Battle that saved Washington DC

June 22, 2019 -- The year Dad died I tried to keep Mom busy by taking her places. We visited most of the battlefields and other Civil War sites in the area. I hadn't recalled the Battle of Monocacy. It was fought on July 9, 1864, about six miles from Frederick. I enjoyed the history lesson. There was a visitor's center and driving tour. We did both. 

Monocacy National Battlefield

Thomas Farm

The most intense fighting took place on the Thomas Farm. The house was severely damaged during the battle. With Union sharpshooters positioned inside, it was a prime target for Confederate artillery.  What stands today is far from its original appearance. Battles ensued around the Worthington Farm. The family sought refuge in the cellar. Six year old Glenn Worthington observed the battle through the basement window. The house and yard were used as a field hospital. 

Worthington House

The Best Farm at Monocacy National Battlefield is not only the site of the historic battle and encampments, but it is also a former slave camp.  During the Maryland Campaign, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's lost order No. 191 (which outlined his army's movements) was found on the Best Farm by soldiers from the 27th Indiana. Passed up through the chain of command, the captured order gave Union General George B. McClellan advance notice of his enemy's movements.

Best Farm

At the Battle of Monocacy, Jubal Early's Confederate forces defeated Union forces under the command of Major General Lew Wallace. The battle was the northernmost Confederate victory of the war. However, the battle cost Early a day's march and his chance to capture Washington DC, thus ending the Confederates' last campaign to carry the war into the North. The Union's valiant stand save Washington from Capture.

The battle that saved Washington