On July 18, 1861, it was the site of the Battle of Blackburn's Ford, Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell's initial probe of Confederate defenses in what would become the first major land battle of the Civil War, First Manassas. Due to heavy resistance from the fortified Confederate position that he encountered here, McDowell decided against a direct attack on the Manassas railroad junction and chose instead a flanking maneuver.