| Monocacy National Battlefield | |
|---|---|
   | |
| Location | Frederick County, Maryland,USA |
| Nearest city | Frederick, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 39°22′16″N77°23′31″W / 39.37115°N 77.39208°W /39.37115; -77.39208 |
| Area | 1,647 acres (6.67 km2)[1] |
| Established | June 21, 1934[2] |
| Visitors | 17,985 (in 2005) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Monocacy National Battlefield |
Monocacy National Battlefield | |
| Area | 1,500 acres (610 ha)[4] |
| Built | 1864 (1864) |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000908[3] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 8, 1973 |
| Designated NHL | November 8, 1973,[5] |
Monocacy National Battlefield is a unit of theNational Park Service, the site of theBattle of Monocacy in theAmerican Civil War fought on July 9, 1864. The battlefield straddles theMonocacy River southeast of the city ofFrederick, Maryland. The battle, labeled "The Battle That Saved Washington," was one of the last theConfederates would carry out inUnion territory. The two opposing leaders were GeneralJubal Early, fighting for the South, and GeneralLew Wallace, fighting for the North.
Monocacy National Battlefield is located in the center of a region with a number of other Civil War battlefields and sites. It is located on present-dayMaryland Route 355 (Urbana Pike) a few miles southeast of the city of Frederick. NearbyInterstate 70 leads westward toAntietam National Battlefield andU.S. Route 15 leads northward to theGettysburg Battlefield. To the south on U.S. 15 is the battlefield ofBall's Bluff. Monocacy National Battlefield is 50 miles (80 km) west ofBaltimore and 44 miles (71 km) northwest ofWashington D.C.
Much of the Monocacy battlefield remained in private hands for over 100 years after the Civil War. In 1928, Glenn Worthington, the owner of a large portion of the northern segment of the battlefield, petitionedCongress to create aNational Military Park at Monocacy. Though the bill passed in 1934, the battlefield languished for nearly 50 years before Congress appropriated funds for land acquisition. Once funds were secured, 1,587 acres (6 km2) of the battlefield were acquired in the late 1970s and turned over to the National Park Service for maintenance and interpretation. The historic Thomas Farm, scene of some of the most intense fighting, was acquired by the National Park Service in 2001. Preservationists lost fights in the 1960s and 1980s whenInterstate 270 was constructed and later widened, bisecting a portion of the battlefield.
In the decades following the battle, a few veterans organizations placed commemorative markers to specific units on the battlefield, including the14th New Jersey (dedicated in 1907),87th Pennsylvania Infantry, and Vermont markers. In the years that have followed, other monuments have been added, including the Confederate Monument and Maryland Centennial Monument near theBest farm (the site where Union soldiers discoveredRobert E. Lee's lostSpecial Order 191 during the 1862Maryland Campaign). The National Park Service has since added wayside interpretive markers throughout the park.
The visitor center has been relocated from the historic Gambrill Mill to a new facility on the west side of the Monocacy River. It offers an electric map orientation program, an interactive computer program, interpretive displays, and artifacts of the battle. The visitor center is the starting point for a self-guided four-mile (6 km) auto tour and1⁄2 mile (800 m) loop walking trail. National Park Service rangers and volunteers host battle walks, special programs, an auto tour and special events throughout the summer season. The interpretive Worthington Farm Trail, a pair of loops (one nearly two miles (3.2 km) long, the other 1.6 miles (2.6 km)) on the northern portion of the battlefield, allows the visitor to walk parts of the battlefield and explore the nativeflora of the region.
The National Park Service has recently established a General Management Plan to further interpret the area and acquire additional land if funding can be secured.
In 2013, Preservation Maryland placed the Monocacy National Battlefield on its list of threatened historic properties.[6]
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