Evening star., 1951-02-28
HouseUnit Visits
Today
|nDispersaIHunt
Subcommittee Meets
Apparent Defect
On Manassas Site
By Froneis P. Douglas

By Froncis P. Douglas
Members OF the House Public
Works subcommittee were to
visit Government-owned areas in
Maryland this afternoon. seeking
sites for buildings that would be
erected under the dispersal bill
now before a subcommittee.
Subcommittee members yester-
day visited two Government
owned tracts on the Virginia side
OF the Potomac-Fort Belvoir and
the Manassas National Battle
field Park. They probably became
the third expedition from WASH
ington to meet defeat at the his
toric battlefield.
Under the dispersal measure,
buildings are projected on six
sites about 20 miles from down.
town Washington to house agen-
cies with 10000 employees: The
program is designed as de-
fense measure.
Representative Smith, Demo-
crat, of Virginia, told the SUBJ
committee, at hearing, that the
Government already has large
tracts and that it should be un-
necessary to buy more.
Heard of Expansion Needs.
But subcommittee members were
told at Fort Belvoir of the need
for additional acreage to enlarge
the post for the better training
of engineer troops.
The party then went on to the
Manassas Battlefield and almost
decided to confine its survey to
what could be seen from the bus
in which the group rode. But
curiosity led members into the
museum. and soon they were
seated in front of a big map and
listening to James B. Myers,
superintendent for the National
Park Service, tell of the First
Battle of Manassa.
Lights on the map traced the
course Of McDowell's troops as
they tried to flank the Confederate
forces. jackson stood ''like a stone
wall" not far from where the
party sat. The battle swirled
around the Henry House and the
Stone House and the last of Kirby
Smiths brigade from the Shen-
andoah Valley arrived just in time
to turn the tide.
1t was almost S o'clock, and Mr..
Myers said it would take 10 more
minutes to tell Of the Second Bat
tie of Manassas. There was a
chorus urging him to 60 on.
So, now 1t was August, 1862.
Jackson eluded Pope and burned
the Federal stores at Manassas
junction after his men spent a
day feasting on them. Then
Jackson disappeared behind the
railroad embankment to the
northwest. Pope probed for him.
confident he had "the Old Fox"
this time. Jackson attacked. and
Longstreet, coming through Thor
oughfare Gap, fell on the Union
flank.
Third Battle Won.
Mr.. Myers knew his audience
were members of Congress. He
did not know they were consider
ing taking 200 acres of the 1870
acre park as the site for a Gov
ernment Office building. But one
of the members of the group re-
marked, as they filed out, Il
think the third Battle of Manas-
sas has just been won."
AT Fort Belvoir, Chairman
Trimble and members of the SUBJ
committee inquired whether some
of the reservation could not be
used as an Office building site.
The party was received there by
Brig. Gen. Albert C. Lieber, COM
manding general; Col. Frank o.
Bowman and 1t. Col. Charles C.
Holbrook.
Mr.. Trimble pointed on the
map to the north end of the 9,000-
acre reservation. Col. Bowman
said that was the demolition area.
Mr.. Trimble pointed to a 700-acre
tract west of the Shirley highway.
Col. Bowman said that the the
ammunition storage area, and the
engineers hope to enlarge it.
"As I get it, Col. Bowman, you
haven't got any surplus land, but
you want some more" MIR. 1rimble
said with a chuckle.
You're absolutely right" Col.
Bowman replied.