Battle of Monocacy • Tour the Battlefield • Monuments & Markers • Armies
The “Federals Take A Stand” wayside marker is about 0.5 mile south of the National Park Visitor Center on the west side of Urbana Pike just north of the Monocacy River crossing. It is across the parking area from the monument to the 14th New Jersey Volunteer infantry Regiment. The narrow (and easy to miss) drive is between the railroad and river bridges. (see map below)
The railroad has been in this location since before the Civil War. The main road to Washington at the time of the war was behind the photographer along the west side of the parking area; there was no bridge over the railroad at the time of the war, the Pike crossed the railroad at grade.
Behind the marker the main line of the railroad to Baltimore curves off to the right below the embankment and the spur to Frederick curves to the left, just as it did during the battle. The Urbana Pike now crosses over the tracks on a bridge.
From the marker:
Federals Take a Stand
7:00 a.m., July 9, 1864
After skirmishing on July 8 with Confederates west of Frederick, MD, Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace’s 5,800 Union troops—many of them “raw and untried”—took a stand at the Monocacy River. Wallace carefully chose this critical intersection of the river, road, and railroad to prevent Jubal A. Early’s 15,000 to 16,000 Confederates from attacking Washington.
Wallace positioned Brig. Gen. James B. Ricketts’ veteran troops on the river’s south bank. He sent 300 skirmishers to the north bank and a strong contingent to protect the road to Baltimore—his retreat route.
“All the gateways of the Shenandoah Valley—its roads, passes, gaps—were standing wide open, with Washington exposed, its very nakedness inviting attack. I lost no time also in picketing and placing strong guards over the bridges, especially the wooden one.” —Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace.
From the caption to the main background photo:
Wallace and some of his troops raced by train from Baltimore to Monocacy Junction the night of July 4-5.
From the caption to the small inset photo at bottom right:
The Monocacy railroad station was located between the tracks where the main line continued west toward Harpers Ferry and a spur turned north to Frederick, Maryland.
Location
The Federals Take A Stand wayside marker is on the west side of the Urbana Pike about 0.5 mile south of the Visitor Center. A short driveway in between the bridges over the railroad and the river leads to a parking area for the marker and the monument to the 14th New Jersey Infantry Regiment. (39°22’15.3″N 77°23’31.6″W)