Existing comment:
"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 |