Museum to host five-part series

By Bennie Scarton Jr.

Published: July 15, 2008

The Marines landed in Manassas before the first major battle of the Civil War--not on a beach, but splashing across a little known creek named Bull Run.

Despite the bloody action at on-shore battlefields, the Civil War may have been turned by the actions of the U.S. Navy on the high seas.

These and other often overlooked facets of the Civil War will be explored in a new "Lunchtime Learn-ing" series at the Manassas Museum beginning on Monday.

The five-part series, beginning at 12:15 p.m., will feature guest lecturers. Those attending should bring a lunch and the Museum will provide drinks. The cost is $4 per person and pre-registration is required.

A few hundred inexperienced "green" Marines, who were assigned to be artillery escorts during the Battle of First Manassas after their scant training, instead found themselves in the thick of battle. The Marines, under the command of Major John G. Reynolds, may have been the least trained in the pivotal battle, but their perform-ance compared favorably to more seasoned units. Their story will be told by Tom Williams (U.S.M.C. Ret.) during the first lecture, "The Fighting Marines of First Manassas."

Michael Aubrecht, author of "Southern Cross," a Civil War devotional, found that most Civil War literature focused on battles and often ignored the role that religion played, particularly in the lives of soldiers. His book "Onward Christian Soldier," explores the spiritual journey of Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and his book "Christian Cavalier," traces the spiritual legacy of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. His lecture, "The Great Revival: The Rise of Religion During the Civil War," will be presented on Aug. 25.

U.S. Navy Admiral William Reynolds was in command of two ships, the USS Vermont and the USS New Hamp-shire, which shared critical roles during the Civil War as both receiving and store ships and as members of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron in South Carolina. These ships maintained a massive effort on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the Confederate States of America designed to prevent the passage of trade goods, supplies, and arms to and from the Confederacy.

Interpreter Glenn Knight, portraying Admiral Reynolds, will explain how important the efforts of these ships were during his lecture, "How the Navy Won the Civil War," on Sept. 22.

Jackson's 1862 raid on the Union stores may have been the first time that Union and Confederate forces traded control of the pivotal Manassas Junction railroad, but it was not to be the last during the Civil War. The Oct. 6 lecture, "Fighting for Manassas Junction during the Civil War," presented by Museum Director John Verrill, will explore the strategic importance of this local railroad junction.

The Nov. 17 lecture, "From Pantaloons to Parasols: Women's Civil War Fashions," will take a peek under the wide hoop skirts of the era to reveal the many layers of clothing that women wore, as well as the many styles and accessories of the time. It will be presented by Nicole Wilfong, the Museum's public pro-grams coordinator.

To register for any of the lectures, call the Museum at 703-368-1873.

-- Bennie Scarton Jr.