BGuthrie Photos: MD -- Monocacy Natl Battlefield -- Visitor Center

MD -- Monocacy Natl Battlefield -- Visitor Center:

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. MONOVC_120115_001.JPG: Monocacy: A Battle for Time: "If victorious, we have everything to live for. If defeated, nothing will be left for us to live for." -- Confederate General Robert E. Lee "Here was a race between the two great contending forces, the state of which was the capital of the nation, its treasure and its prestige." -- Civilian Glenn Worthington "These men died to save the National Capitol..." -- Union Major General Lew Wallace
2. MONOVC_120115_003.JPG: Conflict Since the end of the American Revolution, conflict has been part of the American political landscape -- the product of a young nation still defining and shaping itself. Debate raged over the reach of the federal government, economic policy, and cultural values. More often that not those debates followed sectional lines: South vs North, agrarian vs industrial, decentralized vs centralized government, slave vs free. One issue inflamed like no other: slavery. As the world at large became less tolerant of the institution, debate over slavery in the United Sates intensified. For eighty years, Congress walked on an ever-narrowing tight rope, trying to ease Southern fear of impending abolition while acknowledging the North's growing discomfort with slavery. Endless compromises satisfied few. In 1860, decades of conflict boiled over. Legal: Dred Scott: The debate over slavery found legal voice in the case of Dred Scott. Scott had once moved with his master to Illinois -- a state where slavery was illegal. He claimed that his residence in a free state invalidated his status as a slave. After an eleven year legal order, Scott lost his case before the United States Supreme Court. The court held that since Scott was a slave, he had no rights as a citizen and could not sue. Scott died in 1858 shortly after being freed by his master. Physical: John Brown's Raid: The debate over slavery found physical expression in John Brown's 1859 raid at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. A fierce abolitionist, Brown hoped to incide an uprising of slaves in Virginia by raiding the US arsenal at Harpers Ferry and distributing its weapons. His plan failed, and Brown was wounded, arrested, and hanged. The raid alarmed Southerners, prompting Northern mistrust and the formation of new militias. For some in the North, Brown became a martyr -- the embodiment of the sacrificed needed to rid the nation of slavery's scourge. Political: The Election of 1860: Many Southerners viewed the election of 1860 as a referendum on the future of slavery in the United States. To them, the election of Abraham Lincoln meant one thing: the federal government would halt the expansion of slavery into the territories. What could be next but the destruction of slavery itself? Convinced they could not remain part of the Union, Deep South states seceded in February 1861. They formed the Confederate States of America.
3. MONOVC_120115_025.JPG: 1864: Union Stalemate: "Monday July 4, 1864 -- Well, today is the 4th but I do not think it will be distinguished by so bright victories as the last war. Oh that something might be done to bring this war to a close is the prayer of every soldier." -- Diary of Josiah Lewis Hill While General Ulysses S. Grant won victories in the west in 1863, the war in the east languished. Lincoln sought to change that by bringing Grant east in 1864 and placing him in command of all Union armies. That spring, Grant led the Army of the Potomac into battle -- a campaign meant to grind Lee's army to oblivion. Progress was slow and Union losses soared. Homefront morale sank. Lincoln's re-election was uncertain. By 1864, Southerners had one great remaining hope: dissatisfaction with the war on the Union homefront. Lee hoped war-weary voters would elect Democratic candidate George B. McClelllan to the presidency. Southerners hoped McClellan would seek a negotiated peace, ensuring Confederate independence. "We must have no serious defeats next spring. They will be ten fold more injurious then at any other time. I mean politically and in relation to the cause, not in a military point of view." -- Union Chief of Staff Halleck to Prof. Francis Lieber, January 14th, 1864, Huntington Library "It appears that the Union cause will lose in the fall election and that the Democrats will elect General McClellan with his peace program. In that event, it will be necessary for me to secure the co-operation of McClellan to bring the war to a close before the inauguration because he will never achieve it afterwards." -- President Abraham Lincoln in the summer of 1864 Support from Union Soldiers: In 1864, nineteen states would allow soldiers to vote from the front. These men would vote overwhelmingly for Abraham Lincoln and total victory over the Confederacy. "I shall give this rebellion another triumph this fall by voting for Old Abe. I cannot afford to give three years of my life to maintaining this nation and then giving them Rebels all they want or by giving them anything." -- Nathan Buck, Union Soldier
4. MONOVC_120115_030.JPG: A Border State: "Maryland remained a mute inglorious Maryland. The state was sandwiched between the upper and lower millstone! The Eastern shore... were Southern sympathizers. Western Maryland was for the Union." -- Georgia Civilian Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri were "Border States" -- slave states that remained in the Union. Because Maryland surrounded Washington, DC, on three sides, it assumed special importance. Early in 1861, secessionists tried to sway Maryland but President Lincoln took strong action to foil them. In September, Union authorities arrested pro-secession members of the state legislature, preventing a vote that might have taken Maryland out of the Union. As the war progressed, Lincoln took care not to alienate Maryland and the other Border States. When he issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, the President excluded the Border States. Maryland would abolish slavery on its own in 1864. A Crucial Crossroad: At Monocacy Junction, located on the banks of the Monocacy River three miles south of Frederick, the mighty Baltimore and Ohio Railroad crossed the main highway from Frederick to Washington, DC. The railroad had helped bring Frederick pre-war prosperity. Due to its strategic importance, Federal troops would guard Monocacy Junction throughout the Civil War.
5. MONOVC_120115_041.JPG: Maryland Divided: Maryland was a slave state. In the election of 1860 it voted in favor of Southern Democrat and secession advocate John Breckinridge (Abraham Lincoln came in last.) [sic] Even so, Maryland remained in the Union. Maryland's tidewater counties along the Chesapeake Bay had strong ties to the plantations and slavery that had long been central to the economy. Many who settled Western Maryland -- from Frederick westward -- came from Pennsylvania. They worked smaller farms and established mills and other industries. Slaves lived and worked here, but in far fewer numbers than in eastern Maryland. Though Maryland tried to steer a neutral course, its economic and social divisions resulted in a raging debate over secession that continued throughout 1861. Although Maryland did not secede from the Union, it remained a slave state. Frederick County -- Slaves: 3,243 [7%] Free Blacks: 4,967 [11%] Total Population: 46,591 State of Maryland -- Slaves: 87,189 [13%] Free Blacks: 84,000 [12%] Total Population: 687,049 Like most Southern states, Maryland had laws in place that limited the freedom of both slaves and its 84,000 free blacks. They could not possess "paper of inflammatory character" that advocated abolition nor could they assemble. Some counties required free blacks to register. In 1860, free blacks convicted of assisting fugitive slaves were sold back into slavery from the jail in Frederick.
6. MONOVC_120115_049.JPG: July 4, 1776 -- A Declaration of Independence was unanimously adopted by the Second Continental Congress. Sept 3, 1783 -- The United States signed the Treaty of Paris, which recognized the United States as a sovereign nation. July 1787 -- The Northwest Ordinance prohibited slavery north of the Ohio River. Apr 28, 1788 -- Maryland became a state. June 21, 1788 -- The US Constitution took effect after ratification by nine states, including Maryland. Apr 30, 1789 -- George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City. 1791 -- Construction began on a turnpike from Frederick to Cumberland. Dec 15, 1791 -- The Bill of Rights was ratified.
7. MONOVC_120115_053.JPG: 1793 -- The Cotton gin was invented. 1793 -- The Fugitive Slave Act required the return of escaped slaves to their owners. 1800 -- Washington DC was established as the United States capital. Apr 30, 1803 -- The Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States. Jan 1, 1808 -- The ban on slave importation into the United States became effective. 1812-1815 -- The United States and Great Britain were at war. 1820 -- The Missouri Compromise allowed Missouri to enter the United States as a slave state while Main entered as a free state.
