View towards Matthews Hill from Henry Hill, Manassas National Battlefield Park

SECOND MANASSAS BATTLEFIELD TOUR

STOP 4:  MATTHEWS HILL

Allow 5 minutes to an hour (if you hike the Matthews Hill Loop Trail)

See the Second Manassas Battlefield Tour web page for a tour map.

GETTING THERE

The parking lot for the Matthews Hill stop on the Second Manassas Battlefield Tour is on the right side of Sudley Road when coming from Highway 29. It is easy to spot in advance, so you shouldn’t pass it by and have to turn around.

WHAT TO SEE

I don’t really know why this stop is on the Second Manassas Battlefield Tour because all exhibits focus on the First Battle of Manassas. Yes, the hill played a role in the second battle, but you won’t learn anything at this stop unless you purchased the Second Manassas Field Guide CD audio tour at the Henry Hill Visitor Center.

TRAILS

The Matthews Hill Loop Trail is located at this stop, but it focuses on the fighting during the First Battle of Manassas. If your interest is in Second Manassas, unless you are just out for exercise, there is no reason to hike it. About 60% of the trail is covered by the First Manassas Trail, and if you hike the Second Manassas Trail, you will also walk a short portion it.

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

Allow five minutes for a visit. If you plan to hike the Matthews Hill Loop Trail, allow an hour.

EVENTS ON MATTHEWS HILL

Confederate General Stonewall Jackson had his troops positioned along Stony Ridge and the Unfinished Railroad. After fighting broke out near the Brawner Farm on the evening of the August 28, 1862, and ended at darkness, neither side had gained an advantage. Union General John Pope believed Jackson was ultimately trying to escape. His plan for the next day was a flank attack on Jackson’s right side (Union left near Brawner Farm) while simultaneously launching diversion attacks from the front. The frontal attacks were staged from the Matthews Hill area. Because the Union had occupied the Warrenton Turnpike (Hwy 29) and Sudley Road intersection, they were able to freely move troops onto Matthews Hill.

Pope assigned the duty of the flank attack to General Fitz John Porter and his 10,000 men. There was little chance of victory simply by continued frontal attacks against Jackson due to his superior position, so the flank attack was the key to victory. However, what Pope did not anticipate was that Confederate General James Longstreet’s 30,000 men would arrive along the Warrenton Turnpike from the Rappahannock River where they had been stationed days earlier when General Robert E. Lee split the army and sent Stonewall Jackson to Manassas. Their presence blocked Porter from attacking, or at least that’s what Porter thought.

Whether the flank attack would have worked will never be known because Porter failed to carry out his order. After the battle he was accused of disobeying an order, found guilty, and was dishonorably discharged. He spent much of the rest of his life trying to defend his decision, and in 1886 the dishonorable discharge was overturned after a number of officers testified in his favor.

The frontal attacks that originated from Matthews Hill were carried out by General Franz Sigel’s I Corps. Most of the fighting took place along the Unfinished Railroad. To keep the tracks out of the water in case of flooding, the railroad was built on an elevated platform created by digging ditches on either side of the route and piling the dirt in the middle. This artificial hill provided the Confederate army with an excellent place to hide behind. Soldiers could spend days digging a trench and building a similar wall—here was one already completed. It would not only slow down attacking Union soldiers, but they would also have to scale the hill before charging down the other side, which left them exposed to musket and cannon fire. This stretch of rail bed was unfinished—no tracks—because the Manassas Gap Railroad ran out of money to complete the project: an Alexandria to Gainesville rail line.

Minor fighting began around 10 AM on the 29^th, though much of the time was spent waiting for one side or the other to attack. It wasn’t until late in the afternoon that the Union attempted two major attacks, each that started well but eventually ended in retreat.

At 5 PM, Pope ordered General Phil Kearney to attack Jackson’s left flank near Sudley Church (the next stop on the tour). This attack was also initiated from Matthews Hill.

Stop 5: Sudley Church Area | Stop 3: The Stone House

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