See The Sites
National / State Parks
Antietam National Battlefield
5831 Dunker Church Road Sharpsburg, MD 21782 http://www.nps.gov/anti/ (301) 432-5124A pivotal battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Antietam was fought on September 17, 1862, and was the bloodiest single day of combat ever on American soil.
After the General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate incursion into Maryland in early September 1862, the Union Army under General George B. McClellan pursued Lee with uncharacteristic speed thanks to the finding of the famous “Lost Orders 191” that detailed Lee’s movements. Lee had divided his army to accomplish various objectives, but once McClellan began pursuit, Lee quickly tried to reconsolidate his forces. A delaying action at South Mountain on September 14 slowed the Union troops long enough for Lee to establish a defensive line at Sharpsburg, MD. The resulting battle on September 17 was a pivotal battle of the war. Although McClellan’s troops outnumbered the Confederates, the day long battle was virtually a stalemate. The intense fighting was brutal, however, and the Battle of Antietam became the single bloodiest day of fighting, in terms of casualties, during the war. The only skirmishes on the 18th came as Lee withdrew his troops across the nearby Potomac River back to Virginia.
While it was no clear victory for either side, Union soldiers did manage to halt the Southern advance into the north, and Lee’s expulsion from Maryland was touted as a victory. Lincoln used it as a chance to issue the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 23rd, which changed the objective of the war from restoring the Union to also include the elimination of slavery. The Confederates’ inability to win a decisive victory on Northern soil and the altered objectives of the war also influenced England and France to not recognize the Confederate States of America as a sovereign nation, a critical development that helped the North win the war.
The battlefield was established as a national park in 1890, and was administered by the War Department until 1933, when it was turned over to the National Park Service. The park includes many historic structures and monuments, and the Visitor Center includes exhibits, a theater and a bookstore.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
Antietam National Battlefield website: http://www.nps.gov/anti/
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/hh/31/index.htm (National Park Service’s Antietam Historical Handbook)
National Register of Historic Places summary: http://www.marylandhistoricaltrust.net/NR/NRDBDetail.aspx?HDID=12
Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) documentation: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1073
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter WA-II-0477 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission’s Battle Summary for Antietam:http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/md003.htm
Civil War Trust: http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/antietam.html
Susan Cooke Soderberg, A Guide to Civil War Sites in Maryland – Blue and Gray in a Border State(Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Books, 1998): 107-111
Save Historic Antietam Foundation: http://shaf.org/
Antietam National Cemetery
Shepherdstown Pike (MD 34) Sharpsburg, MD 21782The cemetery holds the remains of over 4,700 Union soldiers killed at Antietam and other nearby battlefields.
Legislation to establish a cemetery at Antietam was introduced in 1864 by Maryland State Senator Lewis P. Firey. Though it was originally intended to receive both Union and Confederate dead, anti-Southern feeling among the Northern states prompted a Union-only policy. (Southern dead were sent to other cemeteries in the area, including Elmwood Cemetery in Shepherdstown, Rose Hill Cemetery in Hagerstown, and Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Frederick.) Prominent local doctor Augustin A. Biggs was chosen as the designer and first superintendent of the cemetery, and work began in 1866, with former Union soldiers as most of the laborers. Six thousand coffins were provided by the U.S. government for the dead, who were interred by state (when known). The dedication ceremony took place on September 17th, 1867, and was attended by President Andrew Johnson, who gave a speech for the occasion. Altogether, the cemetery holds 4,776 Union remains from Antietam, South Mountain, Monocacy, and other Maryland battles. Over two hundred other soldiers from later wars (Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korean War) are buried there as well. The cemetery was closed to future burials in 1953, though an exception was made in 2000 for a Keedysville soldier killed in the USS Cole explosion.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://home.nps.gov/anti/historyculture/antietam-national-cemetery.htm
Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) documentation: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1078; http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1079; http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1080
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter WA-II-0356 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Charles S. Adams, The Civil War in Washington County, Maryland – A Guide to 66 points of Interest(Shepherdstown, WV: Charles S. Adams, 1996), 9-10.
Burnside Bridge
Burnside Bridge Road Keedysville, MD 21756 http://www.nps.gov/resources/place.htm?id=59During the Battle of Antietam the Confederates prevented a Union corps from crossing Burnside Bridge for three hours, which allowed time for reinforcements to arrive.
Burnside Bridge was originally known as Rohrbach’s Bridge or the Lower Bridge. It was built in 1836 by John Weaver for $3,200 and is located about a mile south of Sharpsburg, Maryland. The three-arch limestone bridge takes travelers over Antietam Creek.
At the September 17, 1862 Battle of Antietam, Burnside Bridge was the scene of a spirited contest between about 500 Confederate riflemen positioned on the west side of the creek on a bluff overlooking the bridge and the Union Ninth Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside. Burnside’s objective was to cross the creek and attack the vulnerable right flank of the Confederate army. Although Union forces greatly outnumbered the Confederates, favorable terrain and strong defensive positions established by the southerners prevented Burnside from carrying the bridge for three hours. About 500 Union soldiers died or were wounded in a series of attacks. After its capture, Burnside took another two hours to cross his corps and prepare it for an attack. These delays allowed time for Confederate General A.P. Hill’s Light Division to arrive in the late afternoon from Harpers Ferry. His subsequent attack checked Burnside’s advance.
As a result of Burnside’s determined attempts to cross the bridge, after the battle the structure was called Burnside Bridge. It continued to carry vehicular traffic until 1966 when a road and new bridge were built to divert traffic from Burnside Bridge. Today the site is administered by Antietam National Battlefield and is used as a footbridge.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/resources/place.htm?id=59
http://www.sha.maryland.gov/Index.aspx?PageId=259
http://www.nps.gov/anti/historyculture/upload/Battle%20history.pdf
James V. Murfin, The Gleam of Bayonets: The Battle of Antietam and Robert E. Lee’s Maryland Campaign, September 1862, 1965; reprint, 1982.
Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1081
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1748
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter WA-II-0132 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Other markers:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=6449
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=6825
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Park Headquarters 1850 Dual Highway, Suite 100 Hagerstown, MD 21740 http://www.nps.gov/CHOH (301) 739-4200The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal was an important supply line for the Union, and was often a target of Confederate troops.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was built between 1828 and 1850, running 184.5 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland; it operated until 1924. During the war, it was an important supply line for the Union, and was sabotaged by the Confederates several times, most notably as they were retreating from Harpers Ferry in 1862. The Confederates were able to successfully occupy Harpers Ferry on September 15, 1862, partly because of the lack of Union fortifications at nearby Fort Duncan. After the town and garrison were re-occupied by the Union army in October 1862, Maryland Heights, overlooking the canal and Harpers Ferry, and Loudoun Heights, across the Potomac River in Virginia, were heavily fortified.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
National Register of Historic Places summary: http://mht.maryland.gov/nr/NRDetail.aspx?HDID=14&COUNTY=Frederick&FROM=NRCountyList.aspx?COUNTY=Frederick
Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) documentation: many reports on various Chesapeake and Ohio Canal structures; go to http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/index.html and enter “Chesapeake and Ohio Canal” in search box.