8. MONOVC_120115_058.JPG: 1820 -- Cotton surpassed tobacco as the most profitable trade commodity. Dec 2, 1823 -- The Monroe Doctrine declared the American continent off limits to further European colonization. July 4, 1828 - Construction began on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. 1830 -- The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad established the first passenger rail service [in the area]. Jan 1, 1831 -- The Liberator began publication. 1831 -- The Nat Turner Slave Revolve instilled fear in many who supported slavery. 1832 -- The British abolished slavery. 1837 -- Prompted by Northern fear of another slave state, the United States denied statehood to Texas. 1844 -- The First Telegraph line in the United States was established between Baltimore and Washington. Dec 29, 1845 -- Texas, a slave-holding territory, became the 28th state. 1846-1848 -- The war with Mexico added Northern Mexico as United States territory.
9. MONOVC_120115_061.JPG: Sept 18, 1850 -- Congress passed the Compromise of 1850, an effort to resolve disputes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States. May 30, 1854 -- The Kansas-Nebraska Act overturned the Missouri Compromise and allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to determine their own policies on slavery. [Both ended up being free states.] Mar 6, 1857 -- The Dred Scott decision decided that African Americans were not United States citizens and that Congress had no authority to exclude slavery in the new territories. Oct 16-18, 1859 -- John Brown raided Harpers Ferry, Virginia in an attempt to secure weapons and incite slave revolt. Nov 6, 1860 -- Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States. Dec 20, 1860 -- South Carolina was the 1st state to secede from the United States. Jan 9, 1861 -- Mississippi seceded. Jan 10, 1861 -- Florida seceded.
10. MONOVC_120115_065.JPG: Jan 11, 1861 -- Alabama seceded. Jan 19, 1861 -- Georgia seceded. Jan 26, 1861 -- Louisiana seceded. Feb 1, 1861 -- Texas seceded. Feb 4, 1861 -- The Confederate States of America was formed in Montgomery, Alabama. Feb 18, 1861 -- Jefferson Davis was inaugurated President of the Confederate States of America. Mar 4, 1861 -- Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated President of the United States. Apr 12, 1861 -- Civil War began when Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. Apr 15, 1861 -- President Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to serve for three months [to suppress the rebellion]. Apr 17, 1861 -- Virginia seceded. Apr 19, 1861 -- In Baltimore, Southern sympathizers rioted and attacked Massachusetts troops on their way to Washington.
11. MONOVC_120115_069.JPG: Apr 29, 1861 -- Maryland House of Delegates voted 53 to 13 against secession. May 3, 1861 -- President Lincoln called for an additional 43,000 volunteers. May 6, 1861 -- Arkansas seceded. May 20, 1861 -- North Carolina seceded. May 24, 1861 -- Escaped slaves were considered contraband of war and given safe haven behind Union lines. Jun 8, 1861 -- Tennessee seceded. Jul 21, 1861 -- Confederate victory at Battle of Bull Run, Virginia. Aug 8, 1861 -- Confederate Government recognized border states Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland and Delaware, as part of the Confederacy even though they remained in the United States. Sept 1861 -- Maryland legislative session in Frederick adjourned after pro-secession delegates were arrested. Sept 25, 1861 -- Escaped slaves allowed to enlist in United States naval service. Apr 6-7, 1862 -- Union victory at the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee. Apr 16, 1862 -- Slavery was abolished in the District of Columbia.
12. MONOVC_120115_073.JPG: Jun 19, 1862 -- United States Congress made slavery illegal in all U.S. territories. Sept 13, 1862 -- Lee's Order #191, revealing Confederate strategy, was found by Union soldiers on Best Farm. Sept 14, 1862 -- Union forces pushed back Confederates at the Battle of South Mountain, Maryland. Sept 17, 1862 -- Confederate and union forces fought to a tactical draw at the Battle of Antietam, Maryland. Sept 22, 1862 -- President Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation that freed all slaves in rebelling states. Oct 3-4, 1862 -- Union victory at the Battle of Corinth, Mississippi. Dec 11-13, 1862 -- Confederate victory at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Jan 1, 1863 -- The Emancipation Proclamation declared slaves free in all areas governed by the United States. Mar 3, 1863 -- The first Conscription Act drafted males between ages 20 and 45 to serve in the US military. May 1-4, 1863 -- Confederate victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia.
13. MONOVC_120115_077.JPG: May 18, 1863 -- Union began the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi. May 22, 1863 -- The Bureau of Colored Troops created within the US War Department. June 20, 1863 -- West Virginia was admitted as the 35th state of the Union. July 1-3, 1863 -- Union victory at Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. July 4, 1863 -- Vicksburg, Mississippi surrendered to the United States. July 13-15, 1863 -- The New York Draft Riot resulted in more than 100 dead. Sept 19-20, 1863 -- Confederate victory at Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia. Nov 19, 1863 -- President Lincoln delivered a dedication address at Gettysburg National Cemetery.
14. MONOVC_120115_085.JPG: Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early: Jubal Anderson Early, a native Virginian, graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1837 and served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army. He later resigned his commission and practiced law. Although he voted against Virginia's secession, Early felt compelled to follow his state into the Confederacy. In June 1864, Robert E. Lee recognized Early's strong military background and leadership capabilities and selected him to lead the third invasion into the North.
15. MONOVC_120115_101.JPG: The Confederate Strategy: "Every Bullet we can send... is the best ballot that can be deposited against his (Lincoln's) election. The battlefields of 1864 will hold the polls of this momentous decision. If the tyrant at Washington be defeated, his infamous policy will be defeated with him, and when this party sinks, no other war party will rise in the United States." -- The editor of the Augusta Constitutionalist, January 22, 1864 Target Washington: In the summer of 1864, Robert E Lee hoped not for outright victory, but for political triumph -- the defeat of Abraham Lincoln in the presidential election. A battlefield victory at the gates of Washington could foil Lincoln's re-election. It might also force Grant to release troops from Petersburg, giving Lee the chance to break the siege. Lee assigned nearly one-third of his army to the job. His orders to Jubal Early: move westward to the Shenandoah Valley, then down the valley (northward) toward Maryland. Once across the Potomac, Early was to move on Washington and, hopefully, change the course of the Civil War. "The importance of this military campaign to the administration of Mr. Lincoln... leaves no doubt that every effort will be made to secure its success." -- General Robert E Lee, summer, 1864
16. MONOVC_120115_114.JPG: The 14th New Jersey: The 14th New Jersey Volunteers became known as the Monocacy Regiment for its protection of the railroad and related strategic targets throughout the fall and winter of 1862 and the Summer 1863, as well as its participation in the Battle of Monocacy.
17. MONOVC_120115_118.JPG: Defending the B&O: The Civil War brought the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to prominence. The line connected the Eastern seaboard with the Midwest, skirting the northern edge of the Confederacy along the way. Thousands of Union troops and tons of supplies rode its rails to war. It also became a prime target of the Confederate army. Union troops built blockhouses and fortifications to protect strategic points along the line, including Monocacy Junction.
18. MONOVC_120115_127.JPG: John W. Garrett: Baltimore native John Work Garrett became president of the B&O Railroad in 1858. Though sympathetic to the South, Garrett's connection to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad dictated his allegiance to the United States during the war. After the war, he would run the railroad for 19 more years, transforming the B&O into one of America's most prominent and prosperous companies.
19. MONOVC_120115_132.JPG: Major General Lew Wallace: A Mexican War veteran and former State Senator from Indiana, Lew Wallace quickly assumed a prominent place in the Union war effort. He ran afoul of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at the Battle of Shiloh. Grant alleged that Wallace failed to follow orders and removed him from command. After two years leading garrisons, combat would again find Wallace. In July, 1864, as commander of the "Middle Department," he responded to John Garrett's call to stop Early's advance. 100-Days Men: Most Union volunteers enlisted for three years, but, some joined for shorter terms. Authorities used the latter to garrison forts of guard railroads, bridges, and key cities. These 100-Days men were slightly trained and often scorned by veterans. Few expected to engage in battle. At Monocacy, General Wallace relied on these men to help stop the Confederate advance on Washington.
