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Battle of Monocacy
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Battle of Monocacy
The Battle of Monocacy (also known as Monocacy Junction) was fought on July 9, 1864, about 6 miles (9.7 km) from Frederick, Maryland, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early defeated Union forces under Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace. The battle was part of Early's raid through the Shenandoah Valley and into Maryland in an attempt to divert Union forces from their siege of Gen. Robert E. Lee's army at Petersburg, Virginia.
The battle was the northernmost Confederate victory of the war. Afterward, the Union troops retreated to Baltimore, Maryland, and the Confederates continued toward Washington. But because the battle had delayed Early's march for a day, Union reinforcements had time to get to the Union capital before the Confederates. Early launched an attack on Washington on July 12 at the Battle of Fort Stevens, but the Confederates were unsuccessful and retreated to Virginia.
In May and June, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864, Union General-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant planned a coordinated movement of troops against Confederates in Virginia. It was during this campaign that Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's Confederates defeated Union forces to open a path to Washington, D.C. After skirmishing with Maj. Gen. David Hunter's men outside Lynchburg, Virginia, on June 17 and 18, Early increased his forces to nearly 16,000 men and continued to Martinsburg, West Virginia. The outnumbered Union troops had evacuated the town. On June 19, a small Union force at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, burned the bridge across the Potomac River.
Grant reacted to Early's raids at Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry by dispatching two brigades, about 5,000 men, from the 3rd Division of the VI Corps, under Brig. Gen. James B. Ricketts, from City Point, Virginia, to Harpers Ferry on July 5, 1864. Until Union troops arrived to defend Washington, the only Federal force between Early and the Union capital was a 2,300-man force (mostly Hundred Days Men) under the command of Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace. At the time, Wallace, who would become better known as the author of Ben-Hur, was in command of the Union's Middle Department and VIII Corps, based in Baltimore. Few of Wallace's men had battle experience. Although Wallace had experience as a battlefield commander, having been the Union Army's youngest major general at the time of his promotion, his military career faltered after he was blamed for the high casualties taken on the first day at the Battle of Shiloh.
In the meantime, agents of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Cumberland, Maryland, and Harpers Ferry reported signs of Early's advance on June 29. John W. Garrett, the president of the railroad and a Union supporter, passed this intelligence, and subsequent reports reached Wallace on July 3. Garrett was concerned about protecting a railroad bridge at Monocacy Junction, Maryland, where it crossed the Monocacy River. The bridge was important to rail connections at Harpers Ferry and points farther west, so Wallace agreed to bring a force to the Monocacy to protect it.
On July 3, acting on his own without orders from his superiors or informing them of his intentions, Wallace dispatched Brig. Gen. Erastus B. Tyler and men from the 1st Maryland Infantry and 3rd Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home Brigade, to Monocacy Junction to establish defensive positions. After Garrett's agents reported the Confederate attack at Harpers Ferry, Wallace relayed the information to Gen. Henry Halleck, then ordered his brigades at Baltimore to be ready to move. Wallace departed for Monocacy Junction on July 4 to assess its defenses.
Uncertain whether Baltimore or Washington was the Confederate objective, Wallace knew he had to delay their approach until reinforcements could reach either city. Wallace saw Monocacy Junction, also called Frederick Junction, 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Frederick, as the most logical point to defend Baltimore and Washington. A plain extended north and west from the river at Monocacy Junction to the Catoctin Mountains, 6 miles (9.7 km) away. From Monocacy Junction, the B&O Railroad's bridge crossed the river at the foot of a bluff. A wooden bridge provided the Georgetown Pike access to Washington across the Monocacy River, a short distance downriver, while a stone bridge took Baltimore Pike across the Monocacy 2 miles (3.2 km) upriver. Two blockhouses, one near the junction and another on the bluff above the railroad bridge, provided additional protection. A 24-pound howitzer was installed at the blockhouse on the bluff. If Wallace could stretch his force across 6 miles (9.7 km) of the stream to protect both turnpike bridges, the railroad bridge, and several river fords, he could force Early to disclose the strength and objective of the Confederate force and delay him as long as possible.
Initially, Wallace's forces along the river at Monocacy Junction consisted of Tyler's brigades and a cavalry force of 230 troopers from the 8th Illinois Cavalry Regiment commanded by Lt. Col. David R. Clendenin. Wallace moved in additional troops to assist them, including the 11th Maryland, a field artillery unit, and Ohio units from Annapolis and Baltimore. Wallace's men skirmished with Early's cavalry west of Frederick on July 7, but later retreated toward Monocacy Junction to avoid being surrounded. Following the skirmishing on July 7 and 8, when Confederate cavalry drove Union units from Frederick, Early demanded, and received, $200,000 ransom from the city to save it from destruction.
