Today in Military History: Battle of Monocacy: Improvised Union Force Delays Confederates, Saves Washington

by Siggurdsson

 

Battle of Monocacy; Georgetown Pike covered bridge set afire by retreating Federals

Artist unknown; image courtesy of http://exploringoffthebeatenpath.com
(Unless otherwise indicated, all illustrations are courtesy of Wikipedia)

 July 9, 1864

We return to the American Civil War for today's highlight battle. It involves an outnumbered Federal force confronting Rebels threatening the nation's capitol, and the general who would be remembered more for his literary output than his battlefield exploits.

Background

During the fourth summer of the War Between the States, Union forces were threatening the Confederacy in two major areas. Major General William T. Sherman was leading over 100,000 soldiers into Georgia, seeking to capture and destroy the South's important industrial center, Atlanta. At the same time, Lieutenant General Ulysses Grant was hammering away at the gates of the Rebel capital city Richmond, Virginia. The taciturn Grant was convinced that the destruction of Southern industrial capacity – as well as defeating the enemy armies – was the ultimate goal to ending the war.

Since early May, Grant had thrown the Army of the Potomac against Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, hoping to grind down Rebel resistance and end the war. Grant's Overland Campaign spawned a string of battles; the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, North Anna. Many of these fights were tactical defeats for the North, but they forced the Rebels back further as the Union army sought to outflank Lee's men and assault Richmond. Finally, in early June the Army of the Potomac crossed the James River and threatened Richmond from the south. On June 9, Lee's army positioned itself around the city of Petersburg, the major rail connection for the Confederate capital. For the next nine months, the war in the Eastern theatre was bogged down in trench warfare on a scale not to be seen until the First World War in France.

Grant needed more men to strengthen the Army of the Potomac (which had sustained massive casualties in the previous two months). He sent a request the War Department asking for reinforcements from the Union forces guarding Washington. At the beginning of the war, the defenses of the nation's capital included 70 forts, over 1000 cannon, and up to 30,000 troops. By the time Grant received his replacements, the defense were manned by only 9000 men. Confederate spies reported this to Richmond, and Lee made plans.

Lee knew if he were to have any chance at all of breaking the siege, he needed to create a situation that would cause Grant to react and shift troops away from Petersburg. He formulated a plan to not only raid Northern territory, but to threaten the lightly defended Union capital using the Shenandoah Valley as a conduit.

Gen. Jubal Early, CSA (1816-1894)
Date and photographer unknown

To lead this operation, Lee called upon one of his most experienced and aggressive commanders, General Jubal Early. Although not without his faults, Early had been in the thick of the fighting for the whole war and lived to tell about it, earning Lee's trust and confidence in the process. To pull this one off, Early would have to fight his way into the valley and overcome any resistance he encountered as he moved north. After emerging from the valley, he would turn southeast and move rapidly to threaten Washington. From start to finish, he was to wreak as much havoc as possible.

Early's army left Richmond on June 15. On June 18, they defeated Union forces at Lynchburg who were guarding the entrance to the Shenandoah. At Harper's Ferry, they tangled with Union defenders on Maryland Heights. After brushing off the Federal troops, Early gave his men two days of rest before moving out. [These two days would be crucial to events as they developed.]

When reports of Early's raid reached the War Department, panicked messages were sent to Grant near Petersburg begging for reinforcements. A number of reports came from the president of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad, a staunch supporters of the Union, who received information about the Confederate movements from his station agents. Grant quickly obliged, sending an understrength division from the VI Corps of the Army of the Potomac under the command of Gen. James Ricketts via steamers directly to the nation's capital. These troops were quickly transported by rail to join troops under the command of Union General Lew Wallace near Frederick, Maryland.

Lew Wallace

Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace, USA (1827-1905)
Date and photographer unknown

Born in Indiana, Wallace was a lawyer by trade. He served in the army during the Mexican-American War. Wallace served in the Indiana State Senate, and was also a prosecuting attorney. At the beginning of the War Between the States, he was asked to raise some troops, which he agreed to do if he was appointed to command them. Wallace was appointed colonel of the 11th Indiana Infantry, which he trained and dressed as Zouaves.

