Battle of Monocacy • Tour the Battlefield • Monuments & Markers • Armies
The State of Maryland Monument at Monocacy is on the west side of Urbana Pike (State Route 355) across from the entrance to the National Park Visitor Center. (see map below) The monument was dedicated on July 9, 1964 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle. It honors both Union and Confederate soldiers from Maryland, a slave state kept in the Union by force with deeply divided loyalties.
The monument is next to the monument To Southern Soldiers and the Maryland historical marker, ‘ Lee’s Headquarters.’
From the monument:
The Battle of Monocacy
The Battle that Saved Washington
Here along the Monocacy River on
July 9, 1864, was fought the battle between
Union forces under General Lew Wallace
and Confederate forces under
General Jubal A. Early.
The battle, although a temporary victory
for the Confederates, delayed their march
on Washington one day, thereby enabling
General Grant to send veteran reinforcements
from Petersburg, Virginia to the defences
of Washington in time to forestall the
attack by the Confederates and thus save
the Capital from capture.
Dedicated on July 9, 1964 to
honor the Maryland soldiers who fought here
for the Union and the Confederacy.
J. Millard Tawes, Governor of Maryland
Maryland Civil War Centennial Commission,
George L. Radcliffe, Chairman
1864 – 1964
Location
The Maryland Monument at Monocacy is on the west side of Urbana Pike (State Route 355) across from and 100 yards south of the entrance to the new National Park Visitor Center. (39°22’35.2″N 77°23’49.4″W)