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Battle of Monocacy
The Battle of Monocacy (also known as Monocacy Junction) was fought on July 9, 1864, about 6 miles (9.7 km) from Frederick, Maryland, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early defeated Union forces under Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace. The battle was part of Early's raid through the Shenandoah Valley and into Maryland in an attempt to divert Union forces from their siege of Gen. Robert E. Lee's army at Petersburg, Virginia.
The battle was the northernmost Confederate victory of the war. Afterward, the Union troops retreated to Baltimore, Maryland, and the Confederates continued toward Washington. But because the battle had delayed Early's march for a day, Union reinforcements had time to get to the Union capital before the Confederates. Early launched an attack on Washington on July 12 at the Battle of Fort Stevens, but the Confederates were unsuccessful and retreated to Virginia.
In May and June, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864, Union General-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant planned a coordinated movement of troops against Confederates in Virginia. It was during this campaign that Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's Confederates defeated Union forces to open a path to Washington, D.C. After skirmishing with Maj. Gen. David Hunter's men outside Lynchburg, Virginia, on June 17 and 18, Early increased his forces to nearly 16,000 men and continued to Martinsburg, West Virginia. The outnumbered Union troops had evacuated the town. On June 19, a small Union force at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, burned the bridge across the Potomac River.
Grant reacted to Early's raids at Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry by dispatching two brigades, about 5,000 men, from the 3rd Division of the VI Corps, under Brig. Gen. James B. Ricketts, from City Point, Virginia, to Harpers Ferry on July 5, 1864. Until Union troops arrived to defend Washington, the only Federal force between Early and the Union capital was a 2,300-man force (mostly Hundred Days Men) under the command of Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace. At the time, Wallace, who would become better known as the author of Ben-Hur, was in command of the Union's Middle Department and VIII Corps, based in Baltimore. Few of Wallace's men had battle experience. Although Wallace had experience as a battlefield commander, having been the Union Army's youngest major general at the time of his promotion, his military career faltered after he was blamed for the high casualties taken on the first day at the Battle of Shiloh.
In the meantime, agents of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Cumberland, Maryland, and Harpers Ferry reported signs of Early's advance on June 29. John W. Garrett, the president of the railroad and a Union supporter, passed this intelligence, and subsequent reports reached Wallace on July 3. Garrett was concerned about protecting a railroad bridge at Monocacy Junction, Maryland, where it crossed the Monocacy River. The bridge was important to rail connections at Harpers Ferry and points farther west, so Wallace agreed to bring a force to the Monocacy to protect it.
On July 3, acting on his own without orders from his superiors or informing them of his intentions, Wallace dispatched Brig. Gen. Erastus B. Tyler and men from the 1st Maryland Infantry and 3rd Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home Brigade, to Monocacy Junction to establish defensive positions. After Garrett's agents reported the Confederate attack at Harpers Ferry, Wallace relayed the information to Gen. Henry Halleck, then ordered his brigades at Baltimore to be ready to move. Wallace departed for Monocacy Junction on July 4 to assess its defenses.
Uncertain whether Baltimore or Washington was the Confederate objective, Wallace knew he had to delay their approach until reinforcements could reach either city. Wallace saw Monocacy Junction, also called Frederick Junction, 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Frederick, as the most logical point to defend Baltimore and Washington. A plain extended north and west from the river at Monocacy Junction to the Catoctin Mountains, 6 miles (9.7 km) away. From Monocacy Junction, the B&O Railroad's bridge crossed the river at the foot of a bluff. A wooden bridge provided the Georgetown Pike access to Washington across the Monocacy River, a short distance downriver, while a stone bridge took Baltimore Pike across the Monocacy 2 miles (3.2 km) upriver. Two blockhouses, one near the junction and another on the bluff above the railroad bridge, provided additional protection. A 24-pound howitzer was installed at the blockhouse on the bluff. If Wallace could stretch his force across 6 miles (9.7 km) of the stream to protect both turnpike bridges, the railroad bridge, and several river fords, he could force Early to disclose the strength and objective of the Confederate force and delay him as long as possible.
Initially, Wallace's forces along the river at Monocacy Junction consisted of Tyler's brigades and a cavalry force of 230 troopers from the 8th Illinois Cavalry Regiment commanded by Lt. Col. David R. Clendenin. Wallace moved in additional troops to assist them, including the 11th Maryland, a field artillery unit, and Ohio units from Annapolis and Baltimore. Wallace's men skirmished with Early's cavalry west of Frederick on July 7, but later retreated toward Monocacy Junction to avoid being surrounded. Following the skirmishing on July 7 and 8, when Confederate cavalry drove Union units from Frederick, Early demanded, and received, $200,000 ransom from the city to save it from destruction.
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