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter F-2-011 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
David Wills House
8 Lincoln Square Gettysburg, PA 17325 (866)486-5735 http://www.davidwillshouse.org/On November 18, 1863, the day before he would give the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln spent the night at the home of Gettysburg attorney David Wills.
The three-story David Wills House was built in 1816. In 1859 David Wills bought the property for use as his law office. On behalf of the state of Pennsylvania and other northern states, after the Battle of Gettysburg Wills purchased the lots that would become Soldiers’ National Cemetery. He also arranged for the exhumation and reburial of the dead, and made plans to have the ground consecrated. Wills engaged prominent orator Edward Everett to be the featured speaker at the cemetery dedication, and later invited President Abraham Lincoln to give “a few appropriate remarks.” OnNovember 18, 1863Lincolnspent the night at Wills’ house along with Everett and Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin. That eveningLincolnfine-tuned and completed his speech in his second floor room at Wills’ house. The following dayLincolndelivered his speech, which would become immortalized as “The Gettysburg Address.”
After Wills’ death in 1894, the property was bought and used as a number of different commercial establishments. From 1945 to 2004, under various owners, “The Lincoln Room Museum” was operated on the second floor of the building. In 2004 the National Park Service acquired the building from the Borough of Gettysburg. On February 12, 2009the David Wills House was reopened to commemorate Lincoln’s 200th birthday.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.davidwillshouse.org/
http://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/david-wills-house.htm
http://www.hallowedground.org/Explore-the-Journey/Historical-Site/David-Wills-House
David Herbert Donald, Lincoln, 1995.
Bradley R. Hoch, The Lincoln Trail in Pennsylvania: A History and Guide, 2001.
Other markers:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=32491&Result=1
http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=32492
http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=32477
Dunker Church
5831 Dunker Church Road Sharpsburg, MD 21782This small church was the central point of a number of Union attacks on the Confederate left flank during the Battle of Antietam.
The Dunker church was originally built in 1852, on land donated by local farmer Samuel Mumma. It was the site of General Stonewall Jackson’s stand against the Union I and XII Corps, and the focal point of several Union attacks against the Confederate left flank. Though it was nearly destroyed during the intense fighting that surrounded it on the morning of September 17th, it was used as a temporary medical aid station after the battle, and was the site of a truce called on September 18th in order to exchange wounded soldiers and bury the dead. It may have been used as an embalming station by the Union Army. Tradition also holds that it was visited by President Lincoln on his tour of the battlefield in October 1862. It was rebuilt after the devastation of the war only to be destroyed by a windstorm in 1921; many of the pews and bricks were saved, and it was reconstructed in 1961 according to the original plans and using some original materials. One of its attractions is its Mumma Bible, the pulpit bible that was carried off during the war by a member of the 107th New York Regiment and returned years later.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/anti/historyculture/dunkerchurch.htm
Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) documentation: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md0588
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter WA-II-0352 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Charles S. Adams, The Civil War in Washington County, Maryland – A Guide to 66 points of Interest(Shepherdstown, WV: Charles S. Adams, 1996), 3
Historical Marker Database: http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=20593
Ferry Hill Inn
16500 Shepherdstown Pike Sharpsburg MD 21782 (301)582-0813 http://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/ferry-hill-place.htmFerry Hill was the boyhood home of Confederate officer Henry Kyd Douglas, and the property was occupied by both armies at different times during the Civil War.
In 1765 Thomas Van Swearingen bought property on both sides of the Potomac between Shepherdstown, VA, and Sharpsburg, MD, and began operating a ferry. Through marriage, in 1816 John Blackford acquired the property and the rights to operate the ferry. Between 1812 and 1820, the mansion house was built atop the heights that overlooked the river on the Maryland side, which was called Ferry Hill. The house operated as an inn and tavern, and the land was worked by slaves. With the arrival of the nearby Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in the 1830s, the plantation flourished and the small community of Bridgeport developed as a result of the commercial activity in the area.
At the beginning of the Civil War, Henry Kyd Douglas, a young lawyer not long out of college, lived at Ferry Hill with his parents, Rev. Robert and Helene Douglas. Young Douglas had enlisted in a Confederate regiment and was among those troops that burned the toll bridge across the river opposite his family’s house in June 1861. On September 19–20, 1862, during the Battle of Shepherdstown, Union artillery occupied positions on the high ground around the Douglas property and shelled Confederates who were retreating from the battlefield at Antietam. The house was occupied by Union officers and Douglas’ parents were held captive. During the Gettysburg Campaign, the nearby ford was among those used by the Confederates during the invasion of Maryland, and Maj. Gen. Edward Johnson occupied Ferry Hill en route to Pennsylvania.
The Douglas family owned Ferry Hill until 1903. In 1941 the house was converted into a restaurant. The National Park Service bought the property in 1973. From 1979 until 2001 it served as headquarters for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. In 2012 Ferry Hill reopened as a National Park Service visitors center with exhibits focusing on the historic property, Henry Kyd Douglas, the Civil War, and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.
See these sources and websites for additional information
http://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/ferry-hill-place.htm
http://www.nps.gov/choh/historyculture/ferryhillplantation.htm
http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/blackford/blackford.htm
http://www.canaltrust.org/discoveries/pdf/FerryHill_Site_Bulletin.pdf
Henry Kyd Douglas, I Rode with Stonewall: Being Chiefly the War Experiences of the Youngest Member of Jackson’s Staff from the John Brown Raid to the hing of Mrs. Surratt, 1940; reprint, n.d.
Thomas A. McGrath, Shepherdstown: Last Clash of the Antietam Campaign, September 19–20, 1862, 2007.
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter WA-II-0035 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Other markers:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=58252
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=1971
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=1877
Fort Frederick State Park
11100 Fort Frederick Road Big Pool, MD 21711 (301)842-2155http://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/western/fortfrederick.asp
This French and Indian War-era stone fort was used during the Civil War as a picket outpost and was the scene of a Christmas Day skirmish in 1861.
