Date: October 7, 2010 Contact: Lisa Sievel-Otten lotten@ci.manassas.va.us
Civil War Fort Expert to Speak at Museum on October 17 Forts Along the Orange & Alexandria Railroad with National Park Service Historian David Lowe
At the start of the Civil War, all eyes turned toward Manassas and the vital rail lines that met here, connecting north and south, east and west. National Park Service Historian David W. Lowe will speak about the importance of a network of earthwork forts protecting those rail lines during a talk at The Manassas Museum on October 17 at 2 p.m.
Lowe, an expert on earthwork fort construction, says those forts that remain can tell us much about Civil War military operations. “Military earthworks, shaped by soldiers and sometimes slaves, are the most significant visible resources left to us from earlier wars,” Lowe explains.
Here in the Manassas area, the restored Confederate Mayfield Earthwork Fort and Cannon Branch Earthwork Fort, a Union stronghold set to open next June, have provided valuable research material for Lowe. “The abundance of resources in the region has been a boon to my research,” Lowe says. “On the other hand, I have witnessed the needless destruction of resources over the years, mostly because folks do not understand that an earthwork is more than just a pile of dirt.”
During his presentation, Forts Along the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, Lowe will talk about military engineering and the forms and techniques of constructing earthworks, illustrated with details from period photographs. He will also discuss his observations at Mayfield and Cannon Branch, comparing how the forts looked originally and why they look as they do now.
Lowe’s work has enabled him to study earthwork forts across the country. “Working as a historian with the National Park Service, I have had the opportunity to work in many battlefield parks in seven states,” Lowe says. “Our office (Cultural Resources GIS) was the first to use Global Positioning Systems technology for mapping military earthworks. At last count, I have helped put about 120 miles of surviving earthworks on the map, mostly for the first time. In 1992, a group of us founded the Civil War Fortifications Study Group, which encourages research and preservation of military earthworks.”
Forts Along the Orange & Alexandria Railroad will be a free presentation at the museum in anticipation of the opening of Cannon Branch Earthwork Fort. Call 703-368-1873 or visit www.manassasmuseum.org for more information.
October 11, 2010 at 8:51 pm
I’ld bet even money Mr. Lowe would be really excited if we tore up the parking lot at the end of Mathis Avenue Shopping Center by the theatre. Got to be lots of stuff down there left over from Fort Beauregard.
October 12, 2010 at 8:42 am
This sounds pretty cool, thanks for the info Andy!
Oh, you might want to fix that first date entry. It says 7th instead of 17th.
October 13, 2010 at 8:06 am
The next four years are going to be an exciting time for local WBTS fans.
October 17, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Alex and I attended today, and every chair was taken. There were more than 40 people. It was really interesting. I was especially impressed at the knowledge of several of the people attending. Obviously, there are lots of Civil War buffs in Manassas. I guess that makes sense. Alex has been engrossed with the Civil War since he was in 4th grade (he’s in 8th now). I would love it for him if there was some sort of organization that meets to discuss Civil War history and maybe even take field trips to Civil War sites together. Do you know if anything like that exists in Manassas/PWC that allows teenagers? I was tempted to accost a couple of the gentlemen and beg them to mentor my son. Don’t worry, though. I resisted the urge.
October 18, 2010 at 12:28 am
I was surprised by the packed room, but disappointed that there was but one youth in attendance. In my high school days (30 years ago) the room would have probably been a quarter to a half youths. Too bad most kids these days don’t take to history.
Note: there are “meet the author” events on the 23rd and 24th.
October 18, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Patty,
There is the Bull Run Civil War Round Table. They meet in Centreville. However, they have organized trips to many local sites.
Here is the link to their website.
http://bullruncwrt.org/
October 19, 2010 at 7:58 am
Thanks citizen. I’ll give him the website. I think he would really enjoy spending time with other people that share his fascination.
October 19, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Patty,
You are welcome. Its a nice group, and they are very dedicated to the war.