In the morning we headed to Monassas Battlefield Park, site of the very first battle of the Civil War on July 21, 1861 - the first Bull Run, and another battle a year later on August 28, 1862 - the second Bull Run. Bull Run is a creek that runs through Monassas which is just 40 miles from Washington.
Monassas Junction was a railway depot where both militaries at times maintained their supplies. It was the magnet for the battles.
The Confederate Army won both battles, but could not press their advantage either time.
The stone house served as a field hospital for both battles. The fields were much the same then as they are now - killing fields, due to the troops marching in columns into the line of fire.
The monument beside the house was erected by Union Soldiers in memory of those who fell at Bull Run.
It was at the first Bull Run battle that General Thomas Jackson gained the "Stonewall" nickname, in recognition of his stand that rallied the disorganized southerners.
We attended a 40 minute film about the Civil War that highlighted the action at Monassas. As at Gettysburg and Antietam, the thousands of dead young men the battle claimed defies the imagination.
Then, it was on to Charleston. Encountered a 40 minute delay due to an accident and arrived at our destination just after 7 p.m.
After we had settled in we headed to dinner at Fleet Landing - awesome seafood (sea scallops with ginger honey glaze for me, shrimp for Mardi, we both had grits as well). As we were leaving the restaurant we came across this gentleman and his Macaws.
Tomorrow we'll spend the morning exploring Charleston and it's then on to Orlando.
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