FortFrederickwas built byMaryland’s colonial government in 1756 to provide protection to frontier settlers from Indian raids. Named for the last Lord Baltimore, distinctive quadrangle bastions were constructed at each corner of the fort. During the Revolutionary War it housed British prisoners. Just prior to the Civil War, Nathan Williams, a free black man, bought and farmed the property. In order to provide protection to the nearby Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, Union pickets were stationed in and near the fort. In December 1861, during Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s three raids again Dam Number 5, the First Maryland Infantry, commanded by Col. John Kenly, was ordered to the area and established pickets between Four Locks and Cherry Run, including Company H posted atFortFrederick. OnDecember 25, 1861, this company engaged in a skirmish with Confederates on theVirginiaside of the river. The fort was also used as a picket outpost at other times during the war.
After the war, Nathan Williams continued to farm the property, demolishing portions of the fort. After his death in 1884, the property passed into the hands of his family who sold it in 1911. In 1922 the state ofMarylandacquired the property. In the 1930s, the walls of the fort were rebuilt and restored with the assistance of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a Great Depression-era agency created to alleviate national unemployment. Fort Frederick became Maryland’s first state park.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/western/fortfrederick.asp
Allan Powell, Fort Frederick: Potomac Outpost, 1988.
Chas. Camper and J. W. Kirkley, Historical Record of the First Regiment Maryland Infantry, 1871.
National Historical Landmarks summary:
http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1338&ResourceType=Structure
National Register of Historic Places summary:
http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/73000939.pdf
http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/73000939.pdf
Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey:
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/md0835.photos.084992p/
MarylandInventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter WA-V-205 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Civil War Trails markers:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=821
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=5571
Other markers:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=681
Gettysburg National Military Park
1195 Baltimore Pike Gettysburg, PA 17325 Contact: (717) 334-1124 ext. 8023 http://www.nps.gov/gettThe park, created in 1894, preserves and commemorates the Battle of Gettysburg, fought July 1-3, 1863.
The Battle of Gettysburg, fought July 1-3, 1863, was a turning point in the Civil War. The battle is often referred to as the “high-water mark of the Confederacy,” since this was the final large-scale push into Northern territory during the war. Although more men died during the three days of the battle than in any battle fought before or since on North American soil, the Union victory did much to boost the morale of northern soldiers and civilians alike.
Efforts at commemorating the Battle of Gettysburg began almost immediately, as the citizens of Gettysburg were forced to cope with the slaughter that had taken place on their farms and in their streets. Burial ceremonies led to the creation of a cemetery there, the Soldiers’ National Cemetery, which became part of the larger national cemetery system in 1872. As early as 1863, the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association was established and began attempting to purchase land and preserve the battlefield. The Association’s original aim was to preserve only the Union battle lines, with very little effort at commemorating the Confederate positions until 1892. These efforts eventually led to the creation of a National Military Park in 1894; it, like the cemetery, was administered by the War Department from the time of its creation until 1933, when the National Park Service took over.
An estimated 9,600 acres comprise the Battle of Gettysburg’s primary area of action. Monuments and markers are scattered across the battlefield, and the park includes a Museum and Visitors Center.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission’s Battle Summary: http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/pa002.htm
Civil War Trust: http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/gettysburg.html
Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
171 Shoreline Drive Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 Contact: (304) 535-6029 http://www.nps.gov/hafeThe site of John Brown’s raid in 1859, Harpers Ferry was also strategically important during the war years, and changed hands several times.
Harpers Ferry played a significant role in the Civil War, from John Brown’s raid before the war, to the U.S. Arsenal located in town, and to the numerous times the town changed hands during the course of the war. Harpers Ferry was strategically important because of the Arsenal and the town’s railroad, highway, and canal transportation links. John Brown chose Harpers Ferry as his first objective in his infamous 1859 raid because of its stores of weapons and its location near the mountains; his plan was to establish a sheltered base from which to free slaves and attack slaveholders. Brown launched his raid on October 16th, 1859. However, he did not draw the support he expected from local slaves, and he was pinned down by the local militia until U.S. Marines under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee arrived, capturing or killing Brown and his men. Brown was taken to nearby Charles Town, where he was tried and executed.
Brown’s raid is widely credited with helping fan the flames of the impending conflict. The Civil War reached Harpers Ferry on April 18th, 1861, when Union forces burned the arsenals located there to deny access to the “strong and hostile Virginia State forces” reported to be approaching. The Confederates in their turn burned more buildings and looted others in June 1861. Harpers Ferry was regained and occupied by Federal forces from February-September 1862, but their defenses were weak. Confederates under the command of Stonewall Jackson were able to take the town in an astonishingly short amount of time as part of Lee’s Maryland campaign, on September 15th, 1862, taking 12,000 Union prisoners in the process.
Union forces once again won back Harpers Ferry in October, and immediately began strengthening its defenses, building fortifications until June 1863. In 1864, the rifle trench along Bolivar Heights was extended so that the town was virtually impregnable, provided the defenders also held Loudoun Heights and Maryland Heights (site of Federal campgrounds from 1862-1865 and seven fortifications, only one of which is still intact today). From August 1864 to February 1865, Harpers Ferry was the main base of operations for Union General Philip Sheridan’s army while they destroyed Confederate General Jubal Early’s forces and took control of the Shenandoah Valley. In 1864, Federal forces destroyed several more buildings around the area, this time to clear the way for a U.S. Military railroad to help supply Sheridan’s army.
After the Civil War, Harpers Ferry was the site of Storer College, one of the earliest institutions for black education after Emancipation.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
National Register of Historic Places summary: http://www.marylandhistoricaltrust.net/NR/NRDBDetail.aspx?HDID=18
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter WA-III-072 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
John Brown’s Fort
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 http://www.nps.gov/hafe/historyculture/john-brown-fort.htmThe U.S. Armory’s fire engine and guard house was used by John Brown and his conspirators as a final refuge in their October 16–18, 1859 ill-fated raid on the facility.
The U.S. Armory’s fire engine and guard house was built at Harpers Ferry in 1848. During John Brown’s October 16–18, 1859 raid against the facility, which was intended in incite a slave insurrection, Brown and his followers took refuge in the brick structure to escape the gunfire of local citizens and militias. On the last day of the standoff, U.S. Marines under the command of Col. Robert E. Lee stormed the building, killing two of Brown’s party and badly wounding the mastermind. All of the raiders, including Brown and those captured later, were subsequently tried, convicted, and hanged.