20. MONOVC_120115_137.JPG: Jubal Early Advances: Lieutenant General Jubal Early led the third Confederate invasion into the North. On June 13, he left the front at Petersburg, joined forces with General John C. Breckinridge, and proceeded west into the Shenandoah Valley. There, Early stopped long enough to restructure his army of 15,000 for swift action. On June 28, he headed north through the Valley on his way to the "back door" of Washington. June 28, 1864 Staunton, Va General, (I have decided) to turn down the valley and proceed according to your instructions to threaten Washington and if I find an opportunity -- to take it. My purposes are to send a portion of the cavalry to destroy the bridges on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ... I shall also make an effort to release our prisoners at Point Lookout. How much of this I may be able to accomplish will depend on the circumstances, but no effort of mine shall be spared to accomplish all and I hope at least to obtain relief for you from the pressure brought against you... Respectfully, J.A. Early Lt. General
21. MONOVC_120115_141.JPG: 1864: Confederates Desperate: "If victorious, we have everything to live for. If defeated, nothing will be left for us to live for." -- General Robert E. Lee, summer, 1864 Lee Seeks a Plan: Summer, 1864: Union troops held the Mississippi River, effectively dividing the Confederacy. Gen. William T. Sherman was in Georgia, threatening Atlanta. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had Robert E. Lee and his Confederate army pinned around Petersburg, Virginia, 20 miles south of Richmond. Other Union forces rampaged in the Shenandoah Valley. The Confederacy needed a victory. Lee's army needed relief. Lee hoped to gain both by dispatching a force under General Jubal Early to the Shenandoah Valley. Defeat the Federals there, Lee proposed, and then use the Valley as a corridor into Maryland. Once in Maryland, perhaps lightly-defended Washington could be attacked. Washington Unguarded: With the main Federal armies positioned in Virginia, 120 miles from Washington, Lee knew the Union capital would be lightly defended. Any Confederate move against Washington would have to be a surprise. It would take Early's army nearly a month to move through the Shenandoah Valley and Maryland, while Grant could send troops to defend the capital city within two days. On the 12th of June, I received verbal orders from General Lee... to strike Hunter's force in the rear, and, if possible destroy it... then to move down the valley... and threaten Washington City. Hunter's force was considerably large than mine would have been, had it all be up (part of infantry was late arriving into Lynchburg on June 18th)... I did not feel justified in attacking him until I could do so with a fair prospect of success... As soon as the remainder of my infantry arrived by the railroad, arrangements were made for attacking Hunter at daylight on the 19th, but some time after midnight it was discovered that he was moving... I had seen our soldiers endure a great deal, but there was a limit to the endurance even of Confederate soldiers. A stern chase with infantry is a very difficult one, and Hunter's men were marching for their lives. -- Lieutenant General Jubal Early from his memoirs
22. MONOVC_120115_146.JPG: The Union Responds: General Grant: General -- two deserters state that it is currently reported in Richmond and Petersburg that Early... was making an invasion of Maryland with a view of capturing Washington, supposed to be defenseless... -- Major General George G. Meade Grant Surprised: News of Early's advance into Maryland caught Union General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant by surprise. To bolster his advance through Virginia, Grant had stripped Washington, D.C., of most able-bodied soldiers. The Union capital lay virtually defenseless. Word of Early's advance came not from Union soldiers, but from John Garrett, president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. When authorities in Washington hesitated to act, Garrett asked Union general Lew Wallace to defend Monocacy Junction and the road to Washington. Wallace assembled a makeshift force of short-term volunteers, while Grant rushed emergency reinforcements from the Union army at Petersburg. By early July 1864, all was set for a dramatic clash near Frederick.
23. MONOVC_120115_169.JPG: Civilians Under Fire: Though local residents had grown accustomed to the passage of troops over the last two years of war, they had never experienced battle. That changed on July 9, 1864. At Monocacy, as at most battles, soldiers noted the suffering of civilians but had little time to offer relief. Civilians coped on their own. The memory of battle would reverberate through this community for 100 years. "... when we reached the house [the rebels] commenced shelling it and in less time than I write it had sent half a dozen shells into it. I rushed into the house as soon as I got there to see what had become of Thomas and his family and found them in the cellar and frightened to death. He [Thomas] did not come out so I went through his home and locked the drawers -- some of the doors and brought downstairs a basket of silver that they had packed up. They all hung on me and wanted me to stay but I couldn't do it..." -- Major Vredenburgh, 14th New Jersey, 6th Corps
24. MONOVC_120115_172.JPG: Through the Eyes of a Child: Six-year-old George Worthington and his family peeked through the cracked of the boarded cellar windows to see the battle raging in their yard. When the battle subsided early in the evening, the Worthingtons emerged to find their farm littered with bodies and their crops destroyed.
25. MONOVC_120115_175.JPG: Leather Halters and Lead Rope: Civilians hid horses in anticipation of the coming battle. John Worthington and two of his slaves, Ephraim Butler and Thomas Palm, to Sugarloaf Mountain to hide the horses. The Confederates later discovered and took the animals anyway.
26. MONOVC_120115_188.JPG: The Battleground: Although most of the fighting took place on the Worthington, Best, and Thomas farms, the Battle of Monocacy spanned several miles. After the battle was over, local residents provided care to the hundreds of wounded left behind.
27. MONOVC_120115_191.JPG: Impressed into Service: Union soldiers spotted Samuel Thomas and two of his visiting friends relaxing on the porch of his home near Monocacy Junction. The soldiers impressed the civilians into service until a sympathetic officer encouraged them to flee, warning that they would be killed on sight if found fighting in civilian clothes. The young men hid in Gambrill's mill for the remainder of the battle.
28. MONOVC_120115_196.JPG: Backyard to Battleground: Frederick citizens had become accustomed to soldiers in their community. Horrible battles had occurred at nearby Sharpsburg and Gettysburg, but Frederick had thus far remained unharmed. "July 9, 1864 ... The country through here is splendid, in fact far the finest farming country I have seen... How strange it seemed yesterday to see our soldiers in line of battle and our batteries engaged, while around us in every direction farmers and farm maids were peacefully although rather hurriedly gathering their crops and performing other rural duties." -- Diary of Lieut. A.T. LaForge, 106 NY The armies fought the Battle of Monocacy on farm fields just south of the town of Frederick. On the morning of July 9, residents prepared for imminent battle by gathering crops, hiding personal possessions, and sending loved ones to safety.
29. MONOVC_120115_205.JPG: Nov 23-25, 1863 -- Union victory at Battle of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Mar 9, 1864 -- Ulysses S Grant received commission as Lieutenant General and was given command of all northern armies. May 5-7, 1864 -- Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia. Inconclusive. May 10-13, 1864 -- Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia. Inconclusive. Grant continued Union movement southward. June 1-3, 1864 -- Confederate victory at Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia. June 27, 1864 -- Confederate victory at Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia. June 30, 1864 -- The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act was repealed. July 9, 1864 -- Confederate victory at Battle of Monocacy, Maryland.
30. MONOVC_120115_214.JPG: July 9, 1864: Early's army approaches Monocacy: 8:00 -- Ramseur's division engages Union troops at the Junction. 9:00 -- Artillery is brought forward and engaged. Morning Phase -- Skirmishes in the Worthington Yard: 10:30 -- McCausland's cavalry crosses the Monocacy River and begins the first attack. Union line shifts from the covered bridge to the Thomas farm. Skirmishes continue in the railroad cut at the Junction. 11:00 -- Ramseur makes a second attack at the Junction. Wallace orders the covered bridge burned. Afternoon Phase -- Battle at the Thomas House: 2:00 -- McCausland's forces regroup and begin the second attack on the Union's left flank. They continue to attack until they are driven from the Thomas farm. 3:00 -- Gordon's infantry crosses the Monocacy River. Fighting continues at the Junction. Late Afternoon Phase: 3:30 -- Gordon begins the third and final attack. He advances toward the Thomas house. Ramseur makes a third attack at the Junction.
31. MONOVC_120115_219.JPG: End of Battle: 4:30 -- The Confederate cavalry pursue the retreating Union soldiers. Confederate and Union cavalries engage briefly in Urbana. Union troops secure their retreat route at Jug Bridge. Union Retreats to Baltimore, Confederates continue to Washington: 4:30 -- Union troops retreat toward Baltimore. 5:30 -- Union troops from the junction and Jug Bridge withdraw and retreat to Baltimore. The Confederates camp on the battlefield. July 10: Confederates resume their march towards Washington, D.C. July 11: 12:00 -- Early reaches the defenses north of Washington. 5:00 -- Remainder of Union reinforcements from Petersburg reach Washington.
