Monocacy

To commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, we took a trip to a Civil War site each fall (last year). The Civil War ended in 1865, and so, our final sesquicentennial trip occurred this fall. And, as luck would have it, in those five years, we have pretty much exhausted all of the really close (and relatively close) Civil War sites.


Perhaps fittingly, for our last Civil War site, we actually went to the site that is closest to our home. Although not one of the most well-known Civil War battlefields, the battle at Monocacy in 1864 helped block the Confederate army from reaching Washington, D.C..


In a march up the Shenandoah Valley, the Confederate Army attempted to swing around and attack Washington, D.C. and Fort Stevens from the north. The Union soldiers, although outnumbered three to one, fought hard and stalled the Confederates near Frederick, Maryland on the banks of the Monocacy River. Although ultimately the Union forces were forced to retreat, the battle delayed the Confederates on their march and allowed reinforcements to reach Washington in time.



In 1907, 43 years after the Battle of Monocacy, veterans of the 14th New Jersey Regiment dedicated this monument in honor of their fallen comrades. More than 140 members of the regiments had been wounded, captured, or killed at Monocacy.



A key site aspect of the Battle of Monocacy was the railroad junction. (Seen in the above map.) The railroad still runs through the site today.

Our trip to Monocacy occurred on one of those rare days when the kids are the best of friends. The weather was great. There was plenty of room to run around, and they agreed to pose in all the pictures. This was especially nice because Felix was, in general, very anti-picture at the time.

The Best Farm was occupied by both the Union and Confederate armies at various points during the Civil War. On noteworthy event occurred earlier in the war in 1862 when soldiers from the 27th Indiana found on the farm Confederate General Robert E. Lee's lost order No. 191 (which outlined his army's movements). Passed up through the chain of command, the captured order gave Union General George B. McClellan advance notice of his enemy's movements. Holding the paper, McClellan exclaimed, "Here is a paper with which, if I cannot whip Bobby Lee, I will be willing to go home (source)."

And the barn that is currently on the site is pretty cool too.



Because the Battle of Monacay took place on the banks of a river and because the battle itself was an attempt to block the Confederates' move toward Washington, bridges played a key role.

In 1894 a wooden covered bridge spanned the Monocacy River. The Confederates hoped to use it to move their troops, horses, cannons, and wagons to Washington. The Union army held back Confederates all morning and eventually were forced to burn down the bridge.



After the wooden bridge was burned, the railroad bridge became the only route of escape for Lieutenant Davis and his men, who were on the other side of the river and separated from the rest of the Union forces. After taking heavy fire, the unit retreated over the railroad bridge. Remarkably, most escaped unharmed.

We took a little walk near the river at the site of the bridges. In typical fashion, Beckett ran most of the way and Felix lay on the ground panting because he was so tired and had no energy.

At the Thomas farm, the household had hosted the Union officers before the battle. That afternoon they were forced to hole up in the cellar for safety. The house was bombarded by artillery and suffered significant damage. When the occupants emerged, they found the farm in shambles with hundreds of dead and wounded soldiers scattered about.


At the Worthington House, six-year-old Glenn Worthington spent the battle in the cellar with this family and their slaves. The windows had been boarded up, but Glenn could see the battle through the gaps. When he grew up he wrote an account of the Battle of Monocacy. His retelling helped persuade Congress to establish Monocacy National Battlefield in 1934.




Beckett is six just like Glenn Worthington was at the time of the battle.


Inside the house.

Felix poses like a statue.

After five years, I think I'm really going to miss this tradition. There are still quite a few I would like to see, but as they are farther afield, we may take our time visiting them.

P.S. We visit Manassas in 2013, Antietam in 2012, and Gettysburg in 2011.

Nicole Visits

Jill and Nicole had one night overlap, so we took advantage of it by eating cake and staying up really late. The next morning I took Jill to the airport and then took Nate to the airport (he was leaving on a business trip), and then felt like I had gone to the airport a whole lot in 24 hours.

On Sunday, Nicole and I decided to take advantage of the fact we weren't tied down by a school schedule. We headed to Washington. On our way we stopped at Great Falls. We admired the waterfalls, walked a bit, and then ate a picnic lunch.