During the Civil War, John Brown’s Fort, as it became known, was the only armory building that was not destroyed. It was used as a guardhouse and prison by both sides. Due to it notoriety, soldiers stationed at Harpers Ferry scavenged pieces of the building as souvenirs. In 1891 the fort was sold, dismantled and shipped to Chicago for display at the Columbian Exposition. Attracting scant visitors, the exhibit was closed and the building was dismantled again. In 1894 the fort was returned to Harpers Ferry and was rebuilt on a privately owned farm three miles from town. In 1909, on the fiftieth anniversary of the raid, Storer College bought John Brown’s Fort and moved it to Camp Hill on their campus at Harpers Ferry. In 1960 the National Park Service acquired the building, and in 1968 moved it back to the lower town, one hundred and fifty feet east of its original location, where it remains today.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/hafe/historyculture/john-brown-fort.htm
http://home.nps.gov/hafe/photosmultimedia/John-Brown-Fort.htm
http://www.wvculture.org/history/journal_wvh/wvh19-1.html
John Brown’s Raid, National Park Service History Series, 2009.
Tony Horwitz, Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War, 2012.
Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey:
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/wv0084/
Other markers:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=2940
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=4420
Lockwood House
Fillmore Street Harpers Ferry WV 25425 http://www.nps.gov/resources/place.htm?id=101During the Civil War the Lockwood House served as headquarters for Union generals, and after the war it was the site of a school for African Americans and became part of Storer College.
Located on Camp Hill in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, the Lockwood House was built in 1847 as the residence for the U.S. Armory paymaster. During the Civil War, Union generals Henry H. Lockwood and Philip H. Sheridan used the building as headquarters. In November 1863 Union forces held a Thanksgiving ball in the house, and at other times the building was used as a hospital and a prison
After the war, in 1865 Rev. Nathan Cook Brackett, of the Freewill Baptist Home Mission Society in New England, established a Freewill Baptist primary school for African Americans, many freed slaves, in the building. The school taught reading, writing, and arithmetic to its students, using missionary teachers. By 1867 sixteen teachers were responsible for teaching over two thousand students. To increase the number of teachers, Brackett determined that he needed to train African Americans to become teachers.
Inspired by Brackett’s efforts, Maine philanthropist John Storer offered the Freewill Baptists $10,000 for a school if it would admit students without regard to race, sex or religion; if it would eventually became a degree-granting institution; and if it would match the grant within a year. After the money was raised, on October 2, 1867, Storer Normal School opened its doors. In December 1869 the U.S. government formerly conveyed the Lockwood House and three other buildings on Camp Hill to the school. The school became Storer College and served thousands of African American students until it closed in 1955. In 1960 the Lockwood House, along with the rest of the Storer College campus, was incorporated in the Harpers Ferry National Historical Monument. The house has been restored to its Civil War-era appearance, with two rooms furnished from the early period when the building was used as a school.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/resources/place.htm?id=101
http://www.nps.gov/hafe/historyculture/storer-college.htm
http://www.nps.gov/hafe/historyculture/upload/Storer%20College.pdf
Dawne Raines Burke, An American Phoenix: A History of Storer College from Slavery to Desegregation, 1865–1955, 2006.
National Register of Historic Places summary:
http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/jefferson/01000781.pdf
Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey:
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/wv0161/
Other markers:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=10180
Monocacy National Battlefield
5201 Urbana Pike Frederick, MD 21704 (301) 662-3515 http://www.nps.gov/monoUnion and Confederate forces clashed here on July 9, 1864, in the “Battle that Saved Washington.”
In the summer of 1864, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was pinned down in Petersburg, VA by Union forces. In hopes of relieving pressure by diverting part of the Union army, General Robert E. Lee sent General Jubal Early up the Shenandoah Valley and into Maryland. Early entered Maryland through Washington County and continued east towards Washington, DC. After demanding ransom from the towns of Hagerstown and Middletown, Early’s forces reached Frederick on July 8. On July 9, the city of Frederick was also ransomed, and Early moved westward towards the Monocacy River. He was met there by a force of Union soldiers, led by General Lew Wallace, perhaps half the size of the Confederate army. Wallace, not sure whether Early was aiming for Baltimore or Washington, was forced to guard three miles of the Monocacy River against either outcome. The ensuing battle ended in a Union retreat, but it delayed Early long enough to allow for additional Union forces to arrive to protect Washington.
The park includes several historic residences and other structures, and there are five historic monuments on the battlefield.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
Monocacy National Battlefield website: http://www.nps.gov/mono
Monocacy National Battlefield Staff, The Battle of Monocacy, July 9, 1964 [Handbook] 2010.
Brett W. Spaulding, Last Chance for Victory: Jubal Early’s 1864 Maryland Invasion, 2010.
National Historic Landmarks summary: http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=687&ResourceType
National Register of Historic Places summary: http://mht.maryland.gov/nr/NRDetail.aspx?HDID=208&FROM=NRMapFR.html
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter F-3-42 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission’s Battle Summary for Monocacy: http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/md007.htm
Civil War Trust: http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/monocacy.html
Mumma Farmstead
Smoketown Road Sharpsburg MD 21782 http://www.nps.gov/resources/place.htm?id=64During the Battle of Antietam the Mumma Farmstead was the only civilian property that was intentionally damaged
On September 15, 1862, as the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia moved into the Sharpsburg area, Samuel and Elizabeth Mumma took their thirteen children and evacuated their home. They spent several days in a church a few miles north of the battlefield.
About two hours into the Battle of Antietam, Confederate soldiers received orders to burn the buildings on the Mumma property to prevent their use by Union sharpshooters. The house, barn and most outbuildings were subsequently burned. This was the only intentional destruction of civilian property during the battle. A stone springhouse was the only original structure to survive the battle, although the wooden upper story was destroyed.
With the loss of their home, the Mummas spent the winter at the Sherrick farm located near Burnside Bridge. In 1863 they rebuilt their home. After the war the U.S. government compensated local residents for damages committed by Union soldiers, but the Mummas received no compensation since their property had been destroyed by the Confederates. In 1906 a former member of the Third North Carolina Infantry wrote to the postmaster of Sharpsburg, seeking information about how to contact the family whose house members of his regiment had burned. The postmaster was Samuel Mumma, Jr., who replied that although his family had lost everything in the battle, they understood that the soldiers were only obeying orders when they burned the house.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/resources/place.htm?id=64
http://www.nps.gov/anti/forteachers/upload/Mumma%20and%20Roulette%20Farms%20Trail%20Guide.pdf
http://www.nps.gov/anti/forteachers/upload/Contradictions-and-Divided-Loyalties.pdf
James V. Murfin, The Gleam of Bayonets: The Battle of Antietam and Robert E. Lee’s Maryland Campaign, September 1862, 1965; reprint, 1982.
Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey:
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/md1112/
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1654
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter WA-II-0350 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Other markers:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=6981
http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=20715
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=6184
Otto Farm
Burnside Bridge Road Sharpsburg, MD 21782During the Battle of Antietam, the Otto farm was occupied by both armies at different times, and after the battle it was used as a Union hospital.
On September 16, 1862 Confederate Brig. Gen. Robert Toombs’ division, which consisted of less than 500 Georgian riflemen, camped on the Otto property near the Lower or Rohrbach Bridge. The next day at the Battle of Antietam, after a three hour assault, Union Maj. Gen Ambrose Burnside succeeded in carrying the bridge that now bears his name. When Burnside advanced against the Confederate right flank, he was met by Confederate Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill’s Light Division, which had just arrived from Harpers Ferry. Hill checked Burnside’s advance. Union Brig Gen. Isaac Rodman’s division retreated to the Otto property after the repulse. Following the battle, the house and barn were used as Union hospitals.
The Otto Farm is also significant because of Hilleary Watson, a slave on the farm until 1864. Many years after the Battle of Antietam, Watson recounted to a writer the events leading up to the battle, including his encounter with a Confederate soldier trying to loot the house. Later, Watson was drafted to serve in the Union Army, but his owner, John Otto, paid a fee to keep Watson out of the service. Watson also became one of the trustees of the local African American church built after the war, Tolson’s Chapel.
The Otto farm remained in the family until the twentieth century. It was eventually acquired by the National Park Service and is now a part of Antietam National Battlefield.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/anti/forteachers/upload/Contradictions-and-Divided-Loyalties.pdf
http://www.hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/report.asp?STATE=&PARK=&STRUCTURE=&SORT=&RECORDNO=466
Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1094
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/md1269/
Other markers:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=6444
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=6445
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=6408
Philip Pry House (Pry Farm)
18906 Shepherdstown Pike (MD 34) Keedysville, MD 21756This farm was used by General George McClellan as headquarters during the Battle of Antietam; it was also a hospital and signal station.
The Philip Pry House dates back to July 1844. Standing on a hill, it commands a good view of the Antietam battlefield, leading Union General George McClellan to make his headquarters there during the Battle of Antietam. The location also served as the medical headquarters of Dr. Jonathan Letterman, who put into place influential plans reorganizing the army medical system while here; both the barn and the house were called into service as hospitals. General Israel B. Richardson, “the Union hero of Bloody Lane,” died here on November 3rd, after being visited by President Abraham Lincoln in October. Today, the Pry House is part of Antietam National Battlefield and serves as a field hospital museum for the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.civilwarmed.org/VisitUs/PryHouse.aspx
http://www.nps.gov/anti/planyourvisit/pryhouse.htm
Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) documentation: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1084; http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1083;
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1082
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter WA-II-0355 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Charles S. Adams, The Civil War in Washington County, Maryland – A Guide to 66 points of Interest (Shepherdstown, WV: Charles S. Adams, 1996), 12.
Soldiers’ National Cemetery
Gettysburg National Military Park 1195 Baltimore Pike Gettysburg, PA 17325 Contact: (717) 334-1124 ext. 8023 http://www.nps.gov/gettThis cemetery in Gettysburg National Military Park holds the remains of 3,555 Union soldiers.
After the Battle of Gettysburg, burials began immediately in what would become the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. The cemetery was dedicated in November of 1863, the occasion of President Abraham Lincoln’s famous “Gettysburg Address.” The cemetery contains 3,555 Union graves (as well as graves of U.S. soldiers from other wars), arranged in a circle to face a central monument. That monument was erected in 1869, and features marble representations of war, peace, liberty, history, and plenty. The Soldiers’ National Cemetery became part of the larger national cemetery system in 1872.
William Saunders’ original plan for the cemetery separated it from the battlefield, to be a place of contemplation in which to tell the story of the soldiers’ sacrifice. However, as roads were established through the grounds leading to the battlefield, the effect shifted from one of “destination” to one of “transition.” The cemetery was closed to burials in 1971, and closed to traffic in 1989.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/nationalcemeteries/Pennsylvania/GettysburgNationalCemetery.html
South Mountain State Battlefield
6620 Zittlestown Road Middletown MD 21769 http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/southmountainbattlefield.asp 301-791-4767South Mountain State Battlefield preserves and commemorates the various sites associated with the Battle of South Mountain, fought on September 14, 1862.
The Battle of South Mountain was the first major Civil War battle in Maryland. The Confederate Army under General Robert E. Lee crossed the Potomac River in early September 1862. Lee established a base in Frederick, and when the Union Army under General George McClellan advanced from the east, Lee devised a bold but risky plan to divide his army and move westward. In one of the oddest breaks in military history, a Union soldier found a discarded copy of Lee’s orders (the famous Special Orders 191) and the usually overly-cautious McClellan led his army in pursuit. Caught off-guard by McClellan’s movement, the Confederates were forced to fight a delaying action on the top of South Mountain to give the divided army time to regroup. The battle, on October 24, 1862, was actually fought in three places – Turner’s and Fox’s Gaps between Middletown and Boonsboro, and Crampton’s Gap to the west of Burkittsville. The battle was a Union victory, but not before Confederate General Stonewall Jackson had captured Harpers Ferry and 12,000 Union soldiers, and the Confederate Army had reconsolidated itself in preparation for what would become the Battle of Antietam.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/southmountainbattlefield.asp
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission’s Battle Summary for South Mountain: http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/md002.htm
Civil War Trust: http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/south-mountain.html
Storer College
Fillmore Street Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 http://www.nps.gov/hafe/historyculture/storer-college.htm
Storer College was founded after the Civil War when a philanthropist donated $10,000 for the establishment of a school without regard to a student’s race, sex, or religion.
In 1865 Rev. Nathan Cook Brackett founded the Freewill Baptist School at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The School was located in the Lockwood House, formerly the U.S. Armory Paymaster’s home on Camp Hill. Brackett’s efforts inspired philanthropist John Storer, who lived in Sanford, Maine, to donate $10,000 for the establishment of a school in the South without regard to a student’s race, sex, or religion. Additionally, the donation had to be matched within a year and the school had to become a degree-granting college. The money was raised, and on October 2, 1867, Storer Normal School was opened at Harpers Ferry. Two years later the U.S. government transferred the Lockwood House and three other buildings on Camp Hill to the school. Frederick Douglass was an early trustee of the College.