Wallace quickly achieved the rank of brigadier general, and saw action at the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in February of 1862. He also participated in the battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing) two months later. Wallace's conduct during Shiloh, however, was questioned by many of his contemporaries and he spent the rest of his life trying to cleanse this stain on his honor. After Shiloh, he was sent to Cincinnati to command the defenses of that city during Braxton Bragg's invasion of Kentucky in late 1862. In late March of 1864, Wallace was given command of VIII Corps.

Union Army

Wallace's VIII Corps of 2500 men was a makeshift collection of overage, convalescent soldiers with its headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. The main job of VIII Corps was to guard the B&O Railroad. The majority of Wallace's command were local home guard units called "Hundred Days Men." They had never seen battle, and frankly never expected to. The men of VI Corps numbered some 3300 men, and had seen some action. They included regiments from New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. [One of the VI Corps units of interest was the 9th New York Heavy Artillery. It had been in the Washington defenses, but was pulled from that duty to bolster Grant's troops numbers as infantrymen. The unit was under the command of Colonel William H. Seward, Jr., son of the U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward.]

[Readers wishing to see the Union order of battle should go to this link: Monocacy Union OOB]

Confederate Army

The Rebel force facing Wallace was nearly three times the size of the Union army. Early's army contained 14,000 soldiers. It included:

• A corps under the command of Major Gen. John C. Breckinridge (who commanded the Confederate army at the battle of New Market). It included six brigades of men from Georgia, Louisiana, and Virginia;
• A corps under the command of Maj. Gen. John Rodes, containing 7 brigades of troops from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia;
• An artillery reserve of 9 batteries consisting of 40 guns (this was one of the few battles of the Civil War where Confederate artillery outnumbered the Union guns); and,
• A cavalry force – mainly from Virginia – of 14 units under Maj. Gen. Robert Ransom.

[Readers interested in the Confederate order of battle may go the the following link: Monocacy Confederate OOB]

Prelude to the Battle

Monocacy Junction as it appeared during the war
[Image courtesy of http://exploringoffthebeatenpath.com]

At Frederick, following skirmishing on July 7 and 8, in which Confederate cavalry drove Union units from the town, Early first demanded supplies for his men. When this message went unanswered, Early sought – and received – a $200,000 ranson to forestall his destruction of the city.

Wallace saw nearby Monocacy Junction three miles southeast of Frederick, as the most logical point of defense for both Baltimore and Washington. The Georgetown Pike to Washington and the National Road to Baltimore both crossed the Monocacy River there, as did the B&O Railroad. If Wallace could stretch his force over six miles of the stream to protect both turnpike bridges, the railroad bridge, and several fords, he could make Early disclose the strength and objective of the Confederate force and delay him as long as possible. There were rifle pits and two wooden blockhouses at the rail junction; this set-up became the center of the Union defense. It was here Wallace placed his only artillery unit, six guns of the Baltimore Artillery. A third blockhouse guarded the nearby Georgetown Pike, and a 24-pound howitzer was placed there. Wallace then spread his cavalry units to the various river fords to warn of any Rebel attempts to outflank his force.

The soldiers of the VI Corps arrived at Monocacy Junction just after midnight on July 9, after a journey of two days from Petersburg. With no moon, these men took their positions in total darkness. Wallace posted 300 Union soldiers on the western side of the Monocacy River as outposts of the Union center. About 75 of these men were members of the 10th Vermont Infantry, while the remainder came from the 1st Maryland Potomac Home Brigade. These men were commanded by First Lieutenant George E. Davis of the 10th Vermont. The balance of the Vermonters took positions around Monocacy Junction.

