- Date:
- July 9, 1864
- Location:
- Frederick
- United States
- Participants:
- Confederate States of America
- United States
Battle of Monocacy
-
What was the Battle of Monocacy?
The Battle of Monocacy took place on July 9, 1864, along the Monocacy River near Frederick, Maryland. Confederate troops, led by Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early, defeated Union forces under Major General Lewis Wallace. Although the Union troops were defeated, the battle delayed Early's advance, giving General Ulysses S. Grant time to send reinforcements to defend Washington, D.C. The Union forces suffered approximately 1,300 casualties out of 6,050 troops engaged, while the Confederates incurred about 700 casualties out of 14,000 involved.
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When and where did the Battle of Monocacy happen?
The Battle of Monocacy occurred on July 9, 1864, near Frederick, Maryland, on the banks of the Monocacy River. Confederate troops, led by Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early, defeated Union forces under Major General Lewis Wallace. Although the Union forces were defeated, the battle delayed Early's advance, giving General Ulysses S. Grant time to send reinforcements to defend Washington, D.C..
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Who fought in the Battle of Monocacy?
The Battle of Monocacy on July 9, 1864, involved Confederate troops led by Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early defeating Union forces commanded by Major General Lewis Wallace.
Early's troops numbered around 14,000, while Wallace had approximately 6,050 men. Union forces consisted mainly of "hundred days" men and two brigades of the Union armyâs VI Corpsâs Third Division under Brigadier General James Brewerton Ricketts. Confederate forces included Brigadier General John McCausland's Virginia cavalry regiments and Major General John Brown Gordonâs troops.
Although the Union lost, the battle delayed Early's advance, allowing General Ulysses S. Grant to reinforce the defenses of Washington, D.C..
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Why was the Battle of Monocacy important during the Civil War?
The Battle of Monocacy on July 9, 1864, was important because it delayed Confederate troops from advancing toward Washington, D.C., giving Union General Ulysses S. Grant time to send reinforcements to defend the capital. Although Union forces were defeated by Confederate troops under Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early, the battle near Frederick, Maryland, successfully slowed the Confederate advance. Union Major General Lewis Wallace's goal was to impede Early's progress, which he accomplished by holding up the Confederate forces for almost a day. This delay allowed Grant to move experienced troops from Petersburg to reinforce the defenses of Washington, D.C..
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What were the outcomes of the Battle of Monocacy?
The Battle of Monocacy, fought on July 9, 1864, resulted in a Confederate victory, but it ultimately aided the Union cause. Confederate troops, led by Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early, defeated Union forces under Major General Lewis Wallace near Frederick, Maryland.
Despite the Confederate victory, the battle delayed Early's advance toward Washington, D.C., giving General Ulysses S. Grant time to send reinforcements for the defense of the capital. The Union suffered approximately 1,300 casualties out of 6,050 troops engaged, while the Confederacy incurred about 700 casualties out of 14,000. Early's troops rested for a day before marching to Washington, D.C., but retreated to Virginia after two days of skirmishes.
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How did the Battle of Monocacy affect the defense of Washington, D.C.?
The Battle of Monocacy on July 9, 1864, although a Union defeat, significantly affected the defense of Washington, D.C. Confederate troops, under Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early, routed Union forces led by Major General Lewis Wallace near Frederick, Maryland.
Despite the Confederate victory, the battle caused a crucial delay, providing General Ulysses S. Grant enough time to send reinforcements to Washington, D.C. This delay prevented Early from capturing the city.
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Battle of Monocacy, (July 9, 1864), American Civil War engagement fought on the banks of the Monocacy River near Frederick, Maryland, in which Confederate troops under Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early routed Union forces under Major General Lewis Wallace. Although the Union forces were defeated, the delay caused by the battle gave General Ulysses S. Grant time to send reinforcements for the defense of Washington, D.C. Of 6,050 Federal troops in the engagement, some 1,300 were killed, wounded, or missing in action. Of 14,000 Confederates involved, there were about 700 casualties.
Early left Richmond on June 13 under orders from General Robert E. Lee to drive Union forces out of the Shenandoah Valley and, in Earlyâs words, to âthreatenâ Washington. Early took his II Corps west to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he routed Union troops under Major General David Hunter. Early then moved north through the Shenandoah Valley. Picking up cavalry troops along the way, the Confederate force crossed the Potomac River into Maryland on July 5.
As Earlyâs men moved closer to Maryland, Wallace, who was the commander of the Middle Atlantic Department in Baltimore, received reports that an enemy force was heading toward Washington, which was lightly defended. On July 3 Wallace sent a brigade of troops to Monocacy Junction in Maryland, some 4 miles (6 km) south of Frederick. Wallace joined them in the early morning hours of July 6. The rest of his troops arrived that day. Nearly all were âhundred daysâ men who had recently joined the Union army to perform rear-echelon duties that were intended to free experienced troops to fight in the South.
Wallace arrayed the men on the Monocacy Riverâs eastern bank. Grant, encamped outside Richmond, Virginia, waited until July 6 to send troops to help Wallace. That day, at about 5 am, some 5,000 men under the command of Brigadier General James Brewerton Rickettsâtwo brigades of the Union armyâs VI Corpsâs Third Divisionâleft their encampment outside Petersburg, Virginia, and boarded transport ships to Baltimore. They reached Baltimore in the late afternoon on July 7, boarded trains heading west, and arrived at Monocacy Junction on the morning of July 8.
The Battle of Monocacy began at around 6 am on Saturday, July 9. The initial fighting took place at the Baltimore Pike near a stone bridge that spanned the Monocacy River. The skirmishing thereâon the northernmost edge of the Union line, which was some 3 miles (5 km) longâwent on for about two hours. Wallace had six pieces of artillery. Early had nine batteries, at least 36 big guns, including 20 Napoleon (12-pound) howitzers. Skirmishing and artillery barrages continued intermittently all morning and into the afternoon.
During the height of the battle, Confederate Brigadier General âTigerâ John McCausland led his four Virginia cavalry regiments with as many as 1,000 men across the Monocacy. McCausland then ordered his men to dismount. He did not know that Ricketts had deployed a skirmish line behind a post-and-rail fence. Ricketts had his men hold their fire until the Confederates were within rifle range. The Confederates took many casualties in the deadly ambush, but they rallied and chased the Union men back.
The Battle of Monocacy ended around 4 pm when Confederate Major General John Brown Gordonâs men, aided immeasurably by artillery, flanked the last of Rickettsâs line of Union troops on the Georgetown Pike. When Wallace saw that Gordonâs troops had pushed Ricketts back, he ordered a retreat. Wallace believed that, by holding up Early for nearly an entire day, he had reached his goal of giving Grant time to move experienced troops up from Petersburg to defend Washington, D.C.
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After Wallace and his surviving troops escaped, Early crossed the river and set up his headquarters at Monocacy Junction. âThe Confederate victory,â Gordon wrote in his memoir, âwas won at a fearful costâŠbut it was complete, and the way to Washington was opened for General Earlyâs march.â
Early rested his troops for one day at Monocacy and then led them on a march to Washington. They arrived at the outskirts of the city on July 11. Two days of intermittent skirmishing followed at Fort Stevens in the upper northwest portion of the city. Early broke off the fighting on July 13, 1864, and returned to Virginia.