32. MONOVC_120115_224.JPG: 1864: June 12 -- General Jubal Early left Petersburg to join General Breckinridge in Lynchburg. June 15-16 -- Confederate victory at Battle of Petersburg, Virginia. June 17 -- General Early joined General Breckinridge near Lynchburg, Virginia, and skirmished with Union General Hunter. June 18 -- General Early defeated General Hunter west of Lynchburg, Virginia. June 19 -- General Hunter retreated to West Virginia, leaving the Shenandoah Valley undefended. June 19 -- General Grant initiated a siege of Petersburg, Virginia. June 23 -- General Early left Lynchburg, Virginia, and marched to Buchannon, Virginia.
33. MONOVC_120115_227.JPG: 1864: June 26 -- General Early's troops reached Staunton, Virginia, and reorganized and replaced their equipment. June 27 -- General Early left Staunton, Virginia, and began the march northward. June 29 -- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad agents reported Confederate troops moving northward. June 30 -- General Early's troops reached New Market, Virginia. July 1 -- General Early's cavalry encountered Union troops near Winchester, Virginia. July 1 -- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad President John Garrett reported the Confederate advance toward Washington. July 3 -- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad President John Garrett met with General Wallace and informed him of the Confederation situation.
34. MONOVC_120115_231.JPG: 1864: July 4 -- General Early's army reached Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. July 4 -- Union troops were sent to Monocacy Junction. July 6 -- Confederates ransomed Hagerstown, Maryland for $20,000. July 6 -- General Early crossed into Maryland at Shepherdstown, West Virginia. July 6 -- The 3rd Division of the VI Corps left City Point, Virginia, by steamship. July 7-8 -- Union and Confederate forces skirmished west of Frederick, Maryland. July 7-8 -- Reinforcements from City Point, Virginia, began to arrive at Monocacy Junction. July 8 -- Confederates ransomed Middletown, Maryland for $5,000. July 8 -- General Wallace withdrew to Monocacy Junction. July 9 -- General Bradley Johnson left on a mission to Point Lookout. July 9 -- The last of the VI Corps reinforcements from City Point, Virginia, arrived at Monocacy Junction.
35. MONOVC_120115_235.JPG: July 9, 1864: 8:00 AM -- General Early ransomed Frederick, Maryland for $200,000. 8:00 AM -- Skirmishes began at Monocacy Junction and Jug Bridge. 9:00 AM -- Artillery was brought forward and engaged. 10:30 AM -- General McCausland's cavalry crossed the Monocacy River at Worthington Farm and began its first attack. 11:00 AM -- Confederates made a second attack at Monocacy Junction. 11:00 AM -- Union forces repulsed General Ramseur's attack and burned the covered bridge. 2:00 PM -- General McCausland's forces regrouped and began their second attack on the Federal left flank. 2:30 PM -- Union troops were repulsed from the Thomas farmhouse.
36. MONOVC_120115_239.JPG: July 9, 1864: 3:00 PM -- General McCausland's men were driven from the Thomas Farm. 3:00 PM -- Union forces counter attacked and pushed the Confederates from the Thomas Farm. 3:30 PM -- General Gordon began the third and final attack at Worthington Farm. 3:30 PM -- General Ramseur began final attack at the Junction. 3:30 PM -- Union forces were gradually pushed back to the Georgetown Pike. 4:00 PM -- The right flank of the Union line turned on the Thomas Farm. 4:30 PM -- Union forces withdraw from the Thomas Farm and Monocacy Junction to Ellicott's Mills, Maryland. 4:30 PM -- Confederates pursued the retreating Union soldiers. 5:00 PM -- Confederates intensified skirmishing at Jug Bridge.
37. MONOVC_120115_244.JPG: July 9, 1864: 5:30 PM -- Confederates camped on the field of battle. 5:30 PM -- Union forces withdrew from the Jug Bridge to Elllicott's Mills. 5:30 PM -- Union cavalry captured the 17th Virginia flag in a last charge in Urbana, Maryland. -- Union reinforcements from the first and second divisions of the VI Corps left City Point, Virginia, for Washington. July 10 -- Confederates resumed their march to Washington DC and established camp in Rockville, Maryland. July 11 -- Confederates reached Washington by early afternoon and skirmished in front of Fort Stevens. July 11 -- Union reinforcements reached Washington by noon and prepared to defend the capital by late afternoon. July 12 -- Confederates attacked Fort Stevens. July 12 -- General Bradley Johnson's mission was cancelled and he returned to General Early. July 14 -- General Early crossed the Potomac River at White's Ford and returned to Virginia.
38. MONOVC_120115_255.JPG: Honor and Defense: Battle Flags: Each regiment carried its own "colors." Soldiers considered carrying the colors a great honor -- though a dangerous one. Color bearers often became the focus of enemy fire. Any soldier who saved his flag from capture, or captured his enemy's flag, was held in great esteem. On September 28th, 1897, Corporal Alexander Scott of the 10th Vermont Regiment was awarded the Medal of Honor, engraved, "Under very heavy fire of the enemy saved the national flag of the regiment from capture." He retrieved the colors during the Union retreat from the Thomas Farm. The Final Charge: "The enlisted men of the Old Eighth are every one a hero - God bless them!" -- Anonymous Following the Confederate victory at Monocacy, part of the 17th Virginia Cavalry chased members of the 8th Illinois Cavalry three miles south to Urbana. Believing their enemy had escaped, soldiers from the 17th Virginia stopped to rest, but were surprised by an attack from the 8th Illinois. Fighting ensued through Urbana and Company F of the 17th Virginia Cavalry lost its flag to the Federal soldiers.
39. MONOVC_120115_261.JPG: Calvary at Monocacy: Union and Confederate commanders used their cavalry in different ways at the Battle of Monocacy. A single brigade of about 1,200 Confederate cavalrymen made two attacks as dismounted troops on the Thomas Farm. Meanwhile, a Union detachment of a few hundred men guarded fords along the Monocacy River.
40. MONOVC_120115_278.JPG: The Generals' View: Early's View: Before July 8, 1864, Early's campaign through the Shenandoah Valley and into Maryland had been nearly flawless. Union authorities were unaware of his presence. The path to Washington seemed clear. A sympathetic local resident told Early that only 100-day troops under Wallace might stand in his way. Early intended to move swiftly past them, free Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout in southern Maryland, then turn and attack Washington. Early's army covered nearly 200 miles in three weeks before reaching Frederick. He called his march "without a parallel in this or any other modern war." Reality: All was not as Early thought. B&O Railroad president John Garrett had alerted Federal authorities of Early's advance and asked Union general Lew Wallace to defend Monocacy Junction. More importantly, on the eve of battle, 3,000 battle-hardened veterans of the Army of the Potomac arrived at Monocacy Junction to join Wallace's men. Additional veterans troops were on the way to defend Washington. Wallace's View: Unsure of Early's actual goal, Wallace recognized the potential threat Early's army posed to Washington. But with only 5,800 men to stand against 15,000 Confederates, he also knew he stood little chance of defeating Early outright. Instead, he sought to delay Early -- to buy enough time for more Union troops from Petersburg to reach and defend Washington against Early's inevitable advance. For Wallace, the Battle of Monocacy was a fight not for victory, but for time. Rarely would hours be so precious. The Generals' Men: The Battle at Monocacy included both veteran soldiers and raw troops. The Confederates who fought at Monocacy were battle-hardened soldiers. They'd marched thousands of miles in three years of war. On their battle flags were the names of Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. They traveled light, looked ragged, but fought in a way that provoked admiration even from their enemies. The Union army at Monocacy included both veterans of the Army of the Potomac and men enlisted for just three months. The veterans were fresh from brutal fighting in Virginia. The 100-day men looked snappier, but had no experience under fire. Both would perform well, although outnumbered nearly 3-1 by the Confederates.
41. MONOVC_120115_285.JPG: Ransom! As the Confederates moved through Maryland, they raided towns and farms along the way for food. General Early also ransomed Hagerstown and Middletown. In Frederick, Early demanded $200,000, threatening to burn the city. Local banks loaned the city the money. The banks would not be repaid for nearly a century.
