Information Panel: Lost Opportunity

Information Panel: Lost Opportunity

Photo: NPS / Claire Hassler

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Second Battle of Manassas, Day Three, August 30, 1862, 7:30 p.m.

You are standing in the war-time Sudley Road. Twentieth-century road realignments severed this short section and coincidentally preserved the historic trace. General Richard H. Anderson's division, on the extreme right of the Confederate battle line, reached this vicinity at twilight. Their position extended beyond the Union left flank, offering a golden opportunity to envelope the enemy. With ample artillery support from the south, a concerted effort might dislodge the Federals atop Henry Hill.

But the Confederate commanders here failed to grasp the opportunity at hand. A lack of guidance from superior officers and an uncertainty of the tactical situation in the growing darkness left them hesitant. General J.E.B. Stuart, arriving on the scene after dark, adamantly urged an attack, but the infantry refused, unwilling to take the risk. One of the final opportunities available to the Confederates to destroy Pope's army at Second Manassas was thus lost.