Frederick,
Monocacy and South Mountain

Northern and Southern armies passed through this interesting and still evocative city on their way to Antietam in 1862; and parts of the Union army went north through here on the way to Gettysburg in 1863. Confederate Gen. Jubal Early demanded (and got) a $200,000 ransom here before fighting near the Monocacy River just south. The influx of wounded to the city following the big battles makes it a natural location for the National Museum of Civil War Medicine listed below.

Frederick / Frederick County

Main Visitor Center
19 E Church St, Frederick MD 21701
800-999-3613, www.fredericktourism.org
   To order a Crossroads Civil War package, call 800-984-9487.

Monocacy National Battlefield

Monocacy Visitor Center
5201 Urbana Pike, Frederick Md 21704
301-662-3515
 Road MAP 
    Good interpretation and nearly pristine landscapes highlight the site of the July 9, 1864, battle that delayed Confederate Gen. Jubal Early's plan to seriously threaten Washington DC and free prisoners from Point Lookout. Although Union Gen. Lew Wallace (author of Ben Hur) was defeated, he bought time for Gen. U.S. Grant to send reinforcements to the Washington defenses at Fort Stevens.
    The new park visitor center, opened last year, offers interactive and other high-tech displays and vignettes describing the battle from a variety of perspectives. Pick up a driving tour brochure here. Open daily 8:30 am–5 pm. Free.

National Museum of Civil War Medicine
48 E. Patrick St., Frederick
301-695-1864
   Exhibits tell the story of the sick and wounded using artifacts and illustrations. The museum examines changes in surgical techniques and nursing, the role of nurses, the battle against disease, field medicine and hospital structure. Open 10 am–5 pm Monday–Saturday; 11 am–5 pm Sunday. $6.50 adults.

Mount Olivet Cemetery
515 Market St., Frederick
301-662-1164
    Hundreds of Civil War soldiers, most casualties from the Antietam and Monocacy battlefields, are buried here. Mass grave for Confederate soldiers established in 1880. Francis Scott Key and Barbara Fritchie also are buried in this cemetery, established in the 1850s. Open 8 am–dusk.

Barbara Fritchie Museum
154 Patrick St., Frederick
301-698-0603
    Enduring story of the old woman who defied Stonewall Jackson in September 1862 is memorialized in her reconstructed home. The tale, romanticized in the famous Whittier poem, is probably not true. Call for hours.

South Mountain

This mountain range extends from the Potomac River and runs the depth of eastern Maryland into Pennsylvania. Elements of both armies moved from the Frederick area to the Antietam battlefield over the South Mountain. As Lee began concentrating around Sharpsburg, he ordered the gaps defended. Federals attacked Crampton's, Fox's and Turner's gaps Sept. 14, 1862. The thin but stubborn Confederate defense had purchased much-needed time for Lee to consolidate. Two of the gaps are easily accessible from Frederick or from west of South Mountain. It's worth the trip for both the history and the views.

Visiting South Mountain: The South Mountain State Battlefield continues to mature with interpretive signs now installed at each gap. Established museums at Washington Monument and Gathland State Parks are open daily 9 am–5 pm May–September. Pick up tour material there or call 301-432-8065. See also Antietam Campaign Tour.

Gathland State Park (Crampton's Gap)
Gapland Road from Route 67 or Burkittsville
    One of the more unusual Civil War-related parks with the War Correspondent's Arch dominating the pass. The arch and nearby area was developed by famed Civil War correspondent George Alfred Townsend, whose pen name was "Gath." Markers and maps provide good interpretation of the fighting there and other gaps at South Mountain in 1862.

Washington Monument State Park (Turner's Gap)
Take Alternate Route 40 from Frederick or Boonsboro
    Six black metal markers explaining the 1862 action at Turner's Gap stand just west of the Dahlgren Chapel near the summit of the pass. Turn north to the Washington Monument State Park to find another unusual site, a crock-shaped stone monument to the first president, originally built in 1827. Although the monument had tumbled down (but later was rebuilt), Union troops used the place as a signal station in September 1862. Per vehicle fee to enter the recreation area. Short hike. Great views.