The bloodshed at Manassas in July 1861 foreshadowed much of the Civil War that would follow. Here, with hastily assembled armies in mismatched uniforms, the United States and the Confederacy struggled to establish their purposes and their futures. The battle revealed some of the defining features of the war to come: the obliteration of the line between battlefield and home front, the critical role of railroads and artillery, the overconfidence of both sides, the allure of war as spectacle, the cult of personality, and the impatience of the press. One crucial aspect of the war to come, however, remained invisible: emancipation. When war returned to this very field a year later, an incipient movement to freedom had begun to gather force, driven by enslaved African Americans and a President looking for a way to defeat a Confederacy that seemed to grow only stronger.

The 150th anniversary of what would become known as the First Battle of Manassas/Bull Run is a fitting time to look forward, even as the nation revisits and remembers the Civil War. Join the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission and the National Park Service for a program that will examine both the profound impact of the Civil War and the rich opportunities of the sesquicentennial.

Speakers included Robert F. McDonnell, Governor of Virginia, along with local, state, and federal officials. The keynote address was given by Dr. Edward L. Ayers, president of the University of Richmond and historian of the American South.

The Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission held a joint meeting with its newly-formed West Virginia counterpart on June 25 to mark the beginning of the national commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The day-long program was held at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park as part of a series of events planned for the 150th anniversary of John Brown's Raid. Special guests included West Virginia Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin; Robert G. Stanton, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Policy, Management and Budget; members of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; representatives from the Civil War Preservation Trust; and partners from the Journey Through Hallowed Ground.

Morning Program: Tours, Civil War Trails, Land Transfer Ceremony and Student Service-Learning Project

Staff of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, led by Dennis Frye, Chief of Interpretation, Education, Cultural Resources and Partnerships, took members and guests on bus tours of John Brown's Fort. It was in this building, formerly known as the Armory, that John Brown and several of his followers barricaded themselves during the final hours of their ill-fated raid of October 16, 17, and 18, 1859. In 1909, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of John Brown's Raid, the building was purchased and moved to the Storer College campus on Camp Hill in Harpers Ferry. Acquired by the National Park Service in 1960, the building was moved back to the Lower Town in 1968. Because the fort's original site was covered with a railroad embankment in 1894, the building now sits about 150 feet east of its original location. Plans are underway to return the fort to its historically accurate location. Read Entire Summary

The Shenandoah Valley's local Sesquicentennial committees gathered at Abram’s Delight in Winchester on Saturday, June 27, to host a special regional event to spotlight Sesquicentennial plans and programs throughout the Valley.

Local Sesquicentennial committees taking part in the event included Augusta County-Staunton- Waynesboro, Harrisonburg-Rockingham County, Highland County, Lexington-Rockbridge County, Page County, Shenandoah County, Warren County, and Winchester-Frederick County.

The keynote speaker for the program was Dr. James I. "Bud" Robertson, Jr, Alumni Distinguished Professor, Virginia Tech University and Executive Director, Virginia Center for Civil War Studies. Other speakers included Cheryl Jackson, Executive Director, Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission; Richard Lewis, National Public Relations Manager, Virginia Tourism Corporation; and Dr. Irvin Hess, Chairman, Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.

The event also featured musical performances by Winchester resident James Gillison, historical reenactors in period uniform and dress, and a chance to see a Sesquicentennial-related exhibit at the next-door Hollingsworth Mill, "From the First Shot to the Gallows: Winchester’s Involvement with the John Brown Raid."

Immediately following the program, the local committee leaders met with the news media at the Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society; the press included both Shenandoah Valley media and national freelance travel writers who attended the event as part of a familiarization tour of Civil War-related and other sites in Winchester and Frederick County. Thee one-on-one meetings gave the committees the chance to promote their plans for the commemoration, particularly their efforts to discover, reveal, and preserve the "untold stories" of the war in the area.

The event was co-hosted by the Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation. The Battlefields Foundation is working with local committees to coordinate regional Sesquicentennial planning in the Valley.