Battle of Monocacy

Early received the "ransom" for the city of Frederick on the morning of Saturday, July 9, and spent most of the morning enjoying the hospitality of a few local secessionists. At about 8:00 am Gen. Robert Rodes's division moved down the National Road (also known as the Baltimore Turnpike, present-day U.S. Route #40) to demonstrate against reported militia defending the Jug Bridge. Early's main force – under his second-in-command, former U.S. Vice President John C. Breckinridge – headed south on the Georgetown Pike (also known as the Washington Turnpike, today Maryland Route #355).

Breckinridge's soldiers quickly ran into Lt. Davis's pickets and skirmishers [#1 on map below]. A brisk all-day firefight soon engulfed the farm and fields of C. E Best and spread to the neighboring Frederick rail junction where the city's branch line departed the main track just before the Monocacy crossing. The Confederates occupied the Best farm, and installed several of their artillery batteries in the farmhouse yard and snipers in the barn (filled with recently-harvested wheat). Davis's men fell back to join the remaining 600+ members of the 10th Vermont and continued to defend the three bridge crossings while Breckinridge attempted to push across and regain control of the highway to Washington. A Rebel attack at 11:00 am [#2] nearly dislodged the Uniont defenders. Fearing a Confederate breakthrough, Wallace ordered the covered bridge burned, leaving Davis's command stranded for the rest of the battle. A final Confederate assault at 3:30 pm [#3] drove the Union defenders back. They used their only avenue of escape: the B&O Railroad bridge.

Battle of Monocacy; action at the Best farm & Monocacy Junction, app. 8:00 am-3:30 pm
[Image courtesy of http://www.civilwarlandscapes.org]

At some point, Early arrived on the scene, noticed the impasse and called for Brig. Gen. John McCausland's cavalry brigade of 4 Virginia regiments to find a farm ford to outflank what he still regarded as local militia. McCausland's column took the Buckeystown road. (Ironically, the Confederates might have avoided a major battle in the first place if they had taken this route, which rejoined the Washington road further south at Urbana.) They crossed the Monocacy at the Worthington-McKinney Ford at about 10:00 am [see #1 on map below]. The Rebels brushed aside a detachmen of the 8th Illinois Cavalry [#2], then came onto the farm of John Worthington where they dismounted. The Illinois horsemen fell back to the Union line to warn of the approaching Confederate flanking attack [#3]. The Rebels passed onto the adjacent farm of John Thomas, a place he called "Araby." Upon hearing the first shots of the coming battle, all the local civilians had left or taken shelter.

Battle of Monocacy; action at the Worthington & Thomas farms, app. 10:00-10:30 am
[Image courtesy of http://www.civilwarlandscapes.org]

McCausland's nearly 400 troopers dashed forward in the late morning heat, hoping to catch the defenders off guard [#1 above]. Instead, they ran straight into concentrated musketry from a line of skirmishers from Gen. Rickett's veteran Sixth Corps soldiers who had concealed themselves behind a post and rail fence on the Thomas farm [#2}. Repulsed twice, the chastened cavalrymen scampered back to the area of the Worthington farm [#3]; clearly there was more than inexperienced militia.

It took McCauslands dismounted troops more than 2 ½ hours to recover their formation. Seeking to avoid the intense fire east of the Worthington house, the Confederates skirted the end of the Union line and headed for the nearby Thomas farm [#4], anticipating no resistance. Unfortunately, they ran right into more units from VI Corps. A sharp fight ensued, with the Federal troops being temporarily thrown back [#5]. Shortly afterwards, the Union soldiers counterattacked and threw back McCausland's men [#6].

Battle of Monocacy; action at the Worthington & Thomas farms, app. 10:30 am-3:00 pm
[Image courtesy of http://www.civilwarlandscapes.org]

Early ordered John B. Gordon's crack infantry division, supported by various artillery batteries, to accomplish what should have been an easy task. Gordon's men crossed the river and engaged Ricketts's men in what he referred to as a "short, decisive and bloody" fight. Gordon, wearing his familiar red shirt, urged his command forward. They surged across Worthington's ford and onto the same ground where McCausland's men had been badly mauled. Breckinridge came to the Worthington front porch to view the proceedings as adjacent "Araby" quickly became engulfed in smoke and fire. Ricketts and Gordon then slugged it out for the remainder of the afternoon. At the same time, Breckinridge's division exerted increasing pressure on the defenders of the the railroad bridge.