Many local residents opposed the school, however, and over the years teachers and students were occasionally taunted or assaulted. The college primarily trained students to become teachers, but courses in higher education and industrial training were eventually added. In 1906 the campus was the location of the second conference of W.E.B. DuBois’s Niagara Movement, the predecessor of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1954 legal segregation ended with the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision, Brown v. Board of Education. The decision also ended federal and state funding for the school, however, and it closed in 1955. In 1960 the campus of Storer College was incorporated into Harpers Ferry National Monument. Today the National Park Service owns the former Storer College property and uses Anthony Hall as the Stephen T. Mather Training Center.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/hafe/historyculture/storer-college.htm
http://www.nps.gov/hafe/historyculture/upload/Storer%20College.pdf
Dawne Raines Burke, An American Phoenix: A History of Storer College from Slavery to Desegregation, 1865–1955, 2006.
National Register of Historic Places summary:
http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/jefferson/01000781.pdf
Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.wv0367
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.wv0368
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.wv0369
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.wv0370
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.wv0371
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.wv0372
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.wv0403
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.wv0162
Other markers:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=2937
http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=10180
War Correspondents Memorial Arch
Gathland State Park 900 Arnoldstown Road Burkittsville MD 21718 Phone: 301-791-4767This elaborate arch was designed to commemorate the journalists and artists of the Civil War.
George Alfred Townsend, the youngest war correspondent of the Civil War, became a novelist after the war. While researching one of his books, he discovered the Burkittsville area in Frederick County and constructed a house, “Gapland Hall,” in Crampton’s Gap overlooking the town. Crampton’s Gap was where part of the Battle of South Mountain was fought. While living at Gapland, he designed this memorial to his fellow war correspondents and artists who had depicted the Civil War. The arch was dedicated on October 16th, 1896. The memorial is now part of Gathland State Park, but is maintained by the National Park Service.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) documentation: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1322
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter WA-III-117 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/gathland.asp
http://www.nps.gov/anti/historyculture/mnt-arch.htm
Historical Marker Database: http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=13977
Antietam Aqueduct
Canal Road, confluence of Potomac River & Antietam Creek Sharpsburg, MD 21782 C&O Canal National Historical Park: (301) 739-4200Confederate troops inflicted heavy damage to the Antietam Aqueduct during the Monocacy Campaign in July 1864.
The fourth of eleven stone aqueducts on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, the Antietam Aqueduct was completed in 1835 to carry the canal over Antietam Creek. In July 1864, during the Monocacy Campaign, the Confederates inflicted serious damage to the Antietam Aqueduct. In an effort to disrupt a Union supply line, soldiers tore out much of the masonry on both sides of the structure and removed some of the stonework from two of the arches. By the end of September, however, the company had completed enough repairs to the aqueduct to resume navigation.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/choh/unrau_hrs.pdf
Timothy R. Snyder, Trembling in the Balance: The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal During the Civil War (Boston: Blue Mustang Press, 2011), 199, 200–201, 212–213.
National Register of Historic Places: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/66000036.pdf
Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) documentation: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md0616
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter WA-II-0124 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Conococheague Aqueduct
Confluence of Conococheague Creek and the Potomac River Williamsport, MD 21975 C&O Canal National Historical Park: (301) 739-4200The Conococheague Aqueduct was damaged by Union troops during the Antietam Campaign and by the Confederates in the Gettysburg and Monocacy campaigns.
The fifth of eleven stone aqueducts, the Conococheague Aqueduct was completed in late 1835 to carry the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal over Conococheague Creek. While the Battle of Antietam was raging, Union General George B. McClellan ordered Capt. Charles Russell of the 1st Maryland Cavalry and some Pennsylvania militia units to Williamsport to destroy the means by which the Confederates might cross the Potomac River or canal. An unsuccessful attempt was made to destroy the Conococheauge Aqueduct, but only minor damage was inflicted.
In the Gettysburg Campaign the Confederates committed extensive damage to the Conococheauge Aqueduct. Work parties tore out the masonry on each of the four corners of the structure down to the bottom of the canal. A large hole was also made in one of the aqueduct’s arches nearly the width of the canal and ranging from six to ten feet in length. During the Monocacy Campaign and subsequent screening operations in July–August 1864, the Confederates again damaged the Conococheague Aqueduct, although much less extensively than they had in 1863.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/choh/unrau_hrs.pdf
Timothy R. Snyder, Trembling in the Balance: The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal During the Civil War (Boston: Blue Mustang Press, 2011), 130, 160, 171, 200, 204.
National Register of Historic Places: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/66000036.pdf
Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) documentation: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/md1492/ and http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/md0627/
Civil War Trails Marker: http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=1118
Dam Number 4
Dam No. 4 Road C&O Canal Washington County, MD C&O Canal National Historical Park: (301) 739-4200The Confederates attempted to damage Dam Number 4 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in June and December 1861.
Dam Number 4, located fifteen miles below Williamsport, was the fourth of seven dams built in the Potomac River to impound and divert water from the river into the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Construction of the dam commenced September 1832 and was completed in June 1835. The dam was initially built of cribs, which were hollow cages built of heavy timbers that were anchored to the riverbed, filled with rock and sheeted with planks. A series of floods in 1857 seriously damaged Dam Number 4. Temporary repairs were made and in 1861, a contractor replaced the crib dam with a masonry structure.
Before evacuating Harpers Ferry, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston sent work parties to the Potomac to breech Dam Number 4, hoping to disable the canal prior to his evacuation of Harpers Ferry. On June 10, 1861, the Confederates made their first attempt, but were unable to harm the new masonry structure. On June 13 the Confederates were observed drilling holes in the solid rock abutment of the dam for a black powder charge, but they were driven away by the Sharpsburg Rifles and another company from Boonsboro.
On December 11 Confederate Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson sent a small force, led by Turner Ashby, to disable Dam Number 4. In the mid-morning the Confederates fired artillery rounds at the Twelfth Indiana Volunteers who protected the dam on the Maryland side. A raiding party with boats approached the river opposite the guard lock about a mile above the dam, while another party approached the river at a gristmill below the dam. Heavy infantry fire from the Union side compelled Ashby to withdrawn his men. Later a small number of Indiana soldiers crossed to Virginia to determine if the Confederates had left and were taken prisoner. No damage was done to the dam.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/choh/unrau_hrs.pdf
Timothy R. Snyder, Trembling in the Balance: The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal During the Civil War (Boston: Blue Mustang Press, 2011), 20–21, 22, 28, 44, 45, 80, 83.
