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.
Marker is on Urbana Pike (State Highway 355), on the right when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