Battle of Monocacy; action at the Thomas farm, app. 3:30-4:30 pm
[Image courtesy of http://www.civilwarlandscapes.org]

Finally, between 3:30 and 4:00 pm, the weight of the Confederate numbers and superiority of artillery fire from across the river on the Best farm began having an effect on the Union line. Repeated hammer blows from Gordon's division – including Evans's brigade [#7] and York's brigade [#8],– pushed the Federals back onto the Georgetown Pike. Finally, at about 4:00 pm, one final Confederate assault led by Terry's brigade [#9] on the Union right flank finally broke the line. Simultaneously, Gen. Wallace gave the order to retreat, knowing his men were short of ammunition. The battle of Monocacy had ended.

Aftermath

Wallace's battered Federal forces retreated east on the National Road to Baltimore. They had sustained 1,294 dead, wounded and missing. These men had bought a full day for the defenses of Washington to prepare for the Rebel onslaught.

Early's command lost between 700 and 900 men killed, wounded, and missing. He resumed his march on Washington the next morning.

Footnote #1: By midday of July 11, Early was in front of Fort Stevens. Through his field glasses Early could see the dome of the U.S. Capitol. However, his men were strung out for miles (after weeks of hard marching and scorching summer weather). On July 13, after about a day of desultory artillery and sharpshooter duels with the fort's defenders, Early retraced his steps back to the Shenandoah Valley.

1st Lt. George E. Davis, 10th Vermont Inf.
Date & artist unknown

Footnote #2: Lieutenant (later Captain) George Davis of the 10th Vermont Infantry subsequently received a Medal of Honor for leading the survivors back across the untouched railroad bridge amidst a hail of bullets. He was later promoted to captain. Davis died in the Vermont Soldiers' Home in Bennington in 1926.

Footnote #3: The city of Frederick has consistenly petitioned the federal government for reimbursement of the $200,000 ransom given to Early. As early as 1879 the city asked for the money, without success. Former U.S. Senator Charles "Mack" Mathias introduced legislation between 1961 and 1987 for federal funds for Frederick, but the bills were never enacted.

Footnote #4: The Monocacy National Battlefield was authorized in 1934, but no funds were appropriated. The park was officially opened in 1991. It is one of the smallest battlefields in the National Park Service (1647 acres). It is a short driving distance from Washington DC and Baltimore.

Footnote #5: After the war, Wallace was a busy man. He was a member of the military tribunal that convicted four of the Lincoln conspirators. Shortly afterwards he was the president of the court which convicted Confederate Captain Henry Wirz of war crimes during his tenure as commandant of the Andersonville prison camp. Wallace was appointed territorial governor of New Mexico (1878-1881), and was closely involved in the hunt for the outlaw William Henry McCarty aka Billy the Kid. He later served as U.S. minister to the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) from 1881-1885. Wallace tried to volunteer for service in the Spanish-American War, but was rejected for his age (71). He died in Crawfordsville, Indiana in 1905.

Footnote #6: However, Lew Wallace's most lasting legacy is surely his authorship of the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of The Christ, first published in 1880. It became the best-selling American novel of the 19th century, surpassing Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, and is considered the most influential Christian book of the 19th century. [It retained that honor until 1936, when it was superceded by Gone With The Wind.] Ben-Hur has never been out of print and has been adapted for the screen four times. They included a 1907 one-reeler, the 1925 version starring Ramon Novarro in the title role, the 1959 multiple-Oscar-winning film starring Charleton Heston, and a 2003 animated version featuring the voice of Heston as Ben-Hur.

Original movie poster, 1959