National Register of Historic Places: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/66000036.pdf
Dam Number 5
Dam No. 5 Rd. C&O Canal Washington County, MD C&O Canal National Historical Park: (301) 739-4200The Confederates attempted to damage Dam Number 5 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in June 1861, and three more times between December 1861 and early January 1862.
Dam Number 5, located seven miles above Williamsport, was the fifth of seven dams built in the Potomac River to impound and divert water from the river into the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The dam was built of cribs, which were hollow cages built of heavy timbers that were anchored to the riverbed, filled with rock and sheeted with planks. Construction of the dam commenced March 1833 and was completed in December 1834. A series of floods in 1857 seriously damaged Dam Number 5, at one point washing out 500 feet of the structure. Temporary repairs were made, but financial difficulties prevented the canal company from undertaking permanent restoration of the dam prior to the Civil War.
Before evacuating Harpers Ferry in June 1861, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston sent work parties to the Potomac to breech Dam Number 5, hoping to disable the canal prior to his evacuation of Harpers Ferry. On June 8 the Confederates set off a powder charge in the dam and over the next two days skirmished with the Clear Spring and Williamsport home guards. No significant damage was done to the dam.
In December 1861 and early 1862 troops from Confederate Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s command made a series of attempts to disable Dam Number 5. From December 6–8 a force led by Turner Ashby attempted to cut the cribs and to dig a trench to divert water around the southern abutment of the dam. Strong defensive positions and heavy fire from Union infantry forced Ashby to abandon the undertaking. From December 17–20 Jackson accompanied his brigade to the Potomac for another attempt to damage the dam. Demonstrations were made against Falling Waters and Williamsport and a work detail attempted to cut the cribs after dark. All attempts to inflict damage to the dam were unsuccessful until the last night when Jackson sent a sizable portion of his force upriver with boats. The Union defenders followed, which gave Jackson’s men an evening to work without detection. When the work party heard timber cracking, they assumed they had made a significant breech. Jackson left the river, but soon learned that canal navigation had resumed. On January 1 a small force under Ashby arrived at the dam again, where they spend two more nights widening the breach. The damage to the dam was not significant enough to halt navigation on the waterway, although a serious winter flood in late January accomplished the task for Jackson.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/choh/unrau_hrs.pdf
Timothy R. Snyder, Trembling in the Balance: The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal During the Civil War (Boston: Blue Mustang Press, 2011), 20–21, 76, 79–80, 83–85, 99.
National Register of Historic Places: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/66000036.pdf
Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) documentation: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/md0593/
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter WA-V-085 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=23561
Temple Hall
15855 Limestone School Road Leesburg, VA 20176 703-779-9372 http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/templehallTemple Hall was home to a family of ardent Confederate supporters during the war.
Temple Hall was a large farm complex dating from the early 19th century. The main house was built in 1810, and in 1857, it was purchased by Henry Ball. A firm supporter of the Southern cause, he was the only local citizen to take up arms during the 1861 Battle of Ball’s Bluff. His sons took up arms as well, as soldiers in the 6th Virginia Cavalry, and one was mortally wounded at the Battle of Spotsylvania. Ball, who often supplied Confederate soldiers with food and arms at his home, was arrested in 1863 for refusing to take an oath of allegiance to the Union and imprisoned at Fort Delaware. The women of the Ball family were also arrested while trying to smuggle food from Maryland back across the Potomac to Confederate soldiers. During the Monocacy Campaign in 1864, Colonel John Mosby camped nearby and was invited to dinner. While there, he received information about a Federal scouting troop and left quickly to intercept them. Today, the property is Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, a recreational area open to the public. The historic farmhouse still stands, but it is a private residence and not opened to the public.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
Temple Hall Farm Regional Park Website: http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/templehall
Historical Marker Database: http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=12954
Women’s Memorial Evergreen Cemetery
(Monument located 50 feet southwest of the cemetery gatehouse) 799 Baltimore Street Gettysburg, PA 17325The Gettysburg Women’s Memorial is a tribute to the women of Gettysburg who served and suffered because of the battle.
The Gettysburg Women’s Memorial is a tribute to the women of Gettysburg who served and suffered because of the battle. The woman depicted is Elizabeth Thorn, the wife of the caretaker of Evergreen Cemetery, who was away serving with the 138th Pennsylvania Infantry during the Battle of Gettysburg. At the time, Thorn was six months pregnant and was caring for her three sons and elderly parents. She and her family were forced to flee their home in the gatehouse during the battle, and when they returned they found their food and possessions either strewn everywhere or stolen, and dead bodies lying unburied. As caretaker of the cemetery, Thorn was ordered to begin burying the bodies along with a detail of men. The men slipped away from their duty and only Thorn was left having to finish burying the 91 bodies herself. She gave birth to a daughter soon after, but the girl was never healthy and died at the age of 14. Thorn was convinced that the stress of the battle and of burying its victims affected her unborn daughter. Thorn’s husband returned safely after Appomattox, and the couple stayed at the cemetery until 1874.
The monument was created by Ron Tunison and was dedicated in 2002. Tunison created several other monuments at Gettsyburg and also the bas reliefs on the Irish Brigade monument at Antietam
See these sources and sites for additional information
Stone Sentinels website: http://www.gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/Other/Women.php
Evergreen Cemetery website: http://www.evergreencemetery.org/womens.htm
Monocacy Aqueduct
Mouth of Monocacy Road, confluence of Monocacy & Potomac Rivers Dickerson, MD 20842The Monocacy Aqueduct of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal survived a number of Confederate attempts to destroy it.
The Monocacy Aqueduct, which carries the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal over the Monocacy River, was designed by engineer Benjamin Wright. Completed in 1833, the 516-foot long aqueduct, supported by seven arches, was the longest aqueduct on the canal and was considered one of the canal company’s most significant engineering achievements.
