Second Manassas Trail

Distance: 6.6 mile roundtrip hike Difficulty: Moderate-Strenuous Hiking Time: 3+ hours This trail leads visitors through the climactic stages of the Second Battle of Manassas. Fighting occurred on August 28-30,1862 between Confederate troops under the command of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Union forces led by Gen. John Pope. The trail begins at the Henry Hill Visitor Center and heads north, past the Stone House (open seasonally), to Buck Hill where Pope established his headquarters. From here, visitors can look west to the area of the unfinished railroad where Stonewall Jackson placed his Confederate forces. After reaching Matthews Hill and crossing Sudley Road, the trail continues along the graded railroad bed leading to a clearing at the Deep Cut, the scene of a bloody battle where Jackson's troops turned back a major assault on the final day of the battle. The trail then turns south and passes the Lucinda Dogan House (one of three surviving Civil War-era structures in the park). Crossing Rt. 29, the trail winds towards New York Avenue where monuments mark the site where the 5th and 10th New York regiments were slaughtered in a massive Confederate counterattack that swept eastward toward Chinn Ridge. fter touring the Chinn Ridge area, scene of severe fighting on August 30,1862, the trail leads back to Henry Hill, where the final struggle during Second Manassas played out. Signage along Sudley Road describes the final phases of the Battle.