42. MONOVC_120115_289.JPG: Wallace Defends Monocacy: At Monocacy, Major General Lew Wallace attempted to delay the Confederate advance and give Grant more time to move troops into the defenses of Washington. Wallace chose to fight along the banks of the Monocacy River, which offered the Confederates few crossings. In the pre-dawn hours of July 9, a train from Baltimore arrived at Monocacy Junction carrying 3,000 veteran soldiers from the Petersburg defenses -- a division of the Sixth Corps commanded by Brigadier General James Ricketts. By dawn, Wallace was ready for battle. "Then I thought of the city, the library, the beautiful Capital, all under menace..." -- Major General Lew Wallace, from his autobiography
43. MONOVC_120115_295.JPG: Lew Wallace's stuff
44. MONOVC_120115_316.JPG: Morning Action at the Worthington Farm: After fording the river, Confederates moved through waist-high corn as Union troops waited behind a fence to attack. Forced back beyond the Worthington house, the Confederates regrouped for a second assault. "Then, at a signal, the array having attained its proper front, it started forward slowly at first... Suddenly, arms were shifted and, taking to the double-quick, the men raised their battle cry, which, sounding across the field and intervening distance, rose to me on the heights and more like the composite yelling of wolves than I have ever heard it... the waving of banners and the furious trampling of young corn that flew before them was more than exciting, it was really fearful. A brave spectacle it was indeed." -- Major General Lew Wallace describing the first attack at Worthington Farm Skirmishing at Jug Bridge: Around 8:00 am, advancing Confederates met resistance near the stone bridge on the Baltimore turnpike. Although fighting continued throughout the day, the struggle ended in a stalemate.
45. MONOVC_120115_327.JPG: Artillery at Monocacy: Rarely during the war did Confederate artillery outnumber Union guns on a battlefield, but they did at Monocacy. By 9am, the Confederates had 37 guns in action; the Federals had just seven. Artillery did little to alter the course of the battle, but it did considerable damage to houses and farm structures. "I was acting as gunner... We were hotly engaged only for about 30 minutes, the Yanks in our front giving away very soon... A cannon ball came very near taking my head off today... If I had been standing up it would have struck me full in the face." -- Private Henry Robinson Berkley
46. MONOVC_120115_340.JPG: A Soldier's Sacrifice: When the covered bridge burned, Daniel Freeman of the 10th Vermont became stranded on the far side of the Monocacy River. As Freeman began his retreat over the railroad bridge, he saw a nameless soldier sacrifice his own life to see him and his comrades to safety. "(I) ... saw one of my comrades under the Pike Bridge fighting a dozen Johnnies charging down the railroad toward him. He was riddled with lead... As I look back to that day, I can think my escape a miracle; and the heroic comrade covering my retreat, who, riddled with lead, sacrificed his life there under the Pike Bridge that I and others might be spared." -- Daniel Freeman, Co. G 10th Vermont
47. MONOVC_120115_344.JPG: Retreat Over the Railroad Bridge: When Union troops set fire to the covered bridge, Lieutenant George Davis and the skirmishers who found themselves stranded on the north side of the river realized there was only one escape route: across the railroad bridge. "... I saw our Union army retreating, and gave orders to my men to fall in and retreat over the iron bridge forty feet in the air, by stepping on ties and pursued so close by the enemy that five of my own Company were seized forcibly by the enemy grabbing the coat collar, so close to me that if one more man had been taken, it would have been me. Some of my men fell through the ties into the river forty feet below." -- Captain George E. Davis, 10th Vermont
48. MONOVC_120115_348.JPG: Burning: As the battle intensified, General Wallace realized he must destroy the Confederates' only direct route to Washington by burning the covered bridge over the Monocacy. Alfred Sova: 18-year-old Private Alfred Sova of the 9th New York Heavy Artillery and his comrades set the covered bridge ablaze. They gathered sheaves of wheat from a nearby field, fixed the wheat to the roof of the covered bridge, and lit the structure on fire. "Alfred 'shinned his way up a plank and set the straw on fire. Instantly, the flames burst forth and ran along the roof with great rapidity." -- Lewis H. Clark, 1883
49. MONOVC_120115_352.JPG: Taking Cover in Gambrill Mill: As troops exchanged gunfire, James Gambrill and three other civilians sought refuge in the mill. Meanwhile, Union surgeons set up a field hospital in the building. Later, victorious Confederates would find 42 wounded and dead soldiers inside the mill. A Second Attack: The Union line on the Worthington Farm suffered a second attack by dismounted cavalrymen commanded by Brigadier General John McCausland. Again, the Confederates were driven back to the Worthington Farm. They were joined by hardened veterans under the command of Major General John B Gordon and prepared their third and final assault. Major General John B. Gordon assessed the situation from the Worthington Farm... "... the enemy was posted along the line of a fence on the crest of the ridge running obliquely to the left from the river. In his front lay an open field, which was commanded by his artillery and small arms to the extent of their range... The enemy's line of skirmishers covered the front of his first line and extended far beyond it to the left." Union sharpshooters would take their position nearby in the Thomas House as the Federals attempted to "hold their ground." General Gordon ordered a three-pronged attack that would result in intense combat between the Worthington and Thomas Farms.
50. MONOVC_120115_356.JPG: Climax at the Thomas Farm: "This battle, though short, was severe." -- Confederate Major General John B. Gordon In the fields of the Thomas Farm, the Battle of Monocacy drew to its climax. That afternoon, Confederate troops twice swept across the farm, trying to reach the Georgetown Pike to cut off the Union retreat. Veteran Union troops, though outnumbered, resisted fiercely. By 4:00 pm, Union General Wallace knew the result: his army must retreat or be destroyed. "The heaviest fighting was in the hollow, between the hills not far from Gambrills Mill. Through the hollow runs a little stream, and so great was the number of dead and wounded along its banks, that the water for about 100 yards was red with blood." -- Lieutenant Edward Y. Goldsborough, 8th Regiment MD Volunteer Infantry
51. MONOVC_120115_367.JPG: Worthington House model -- main house above and the basement where the future author was watching the battle is on the bottom.
52. MONOVC_120115_375.JPG: To be honest, I saw this section above me and didn't figure it out until I looked at the photos. This is recreation of the covered railroad bridge burning in flames -- the red on the left wall glowed like flames.
53. MONOVC_120115_401.JPG: Jul 30, 1864 -- Confederate troops burned Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Aug 5, 1864 -- General Grant revealed a strategy for the Shenandoah campaign at the Thomas Farm in Frederick, Maryland. Sept 2, 1864 -- Atlanta, Georgia fell to the United States forces. Oct 19, 1864 -- Union victory at the Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia. Oct 31, 1864 -- Nevada was admitted into the United States as the 36th state.
54. MONOVC_120115_404.JPG: Nov 8, 1864 -- President Lincoln re-elected President of the United States. Nov 1864 -- A new Maryland constitution abolishes slavery. Dec 15-16, 1864 -- Union victory at Battle of Nashville, Tennessee. Dec 21, 1864 -- Savannah, Georgia fell to US forces. Jan 11, 1865 -- Missouri abolished slavery. Mar 3, 1865 -- The Freedmen's Bureau was established to aid former slaves.
55. MONOVC_120115_409.JPG: Mar 4, 1865 -- President Lincoln began a second term as President. Mar 13, 1865 -- The Confederate Congress approved the use of black troops. Apr 9, 1865 -- Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Apr 14, 1865 -- John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln. Apr 15, 1865 -- Vice President Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 17th President of the United States.
56. MONOVC_120115_413.JPG: Apr-May, 1865 -- Remaining Confederate troops surrendered to United States forces. May 13, 1865 -- Last battle of the Civil War fought at Palmito Ranch, Texas. May 23-24, 1865 -- A Grand Review of the United States Army was held in Washington. Dec 18, 1865 -- The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution ended slavery. 1865 -- After the war, Southern states passed "Black Codes," laws inhibiting freedom of former slaves.