From the beginning of the Civil War the Confederates recognized that the C&O Canal could be used as a Union supply line and repeatedly tried to disable it. As early as June 10, 1861 Confederate General Robert E. Lee urged the destruction of the aqueduct as a means to halt canal navigation. During the Maryland Campaign of 1862 the Confederates undertook their most serious attempts to destroy it. After crossing the Potomac on September 4, Brig. Gen. Daniel H. Hill detailed men to destroy the aqueduct, but he lacked black powder and tools sufficient to accomplish the task. On September 9, while encamped near Frederick, Lee sent Brig. Gen. John G. Walker back to the Monocacy with instructions to destroy the aqueduct. Walker had tools and powder at hand, but he found the aqueduct so well constructed that it was “virtually a solid mass of granite.” The drills available were too dull to bore holes for powder charges. He too gave up the attempt. On July 4, 1864, a small band of Confederates from Partisan Ranger John S. Mosby’s command engaged in a skirmish for control of the aqueduct from Union troops who held it. The Rangers drove the Union troops away and burned canal boats, but made no attempt to damage the aqueduct, which survived the war intact.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
C&O Canal Companion Review: http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/supplemental/canal/mile42monoaqued.html;
C&O Canal Historic Resource Study: Study:http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/choh/unrau_hrs.pdf
National Park Service C&O Canal National Historical Park site: http://www.nps.gov/choh/historyculture/themonocacyaqueduct.htm
Smithsonian Civil War Studies – http://civilwarstudies.org/articles/vol_5/monocacy.shtm
Timothy R. Snyder, Trembling in the Balance: The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal During the Civil War (Boston: Blue Mustang Press, 2011), 48, 126, 127–129, 194–195
Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md0390
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter F-1-092 or M: 12-27 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Historical Marker Database:
http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=714
http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=34906
James H. Gambrill (Araby) Mill
Urbana Pike Frederick, MD 21704 (301) 662-3515 http://www.nps.gov/monoAt or near the Gambrill (or Araby) Mill, several Union soldiers were killed and wounded by the first firing at the Battle of Monocacy. The mill also served as a Union hospital during the battle.
The Araby Mill, located in Frederick County, was established in 1830 by Colonel J. Pearson. James H. Gambrill bought the farm and mill in 1856, enlarging the latter. At the July 9, 1864 Battle of Monocacy, the mill was located to the right and rear of Union lines. As the battle opened, several soldiers from the 87th Pennsylvania, who were stationed at or near the mill, were killed or wounded by the day’s first fire. James H. Gambrill, who sent his family to a neighbor’s house where they sought shelter in the cellar, stayed at the mill during the battle with three friends, hiding under the waterwheel. The mill was used as a Union hospital during the battle.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
Monocacy National Battlefield website: http://www.nps.gov/mono
Historical American Buildings Survey/Historical American Engineering Record: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1279
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter F-7-058 in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Historical Marker Database: http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=3262
Crampton’s Gap
Gapland Road & Mountain Church Road Burkittsville, MD 21718Crampton’s Gap was the scene of one of a series of battles for control of the mountain passes in the Battle of South Mountain during the Maryland Campaign of 1862.
The Battle of Crampton’s Gap took place on September 14, 1862, when the Union VI Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin, attacked a smaller force of Confederates holding the eastern base of the mountain gap. The Confederates’ primary defensive position was established behind a stone wall along the east side ofMountain Church Road. As the Confederates began to give way, reinforcements under Gen. Howell Cobb arrived to slow the Union onslaught. The Confederates were soon surrounded on three sides and were forced to retreat up the mountain to the gap. The Union pursuit encountered and overcame a two-gun section of artillery planted in the road. The Confederates’ last stand was made behind a stone wall on the western side of the mountain, which was soon overwhelmed. The Federals captured more than 400 prisoners and took possession of one artillery piece that had been disabled. Having captured the summit,Franklinordered a halt to the Union advance. The Confederates, meanwhile, formed a defensive line across Pleasant Valley to slow the Union Army’s attempt to relieve the threatened Union garrison at Harpers Ferry.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter F-4-017-A in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Historical Marker Database: http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=2020; http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=1909; http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=3901; http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=2068; http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=2159
Fox’s Gap
Reno Monument Road Burkittsville, MD 21718Fox’s Gap was the scene of one of series of battles for control of the mountain passes in the Battle of South Mountain during the Maryland Campaign of 1862.
The Battle of Fox’s Gap started at 9:00 a.m. on September 14, 1862 when the Union IX Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. Jesse L. Reno, attempted to dislodge the Confederates, led by Brig. Gen. Samuel Garland, who defended the mountain pass. The Union Kanawha Division, led by Brig. Gen. Jacob D. Cox, ascended the Old Sharpsburg Road and attacked the Confederate right flank. Its assault broke the Confederate line, which was formed behind a stone wall on the crest of the mountain. Garland was mortally wounded. Cox withdrew to await reinforcements, however, rather than pursue the Confederates. The engagement was resumed in the early evening when the entire IX Corps attacked the Confederate position, which had been strengthened in the meantime. The Union army gained control of Fox’s Gap by 5:30 p.m. As night descended Union General Reno was killed while he examined the Confederate position. At about 10:00 p.m. General Lee ordered the Confederates to withdraw toward Sharpsburg. During the battle Lt. Col. Rutherford B. Hayes, future president of the United States, was wounded in the arm.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter F-4-017-B in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Historical Marker Database: http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=5412;
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=455;
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=454;
Turner’s Gap
Alt. US 40, Dahlgren Road & Frostown Road Burkittsville, MD 21718Turner’s Gap was the scene of one of a series of battles for control of the mountain passes in the Battle of South Mountain during the Maryland Campaign of 1862.
The Battle of Turner’s Gap began at about noon on September 14, 1862 when the Union I Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker, attempted to dislodge Confederate forces from the mountain pass. At about 4:00 p.m. two Union brigades attacked the extreme left flank of the Confederate position located atop two high knolls about a mile above the gap. A third brigade, commanded by Brig. Gen. John Gibbon, attacked a Confederate brigade, commanded by Alfred Colquitt, who defended the gap from behind a stone wall. The Union assault forced the Confederates from the knolls north of the gap, but as darkness fell the southerners maintained possession of Turner’s Gap with Gibbon bivouacked in their front. At about 10:00 p.m. Confederate General Lee ordered the soldiers defending the gap to retire toward Sharpsburg.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties: http://www.mdihp.net/ (Select “Search by Property” tab, and enter F-4-017-C in search box to right of “Site No.”)
Historical Marker Database: http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=1594; http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=1595
http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=1598
http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=1599
Laboring Sons Cemetery and Memorial Grounds
Chapel Alley and 5th Street Frederick, MD 21701The Laboring Sons Cemetery and Memorial Grounds in Frederick is the final resting place for six Civil War veterans who served in the United States Colored Troops.
Established in 1851 by the Beneficial Society of the Laboring Sons of Frederick City, the cemetery was created to provide a final resting place for African Americans. Six Civil War veterans of United State Colored Troops regiments are interred in the cemetery. The city of Frederick acquired the property in 1950 and established a playground on the site. Beginning in 1999, protests about the use of the property resulted in the removal of the playground, and in 2003 the site was dedicated as a cemetery and memorial ground.
See these sources and websites for additional information:
African American Heritage Sites of Frederick County: http://www.frederickhsc.org/pdf/hsc_aahsbro.pdf
Historical Marker Database: http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=14024
