‘Manassas Maulers’

It is almost impossible to imagine a more poorly thought out and more illogical and more disrespectful article regarding the sanctity of every national park and historical park than that written by McCarthy regarding the attempt to preserve the integrity of the Manassas-Bull Run battlefield in Virginia.

Does McCarthy really feel that “Manassas is not worth protecting?” Does he really feel that every memorial to those who fought and died for this country is “not worth protecting?” Does this include the Vietnam Memorial? The Lincoln Memorial? Gettysburg? Concord and Lexington? Ft. McHenry? Pearl Harbor? Let’s be real!

In case McCarthy has forgotten, let’s clarify a few items regarding the Civil War. First, there is no doubt that this single five-year period was the most cataclysmic in the history of the United States. The battle at Manassas was the first major battle of the War Between the States, yet is was also the site of the battle that later became the foundation for the Battle of Gettysburg. There is no more fitting site to remember Americans than this--for in a real sense, it was here, on this battlefield in Virginia that America as we know it today was born. Here America began its battle for union, here the battle was waged to free all men, here Americans suffered and died, and here Americans today go to remember that “all men are created equal.”

Yes, Mr. McCarthy “you can see it and feel it”; go to this battlefield and learn why this site is important and why we would no more want to build a major building complex here “two miles from the middle of the battlefield” than we would want to build a mall, office complex and 560 homes two miles from Old Faithful or the Grand Canyon.

But we thank Mr. McCarthy for his column, for his arguments prove how idiotic those who wish to destroy history are.

JOHN BARTKE

President

L.A. Civil War Round Table