57. MONOVC_120115_417.JPG: 1866 -- The Ku Klux Klan formed as a social club in Pulaski, Tennessee. 1866 -- Maryland outlawed the "Black Codes." 1868 -- The Fourteenth Amendment extended citizenship to former slaves. Dec 25, 1868 -- President Andrew Johnson issued a conditional pardon to all former Confederates. May 10, 1869 -- The first transcontinental railroad was completed in Promontory, Utah. Mar 30, 1870 -- The Fifteenth Amendment prohibited denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. 1870 -- Maryland imposed property qualifications for voters.
58. MONOVC_120115_420.JPG: 1872 -- Governor Oden Bowie mandated that Maryland counties must have separate but "equal" schools for blacks and whites. June 25, 1876 -- The Battle of Little Big Horn occured [sic] in Montana. 1890 -- The Census Bureau announced that the west had officially been settled and the frontier closed. Dec 29, 1890 -- The Massacre at Wounded Knee in South Dakota marked the last major battle of the Indian Wars.
59. MONOVC_120115_424.JPG: 1892 -- The United States Supreme Court ruled Plessy v Ferguson and set the stage for separate but equal. 1898 -- After its defeat in the Spanish American War, Spain ceded Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States. Dec 17, 1903 -- The Wright brothers made the first controlled flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. 1906 -- WEB DuBois formed the Niagara Movement, the forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Jul 28, 1914 -- World War I began in Europe.
60. MONOVC_120115_428.JPG: Aug 25, 1916 -- The United States National Park Service is established. Dec 7, 1917 -- The United States declared war on Austria-Hungary and entered World War I. Nov 11, 1918 -- Armistice ended WWI. May 20-21, 1927 -- Charles Lindbergh made the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight.
61. MONOVC_120115_433.JPG: Oct 29, 1929 -- The New York Stock Market crashed on Black Tuesday. Jun 21, 1934 -- Congress established Monocacy National Battlefield.
62. MONOVC_120115_437.JPG: Washington In View: The approach of the Confederates caused near panic in Washington. The government prepared to evacuate President Lincoln and his cabinet. On July 11 -- just hours before Early's planned attack on the capital -- thousands of Union troops arrived from Petersburg. Instead of fleeing, President Lincoln ventured out to Fort Stevens to see the Confederates. Early and his troops withdrew, never to threaten Washington again. The hours gained for the Union by the stand of 5,800 troops on the Monocacy River had proven decisive. "I haven't any doubt that Early could have captured and burned the whole city if he had made an energetic assault when he first came before it." -- Sergeant JD Bloodgood -- 141st Pennsylvania Outside the Gates of the Capitol: "... while blustering in the eastern suburbs of the city, our undisciplined army created a great many depredations, and some stragglers burned several houses... Had our army entered Washington, I fear they would have yielded to the temptation to plunder, and that city would have been a scene of ruin... therefore, it was best it was not captured." -- John Opie, 5th Virginia Infantry
63. MONOVC_120115_445.JPG: Retribution: Throughout his campaign in Maryland, Early had threatened destruction of civilian property in retaliation for Union depredations in Virginia. In the end, the Confederates destroyed little, instead reaping a windfall in ransom from communities like Hagerstown, Middletown, and Frederick. On the outskirts of Washington, however, Early finally took retribution. On July 12, his army ransacked the Blair family farms and destroyed the home of one of Washington's most prominent politicians, abolitionist Postmaster General Montgomery Blair. A Difficult Decision: On the night of July 12, Jubal Early withdrew his troops and ended the Confederates' attempt to take the capital. Leesburg, July 14, 1864 General R.E. Lee Commanding Army of Northern Virginia ... I determined at first to make an assault, but before it could be made it became apparent that the enemy had been strongly re-enforced, and we knew that the Sixth Corps had arrived from Grant's army and after consultation with my division commanders I became satisfied that the assault, even if successful, would be attended with such great sacrifice as would insure the destruction of my whole force. I, therefore reluctantly determined to retire... Respectfully, J.A. Early Lieutenant-General
64. MONOVC_120115_456.JPG: Advance on Washington: "When we reached the right of the enemy's fortifications, the men were almost completely exhausted and not in condition to make an attack." -- Lieutenant General Jubal Early After the Battle of Monocacy, Early's army resumed its advance on Washington, 35 miles away. But much had changed. Early had lost a critical day along the Monocacy. He also now knew veteran Union troops had arrived in Maryland. Hoping to reach Washington ahead of Union reinforcements, Early rushed toward the United States' capital. Two days' marching through Urbana and Rockville brought Early to the outskirts of Washington. The march left his troops exhausted. Any assault on the capital would have to wait until July 12. July 18, 1864 Our boys are nearly worn out marching. We have marched over 600 miles since the 13th of June and did what no other troops have ever done -- went in 2 miles of Washington City, near enough to throw shells into the city. -- Letter from I.K. Walker to his father
65. MONOVC_120115_457.JPG: An Impossible Mission: As Early maneuvered toward Washington, his cavalry command under Maryland native Bradley T. Johnson dashed across the state to free thousands of imprisoned Confederate soldiers at Point Lookout. Johnson was still 80 miles away from Point Lookout when Early ended the Confederate mission and withdrew his troops from the outskirts of Washington. Johnson's raid through Maryland caused panic and disruption to Union communications, but he failed to free the prisoners at Point Lookout. "It will be well he should be a Marylander, and of those connected with the army, I consider Col. Bradley T. Johnson the most suitable. He is bold and intelligent, ardent and true, and yet I am unable to say he possesses the requisite qualities. Everything in an expedition of this kind depends on the leader." -- General Robert E. Lee to Confederate President Jefferson Davis
66. MONOVC_120115_461.JPG: Field Glasses and Case: Typical of those carried by officers during the Civil War.
67. MONOVC_120115_469.JPG: A Day Gained, A Capital Saved: "The battle of Monocacy was one of great spirit and importance, and in my belief saved the city of Washington from the ravages of the enemy." -- Col. Matthew R. McClennan, 2nd Brig., 3rd Div, VI Corps Major General Lew Wallace sought time, not victory along the banks of Monocacy River. He needed to delay Early's advance long enough for Union troops to arrive in Washington from Petersburg. He succeeded, and the United States capital was saved from destruction or capture. Rarely in the Civil War would so small a battle have so large an impact. "It would be a difficult task to say too much in praise of the veterans who made this fight... The fact speaks for itself, "Monocacy" on their flags cannot be a word of dishonor! They are the soldiers whose skill and courage have enabled not merely themselves, but the army they have belonged to so long." -- From the report of Major General Lew Wallace
68. MONOVC_120115_476.JPG: Alarm in Washington: "Let us be vigilant, but keep cool. I hope neither Baltimore nor Washington will be taken." -- President Abraham Lincoln speaking to citizens of Washington Once reports were received about the Union defeat at Monocacy, the nation's capital awakened to the danger. The arrival of the first Union reinforcements brought hope and relief to Washington's citizens.
69. MONOVC_120115_479.JPG: Lincoln Under Fire: "... Father says the President went to the front where the shot and shell fell thick around him..." -- Letter from Elizabeth Blair Lee, July 16, 1864 President Lincoln witnessed the skirmishes outside of Fort Stevens. "I was present at Fort Stevens on the afternoon of July 12th, 1864, when some houses in front were shelled by our guns, and understanding that the military officers in command thought it necessary the shelling of houses proper and necessary, I certainly gave my approbation to its being done." -- President Abraham Lincoln
70. MONOVC_120115_488.JPG: Washington Defended: July 12, 1864 We marched in the line of battle into a peach orchard in front of Fort Stevens, and here the fight began. For a short time it was warm work, but as the President and many ladies were looking at us, every man tried to do his best. Without our help the small force in the forts would have been overpowered. Jubal Early should have attacked earlier in the morning, but Early was late. -- Elijah Hunt Rhodes, 1st Rhode Island Volunteers
71. MONOVC_120115_496.JPG: Union Reinforcements: "Here was a race between the two great contending forces, the stake of which was the Capital of the nation, its treasure and prestige." -- Glenn Worthington, Monocacy civilian As Lew Wallace's troops retreated from the Monocacy on July 10, thousands of soldiers from the Army of the Potomac were boarding transports near Petersburg, Virginia. By the afternoon of July 11, Early's Confederates approached the northern outskirts of the Union capital. At that same moment, the steamships bearing Union reinforcements reached the wharves in southern Washington. The Union veterans disembarked and raced through the city, soon appearing in the defenses at Fort Stevens. On July 12, they would skirmish with Early's men, and the Confederates would abandon their campaign in Maryland.
