attacks against Jackson during the morning of Aug. 29. Participants spend the rest of the morning visiting several locations along the Unfinished Railroad, where Pope continued to strike Jackson in diversionary attacks throughout Aug. 29.
Following a boxed lunch at the site of Lee’s headquarters on Stuart Hill, stops associated with fighting on Aug. 30, the final day of the battle, include Groveton, the New York Zouave monuments, Chinn Ridge, and Pope’s headquarters on Buck Hill.
Civil War tour guide and career military intelligence officer Marc Thompson leads the tour.
Know Before You Go
- The tour departs by motorcoach from downtown Washington, DC with a designated secondary pick-up outside the city. Content delivered by the study leader on the way to the destination, after the secondary pick-up, is an integral part of the study tour experience. Meeting the group once the tour is en route is discouraged.
- Tour participants meet at and leave by bus from the Holiday Inn Capitol at 550 C St., SW (corner of 6th and C Sts.) with a pickup stop at the Vienna Metro south-side Kiss and Ride kiosk at about 8:25 a.m.
- Considerable walking on uneven terrain requires good mobility; dress in comfortable clothing and footwear.
General Information
- Registration for this tour will end by 2 p.m. ET on Friday, October 25, 2024.
- Smithsonian Associates is a mask-friendly environment. Please feel free to bring and wear a mask at any time during a tour, both for your safety or the safety of others.
- As we aim to move away from single use water bottles, guests are strongly encouraged to get in the habit of bringing their own reusable water bottle on tour.
- For additional tour information:
