Monocacy Quiz

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Directions: Read the following paragraphs and then answer the questions that follow.

The Battle that Saved Washington

On July 9, 1864, on the wheatfields and cornfields just south of Frederick, Maryland, a battle took place between Confederate soldiers and Union forces, which is often referred to as "the battle that saved Washington".

General Jubal Early and his 18,000 Confederate soldiers were advancing northward through the Shenandoah Valley, across the Potomac River into Maryland, where they would ransom Frederick for $200,000. Early's intent was to lead his troops across the Monocacy River and south by way of Georgetown Pike (Route 355) to Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Union General Lew Wallace was alerted by the president of the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad that the Confederates were headed toward Frederick. Union forces numbering 5,800, managed to prevent the Confederates from crossing the Monocacy River by burning the Georgetown Pike's wooden covered bridge.

General Early and his troops eventually found an unprotected ford, and crossed the river onto the Worthington farm where, for six hours, a battle was fought, in the cornfields of this and neighboring farms, between Union and Confederate soldiers. Eventually, the Union soldiers, outnumbered 3 to 1, having suffered many casualties, retreated in the direction of the Gambrill farm, where a grist mill was used as a field hospital to care for the wounded soldiers.

On the morning of July 10, Early's troops continued south on the Georgetown Pike in their pursuit to threaten Washington. The previous day's battle had given General Grant time to fortify Union troops in Washington. The Confederates never made it to Washington. They were met by Union soldiers at Fort Stevens. General Jubal Early and his troops withdrew and returned to Virginia.

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1. Monocacy River
2. General Jubal Early
3. General Lew Wallace
4. Union
5. Confederate
6. B&O Railroad
7. Grist Mill
8. Field Hospital
9. Cornfields
10. Georgetown Pike
11. Ford
12. July 9, 1864
13. Washington, D.C.
14. General Grant
15. $200,000 ransom
16. Shenandoah Valley
17. Frederick, MD.
18. Fort Stevens
19. Potomac River
20. Civil War

Vocabulary | Reading | Questions | Answers | Activities| Go back to top Questions

1. When did the Battle of Monocacy take place?
2. Who was the Confederate General?
3. How many Confederate troops fought in the Battle of Monocacy?
4. Who was the Union General?
5. How many Union troops fought in the Battle of Monocacy?
6. The Confederate soldiers traveled ____________________ through the ____________________ across the ____________________ _________________ heading toward Frederick.
7. What does "ransom" mean?
   Why do you think Gen. Early ransomed Frederick for $200,000?
8. How did General Lew Wallace find out that Confederate troops were moving toward Frederick?
9. Why did the Union soldiers burn the wooden bridge?
10. What is a "ford"?
11. Where was the battle fought?
12. What is a "grist mill" ?
    Why is having a grist mill important to farmers?
13. The Gambrill grist mill was later used as a ________________.
14. What does "pursuit" mean?
    Why do you think Confederate General Jubal Early wanted to threaten Washington, DC?
15. Why is the Battle of Monocacy known as the "Battle that saved Washington"?

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You are a newspaper reporter for the Frederick News Post. Your assignment is to cover the events of July 9, 1864. Choose a subject to interview and write a list of questions you would ask.

1. General Jubal Early
2. A 15 year old Confederate soldier
3. A member of the Worthington family
4. A wounded Union soldier
5. General Lew Wallace
6. A surgeon at the field hospital
7. An eye-witness to the $200,000. ransom
8. Two boys who were fishing in the Monocacy at the ford where the Confederates crossed.

Write a diary entry as if you were one of the above eight people

Create a HEADLINE that may have appeared in a local newspaper.

Using the letters of the alphabet, make a list of Civil War vocabulary.

Imagine that you are six years old, as Glenn Worthington was in 1864, and you were in the basement of your house watching, through a window, the events of the battle as it took place on your front lawn, as Glenn did. What kinds of things would you have seen? What kinds of feelings would you have been experiencing? Write a journal entry about your observations and your feelings.

Vocabulary | Reading | Questions | Answers | Activities| Go back to top Answers

1. July 9, 1864
2. General Jubal Early
3. 18,000 troops
4. General Lew Wallace
5. 5,800 troops
6. Northward, Shenandoah Valley, Potomac River
7. A paid demand
   Responses will vary
8. President of the B & 0 Railroad, John W. Garrett
9. To prevent the Confederate troops from crossing the Monocacy-
10. A shallow part of a body of water.
11. On the wheatfields and cornfields south of Frederick.
12. A mill for grinding grain. Answers will vary.
13. Field hospital.
14. Goal
    Answers will vary.
15. The Battle of Monocacy lasted one day. Following the battle, Confederate troops rested for the night before continuing south on Georgetown Pike in the direction of Washington, D.C. This delay cost Jubal Early time; however, the delay bought General Grant time to fortify his troops in Washington in time to stop the Confederates and save Washington.

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