72. MONOVC_120115_502.JPG: Fallen Voices: The Soldiers Left Behind: The Epilogue of Battle: "It made our hearts ache to look over the battlefield and see so many of our dear comrades, friends and beloved officers killed and wounded. Our loss was terrible while the Yankees lost but few... it was called our victory but it certainly was a costly one... It was said that it was raw troops we were fighting, but I never saw old soldiers shoot better." -- Private George W. Nichols, 61st Georgia Despite its victory, the Confederate army suffered roughly 900 casualties at Monocacy. Union casualties numbered nearly 1,300. Brigadier General Clement Evans: While leading his brigade in its third attack on the Thomas Farm, Confederate General Clement Evans was struck by two bullets and fell from his horse. The first lodged in his left arm. The second hit his sewing kit and drove pins into his chest. Although Evans survived, surgeons failed to remove all the pins. For many years thereafter, pieces of broken pins would work their way to the surface of his skin. George & Mattie: June 4th 1864 Dear Mattie: ... I must say that you feel nearer to me than anyone I have ever met with, and to seal what I am now saying, will you consent to be my Mattie? Don't forget to answer my question as I am very anxious to know... Your devoted George Throughout the Civil War, Private George W. Boatright of the 12th Georgia Light Artillery corresponded with his sweetheart Martha Jane ("Mattie") Burrows. Boatright fell mortally wounded at the battle of Monocacy and was later buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Frederick, Maryland. There is no record of whether Mattie ever consented to marry him before he died. Fallen Soldier: I pass a comrade sitting by the roadside. Blood is trickling from a wound just below his heart... I say 'Goodbye,' to him; there is no regret or fear in his tone as he replies. A brave country boy he had lived and death has no terrors for him. He could not have smiled more sweetly had he been lying down to pleasant dreams. Hours afterward I carry a canteen full of water to another comrade lying on a pile of grain in the storehouse by the railroad, and he too had no complaints or repinings. He only said, 'I have my deathwound,' and with the dew of youth yet fresh upon him, with all the prospects of a long life ended, he closed his eyes in dreamless sleep. -- Soldier from the battle We passed through the battle field, where the dead and wounded were still lying on the ground, where they had fallen... Some of the wounded were lying by the road side, and begged us piteously for water. My canteen was filled with water, and I stepped out of ranks to give the poor fellows a drink... -- George Perkins, 149th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Aid to the Wounded: Civilians transformed their houses, schools, and churches into field hospitals. The Worthington yard, Thomas house, and Gambrill Mill all sheltered fallen soldiers. "It was afterward wounded and captured at Frederick city, Md., July 9, 1864. My hip was broken, elbow broken, and I was shot in the back besides. I was taken to Frederick city, where I remained about eight months. The surgeons of the Federal Army performed a difficult operation on my arm, taking out about 3 inches of the bone in my elbow. But astonishing as it seems, I have always had good use of my arm. I shall always recollect the care and kindness shown to me by the doctors and soldiers of the Union army. I was confined to my bunk for 60 days, and during all that time no friends or relatives could have shown me more kindness than those who had the care of me." -- Nate Draughn, Gordon's Division July 14, 1864 -- In a hospital in Frederick Md. Dear Father, you will see by the heading of this that I am in hospital. I was wounded in the side by a minnie ball in the battle that was fought at this place on Saturday last. The wound is a pretty severe one but is not considered dangerous. I am receiving the best of care and do not want for anything except to see some of the folks. I wish you would come down here as soon as possible. I think it would do me so much good to have you come... I remain your affectionate son. -- Fidelus Searle Ode to a Mule: An injured Colonel William H. Seward, 9th New York Heavy Artillery, retreated from the battlefield riding a mule, which he directed with a silk handkerchief passed through its moth as a makeshift bridle. He took the mule home with him after the war.
73. MONOVC_120115_524.JPG: Final Months of the War: Total War in the Shenandoah Valley: The near-disaster after Monocacy inspired Grant to ensure that such an assault on the capital would never happen again. He called on Major General Phillip Sheridan to mount a campaign in the Shenandoah Valley. Grant directed Sheridan to destroy Early's army and the fertile valley that provisioned it. In the fall of 1864, the Union would succeed on both accounts. "If the enemy has left Maryland, as I suppose he had, he should have upon his heels veterans, militiamen, men on horseback, and everything that can be got to follow to eat out Virginia clear and clean as far as they go, so that crows flying over it for the balance of this season will have to carry their provender with them." -- Lieutenant General U.S. Grant to Major General Halleck Union Victory at Petersburg: For nine months the armies of Grant and Lee locked in deadly siege around Petersburg. On April 2, 1865 Lee's lines around Petersburg collapsed and Richmond fell to the Union. Lee and his army fled westward, only to be trapped at Appomattox Court House, where they surrendered on April 9. Other Confederate armies soon surrendered as well, ending the Civil War. Lincoln Assassinated: Just five days after Lee's surrender, disaffected Southern John Wilkes Booth murdered Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC. A nation buffered by four years of bloody turmoil now confronted a shock unique in its history.
74. MONOVC_120115_536.JPG: In the mid-19th century, printers produced newspapers on steam presses that could print thousands of copies. Reporters transmitted breaking news from the battlefields back to the home front. Sometimes newspapers printed battle results before the War Department or other Washington officials had become privy to the information. Reparations and Recriminations: In addition to the $200,000 ransom the Confederate army levied on Frederick, residents also fell victim to widespread looting during the Confederate occupation. Many civilians filed war claims against the United States, but the government only reimbursed Union supporters who suffered damages inflicted by Federal forces. John T. Worthington, June 28, 1873, Frederick Co., MD. This claim is for stores taken in 1864 by Federal troops under General Hunter's command. - 60 acres of corn in field - 30 bushels of oats in stock - 360 rails, 80 rails to the cord - Week long occupancy of 360 acres Claimed: $3,543 Received: $1,054 1877 Claim of Charles E. Trail and David Best, citizens of Frederick County, MD. Total = $3,249.85 ... David Best testifies to his own loyalty as follows: States he was loyal as any man at all times: Didn't want the South to win, wanted the north to win always: voted for Lincoln in 1864. ... John T. Best, son of David Best, corroborates the above statement, and says that both he and his father were Democrats before, and during the war: that they tried to keep out of both sides as well as they could. Within a month after the battle, the local Provost Marshall ordered the arrest of southern sympathizers in the Frederick area and announced that they and their families would be sent south beyond Union lines. He compiled a list of 23 families to be expelled. One family was sent to Virginia before President Lincoln suspended the Provost Marshall's order.
75. MONOVC_120115_541.JPG: After Monocacy: Major General Lew Wallace: After the battle of Monocacy, Lew Wallace served on the military commission that tried the Lincoln conspirators. He became governor of the New Mexico territory and U.S. representative to Turkey. Later, he wrote the best-selling novel Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ. Lieutenant General Jubal Early: In the last month of the war, Jubal Early was removed from field command. When the war ended, he fled in disguise to Mexico, then to Canada. In 1869, Early returned to Virginia and resumed his law practice. He helped found and served as first president of the Southern Historical Society, and became a leading figure in the development of the "Lost Cause" version of the war. Meeting at the Thomas House: On August 5, 1864, General Grant met with several Union leaders at the Thomas House to convey his plans for the destruction of the Shenandoah Valley. He selected Union General Philip Sheridan to lead a fierce campaign against Early's troops in the Valley. In an effort to destroy supplies necessary to sustain the Confederate army, Sheridan burned crops, farms, and mills. Both civilians and soldiers suffered. Freedmen's Bureau: In March 1865, Congress created the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, more commonly known as the Freedmen's Bureau, to facilitate the transition of African Americans from slavery to freedom. The Freedmen's Bureau helped establish twelve schools for African-American children in Frederick County.