Then we headed to Alexandria to see Nicole's sister-in-law and her family. It was fun for me to meet them, and the timing worked out pretty well. After our visit, we just had to take advantage of how close we were to Washington. So we drove over, parked, and pulled out the stroller and all the coats so that we could walk the monuments.


This was a big day for the kids, and I was really impressed with how well they did with all the different activities. They actually loved walking the monuments. We had come really prepared with extra coats and extra snacks and the double stroller, so the kids we pretty comfortable. (I just wish that I had also brought a blanket.) They would run for a while and then climb back into the stroller.

They also enjoyed all the stairs at the Lincoln Memorial and posing with the statues. Below Beckett and Felix climbed up on this pedestal so they could be statues with President Roosevelt and Fala.


 Evening is the best time to walk the monuments, and through excellent timing (I mean really good luck) we made it to the Lincoln for sunset. We then made our way up to the WWII Memorial and then back to the car.



On Monday we sent both the kids to school, and while Felix was at preschool, Nicole and I went on a hike in Patapsco.

Hey look, another waterfall! Here we are at Cascade Falls. We also hiked by several ruins. It was quite cool while Nicole was here, but we bundled up and enjoyed the brisk fall weather.




After Felix got home, we visited Fort McHenry. Nicole and Felix explored the lower levels, and Felix, in keeping with the statue posing tradition of the trip, posed with George Armistead.

On Tuesday, Nicole, Felix, and I went to Antietam. (Beckett was at school.) I was a little worried about the timing, but it worked out just fine. However, I don't know if I would have taken Nicole all the way out there if I had known that both the observation tower and Burnside Bridge were closed! Those are the best parts. We still enjoyed our visit. We visited the old cemetery and Nicole walked the Sunken Road.

I love my friends. I had just the best time with them. It would be best if we were all just next door neighbors, but I will settle for yearly reunions.

Fredericksburg

And now another update on how my nerdy tourist goals are coming along. Every year during the sesquicentennial of the Civil War we have made a trek out to a battlefield. Next year is the last year, so we'll have to make sure that our Civil War site for 2015 is extra awesome.

This year we went to Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg was the site for three Civil War battlefields. We visited the location of the first battle, a Confederate victory, which took place in December of 1862.

The Confederate troops lined up in the Sunken Road--part of the road system that went from Washington, D.C. to Richmond. They used this stone wall for protection as they fired upon the exposed Union troops.

The Innis house is still standing. It was located right in the line of fire and, even after many walls were replaced, still has bullet holes from the attack.

I didn't know the story of the Angel of Marye Heights before we visited Fredericksburg, but Nate did. Sergeant Richard R. Kirkland of the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers brought water to the wounded Union soldiers caught between the lines despite the danger to himself. Kirkland died in battle in Chickamauga, Georgia in September 1863.


Brompton stands on the hill directly behind the Sunken Road. The house was built in 1824 and served as headquarters for Colonel James B. Walton of the Washington Artillery. In 1864, it became a hospital for wounded Union soldiers. Today the house is owned by the University of Mary Washington.

We then wound our way up the hill to the ridge the Confederate reinforcements had to crest to come to their compatriots' aid. From there we could see down to the Sunken Road and the Innis house. Making their way down the hill left many soldiers exposed to Union fire.


A small cemetery at the top of the hill dates to the mid-eighteenth century. During the battle, it sheltered Confederate soldiers, some of whom were treated for wounds behind the brick walls. Other regiments paused here to regroup before charging down the hill. By the end of the battle the graveyard was a wreck. The brick walls had been toppled by Union artillery and many headstones were shattered.


Approximately 20,000 soldiers died in the Fredericksburg area during the Civil War. In 1865 Congress established the Fredericksburg National Cemetery for the Union soldiers who died in the area. Of the 15,300 soldiers buried here only 3,000 are known, and 300 of those are from later wars.

The cemetery was the boys favorite part of the excursion.



Fredericksburg was a nice battlefield to visit because we could walk the whole thing. The signage is really good, and the walk up the hill was especially nice.

P.S. We visit Manassas in 2013, Antietam in 2012, and Gettysburg in 2011.