MANASSAS You can still walk the hallowed ground where thousands were killed, the Civil War turned for a time in the Confederacy's favor and Gen. Thomas J. Jackson became "Stonewall."

But it's been a battle.

Preservationists have fought off an interstate highway, a shopping mall, a housing development and even a couple of theme parks to keep Manassas National Battlefield Park largely intact. Congress came to the rescue in 1988 with a law signed by President Ronald Reagan to purchase land adjacent to the park slated for development.

So, the park is secure for future generations, right?

"I never ever want to say that," said park superintendent Robert K. Sutton with a laugh, knowing that guarding 5,000 acres of green space in the middle of Northern Virginia is a full-time task.

In fact, the National Trust for Historic Preservation still considers the battlefield "threatened," sitting as it does in Prince William County, one of the state's fastest-growing counties and the second most-populous.

History-rich Virginia, of course, has numerous other Civil War battlefields; in fact, of the 384 Civil War battlefields cited as critical to preserve by the federal Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, 123 are in Virginia. What sets the Manassas battleground apart - also known by the name of the stream, Bull Run, that runs through it - is that two major battles were fought here, including the first major land battle of the war. That skirmish on a hot Sunday in July 1861, which attracted the curious from nearby Washington with picnic baskets and parasols, was supposed to be the encounter to end the unpleasantness between North and South. Instead, it only ignited it.

Thirteen months later, the armies engaged here again in a more sprawling and deadly battle. Nine hundred died and 1,700 were wounded at First Manassas; more than 3,000 were killed and 16,000 wounded at Second. Scores went missing or were captured.

The underestimated Confederates triumphed at both. The victory at Second Manassas was a high point of the war for the Confederacy, pushing the Union army back toward Washington and setting the stage for Southern forces to invade the North.

"One thing we do here that I think is really quite good," said Sutton, "is we try to focus not only on the war and the battles fought here, but we try to set things in context . . . what it was like for people who lived on the battlefield."

Stand at the muscular statue of Stonewall Jackson, soon after dawn, under a steel-gray sky, and stare across the rambling fields into the morning mist. You can almost hear the cannon fire and the blood-curdling Rebel yells, the armies of the blue and gray standing 50 yards apart, blazing away at one another.

Almost 150 years later, the sounds are different, though still competing: the chirping of birds and bugs versus the roar of the occasional jet at nearby Dulles International Airport or the hum of vehicles on the two major roads that intersect in the park, Routes 29 and 234. Interstate 66, and the town of Manassas, are just beyond the battlefield's boundary.

At rush hour, it's not unusual for traffic to back up for miles through the park. Add the rumbling dump trucks from nearby quarries, and navigating through the park for tourists on the battlefield driving tour can be a challenging test. Park officials hope planned bypasses of the road -still years away - will reduce the congestion.

But you don't have to drive to appreciate the park, which has an extensive system of walking and horseback-riding trails.

Walk the 1-mile Henry Hill Loop Trail, visit the rebuilt Henry House and pay your respects at the grave of Judith Carter Henry, the only civilian killed at First Manassas when artillery fire hit her house. Stop by the Stone House, which served as a field hospital in both battles. Stroll across Stone Bridge as Bull Run trickles beneath it.

Don't miss Chinn Ridge, where both battles ended. Drop into the renovated visitors center, enjoy "Manassas: End of Innocence," the park orientation film that captures the history of the place, and browse the extensive bookstore.

A trip to Manassas is an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of famous generals from both sides, including Jackson, who earned his famous nickname at First Manassas.

Confederate Gen. Barnard Bee, on finding Jackson and his men watching and waiting, is reported to have said, "There is Jackson standing like a stone wall."

The prevailing opinion is that Bee was being complimentary, but at least one soldier who heard the comment believed it was a snide remark, as in, There stands Jackson doing nothing.

Alas, Bee was killed in battle, so no one knows for certain.

Contact Bill Lohmann at (804) 649-6639 or wlohmann@timesdispatch.com.

Contact Bob Brown at (804) 649-6382 or bbrown@timesdispatch.com.