Runs right behind my house. It is a beautiful place.

I've found this picture to be truly haunting. Without knowing any better, one can imagine these seven horsemen charging and slicing up the youngster soldiers and the kids. You can almost see them talking it over as they stare each other down. Well, that a photo was taken and handed down is proof that there was no ensuing slaughter perhaps, but the imagination runs wild. This is a fantastic shot.

[The battles of Bull Run were fought in July 1861 and August 1862. This photo was taken during the winter in between. And yes, it is wonderful. - Dave]

Newly indoctrinated to this blog. My question is -- what's with the children? Why are there children essentially in the middle of this war? Who were the parents? Soldiers? Did a spouse bring her kids to see daddy at the war?

I heard this actually wasn't too far off the mark -- that families often travelled with their soldier spouse during the war.

[There was no fighting going on when this photo was taken, some seven or eight months after the first battle of Bull Run. The second battle of Bull Run was months away. - Dave]

Thanks, Dave, for posting these Civil war era pictures. Reading my ggGrandfather's journals and looking at the pictures brings it to life for me. I hope you will be able to post more.

The date is probably early spring 1862 rather than 1861. After the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) the Union (Federal) Army routed back towards Washington and the Confederate Army under Joe Johnston took up positions north of the battlefield at Centreville. He held those lines until March 9, 1862 when he pulled the army behind the Rappahannock River at Culpepper [Culpeper]. On March 11 the Union Army (now known as the Army of the Potomac) under General George McClellan marched south to the now abandoned Centreville position. If this photo isn't from before the first battle and the 1861 or 1862 date is correct then it is most likely from around this date. (Thanks on this one to Wikipedia's articles on First Bull Run, and the Peninsular Campaign.)