Monocacy National Battlefield
| Monocacy National Battlefield | |
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IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
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Map of the United States
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| Location | Frederick County, Maryland, USA |
| Nearest city | Frederick, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 39°22′16″N 77°23′31″W / 39.37115°N 77.39208°WCoordinates: 39°22′16″N 77°23′31″W / 39.37115°N 77.39208°W |
| Area | 1,647 acres (6.67 km2) |
| Established | October 21, 1976 |
| Visitors | 17,985 (in 2005) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
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Monocacy National Battlefield
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| Area | 1,500 acres (610 ha) |
| Built | 1864 |
| NRHP Reference # | 66000908 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 8, 1973 |
| Designated NHL | November 8, 1973, |
Monocacy National Battlefield is a unit of the National Park Service, the site of the Battle of Monocacy in the American Civil War fought on July 9, 1864. The battlefield straddles the Monocacy River southeast of the city of Frederick, Maryland. The battle, labeled "The Battle That Saved Washington," was one of the last the Confederates would carry out in Union territory. The two opposing leaders were General Jubal Early, fighting for the South, and General Lew Wallace, fighting for the North.
Monacacy National Battlefield is located in the center of a region with a number of other Civil War battlefields and sites. It is located on Maryland State Highway 355 (Urbana Road) a few miles southeast of the city of Frederick. Nearby Interstate 70 leads westward to Antietam National Battlefield and U.S. Route 15 leads northward to the Gettysburg Battlefield. To the south on U.S. 15 is the battlefield of Balls Bluff. Monacacy National Battlefield is 50 miles (80 km) west of Baltimore and 44 miles (71 km) northwest of Washington 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, petitioned Congress to create a National 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 when Interstate 270 was constructed and later widened, bisecting a portion of the battlefield.
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Wikipedia