76. MONOVC_120115_545.JPG: After Monocacy: Lincoln Re-elected: In the presidential election of 1864, soldiers for the first time voted from the field. Though they would bear the heaviest burden in a continued war, they voted overwhelmingly (78%) in favor of Abraham Lincoln. The nation followed their lead, re-elected Lincoln by a 53% majority. The war would continue. Maryland and Slavery: "I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I can not remember when I did not so think, and feel. And yet I have never understood that the Presidency conferred upon me an unrestricted right to act officially upon this judgment and feeling." -- President Abraham Lincoln in a letter to Albert Hodges, April 4, 1864 The Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863, had freed slaves only in the Confederate states. On November 1, 1864, Maryland abolished slavery on its own. One year later, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution officially abolished slavery nationwide. While emancipation meant freedom, it did not bring equality. Many newly-freed slaves continued to work for their former owners -- with few rights and for meager pay.
77. MONOVC_120115_552.JPG: "Remembrance" [The text will show up in later photos]
78. MONOVC_120115_555.JPG: "... It will be a glorious day for our country when all the children within its borders shall learn that the four years of fratricidal war between the North and South was waged by neither with criminal or unworthy intent, but by both to protect what they conceived to be threatened rights and imperiled liberty; that the issues which divided the sections were born when the Republic was born, and were forever buried in an ocean of fraternal blood." -- Lieutenant General John B. Gordon, CSA, Reminiscences of the Civil War "We are sometimes asked, in the name of patriotism, to forget the merits of this fearful struggle, and to remember, with equal admiration those who struck at the nation's life and those who struck to save it -- those who fought for slavery and those who fought for liberty and justice." -- Frederick Douglass, Decoration Day, 1871 Antietam National Cemetery -- Union Burial: Following the battle of Monocacy, the Union dead were claimed by family members or buried in the fields where they had fallen. In 1866, the government moved the remains from the battlefield to the newly established Antietam National Cemetery at Sharpsburg, Maryland.
79. MONOVC_120115_559.JPG: Mt. Olivet Cemetery -- Confederate Burial: After the battle of Monocacy, Confederate soldiers buried their comrades in hastily dug graves. A few years later, local citizens formed the Frederick County Confederate Memorial Association and moved the remains to Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Frederick. Judge Glenn H. Worthington witnessed the battle as a six-year-old boy and led the effort to preserve Monocacy as a National Battlefield Park. "We are convinced that when this battle is studied from the viewpoint of saving the Capital of the nation from capture, together with the heads of government, and the treasure their collected, it will be accorded a place greater than Antietam, or Shiloh, or even Gettysburg itself... Monocacy should be recognized as one of the most important battles of the Civil War..." -- Glenn H. Worthington, December 30, 1929 "The battle of Monocacy overshadowed by other less important events attending Early's raid against Washington; and so made less stir at the time and occupies much less space in history than it deserves. It was a stout and most creditable fight: and though a defeat in name and fact, it accomplished as much as many a victory, for it delayed Early's march upon Washington." -- G.G. Benedict, Vermont in the Civil War
80. MONOVC_120115_567.JPG: Fighting for Time or The Battle That Saved Washington and Mayhap the Union Glenn H. Worthington
81. MONOVC_120115_573.JPG: 14th New Jersey Monument Dedication Pin: This ribbon was worn by a veteran of the 14th New Jersey when he attended the July 1907 regimental monument dedication.
82. MONOVC_120115_583.JPG: George B. Davis's GAR Pin: Davis belonged to the post-war organization of Union veterans, the Grand Army of the Republic, and wore this pin when attending formal events such as parades and reunions.
83. MONOVC_120115_591.JPG: "Dedication" Reunions: As the veterans of the Civil War aged, they sought to remember their fallen comrades and to meet again on the fields where they had fought together. Both Confederate and Union survivors of the Battle of Monocacy organized regimental reunions, usually around the anniversary of the battle. The number of these reunions peaked in the last two decades of the 19th and first decade of the 20th centuries, and coincided with the growing reconciliation movement between Northern and Southern whites. This movement resulted in the loss of civil rights for African Americans. Monuments: Monument dedications provided aging veterans an opportunity to honor and remember their fallen comrades. Union veterans placed three monuments on Monocacy Battlefield. In 1907, they erected the 14th New Jersey Monument, followed a year later by the Pennsylvania Monument. The third appeared in 1915, to commemorate the 10th Vermont Infantry. On the fiftieth anniversary of the battle, the United Daughters of the Confederacy dedicated a monument in honor of its Confederate participants. As part of the Civil War Centennial, the State of Maryland raised a monument commemorating all soldiers who had fought at Monocacy. "This is, indeed, a memorable day in our lives, the counterpart of which we are not likely to ever see again, but with all our pride and rejoicing comes a feeling of sorrow and sadness. We almost hear a 'voice that is still,' we almost feel a touch of a vanished hand' -- a voice we heard and a hand we clasped, for the last time 43 years ago today. Memory recalls forms and faces that we shall not see again until we 'pass over the river and rest with them under the shade of the trees.... May this monument be an inspiration to future generations." -- Comrade Henry C. LaRowe presents the New Jersey monument to the Reunion Association of the 14th New Jersey Volunteers, July 9, 1907 "Every drop of blood shed at Monocacy, every life lost, was sacrificed in a noble cause. Those fallen heroes... if they could only know that their lives saved our National Capital from destruction, would willingly exclaim: 'I die content, I gave my life to my country.' ... " -- Sgt. Newton Terrill, 14th New Jersey Volunteers
84. MONOVC_120115_607.JPG: "Honor" Monocacy Battlefield: A Preserved Landmark: In 1934, Congress designated the Monocacy National Battlefield Park, but did not provide authority for land acquisition until 1975. The park opened to the public in 1991. "Therefore it be resolved by the General Assembly of Maryland, the Congress of the United States be and is hereby memorialized and earnestly requested to create on the Monocacy Battlefield a National Military Park to commemorate the battle fought there on July 9, 1864, by which the Federal Capital was saved and possibly the Union itself; such a park would, if established, become a resting place and a shrine where thousands of travelers and tourists could rest and renew their patriotism by a contemplation of "the lofty deeds which there have been wrought; of the great hearts which spent themselves here." -- Excerpts from the Maryland Senate Joint Resolution, No. 10, January 1931 Congress awarded the Medal of Honor to Lieutenant George E. Davis in 1892, for bravely leading his men over the railroad bridge under heavy fire. To Davis, however, his greatest reward remained the service he had rendered his country. After returning to civilian life he supported veterans' activities and wrote of his Civil War experiences. "An effort is to be made to make this battlefield memorial park to commemorate this event, which delayed our advance on Washington one day and thereby saved that city and perhaps Lincoln from falling into our hands... Yes, by all means, let the government make this place a memorial park." -- I.G. Bradwell, Private, Gordon's Division, writing for the Confederate Veteran, 1928
85. MONOVC_120115_623.JPG: 125th Centennial Medal
86. MONOVC_120115_629.JPG: Lost Order Medal: Commemorating Lee's Lost Order (Special Order 191) that was found by Union troops on the Best Farm during the 1862 Maryland Campaign.
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2012 photos: Trips this year: three Civil War Trust conferences (Shepherdstown, WV, Richmond, VA, and Williamsburg, VA), a week-long family reunion cruise of the Caribbean, another week-long family reunion in the Wisconsin Dells (with lots of in-transit time in Ohio and Indiana), and my 7th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including side trips to Zion, Bryce, the Grand Canyon, etc). Ego strokes: I had a picture of Miss DC, Ashley Boalch, published in the Washington Post. I had a photograph of the George Segal San Francisco Holocaust memorial used as the cover of Quebec Francais (issue 165). Not being able to read French, I'm not entirely sure what the article is about but, hey! And I guess what could be considered to be a positive thing, my site is now established enough that spammers have noticed it and I had to block 17,000 file description postings for Viagra and whatever else.. Equipment this year: My mainstays were the Fuji S100fs, Nikon D7000, and the new Fuji X-S1. I also used an underwater Fuji XP50 and a Nikon D600. The first three cameras all broke this year and had to be repaired. Number of photos taken this year: just below 410,000.
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