Battlefield Monuments

Five monuments on Monocacy National Battlefield commemorate the battle and honor those who fought here. While the Battle of Monocacy is the only Confederate victory in Union territory, no former Confederate state erected a monument on the battlefield. Between 1907 and 1915, the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Vermont erected monuments to honor their sons who fought for the Union. In 1914, the United Daughters of the Confederacy placed a monument on the edge of the Best Farm to honor the Confederate soldiers who fought and died at Monocacy. To commemorate the centennial of the battle, the state of Maryland erected the final monument on the battlefield in 1964. Unlike the other four monuments that were dedicated to Union or Confederate soldiers, the Maryland Monument reflects a theme of reunification and is dedicated to the sons of Maryland who fought for both the Union and the Confederacy.

With the exception of the Maryland Monument, all of the monuments predate the Congressional authorization of the battlefield in 1934. The monuments already formed a prominent part of the commemorative landscape when the National Park Service began acquiring land in the 1980s and 1990s for the battlefield. Today the National Park Service preserves and interprets the monuments not only for their role in remembering the July 9, 1864, battle, but also as reflections of the evolution of how we remember the Civil War.

 

Civil War Monuments

  • A statue of a Union Civil War soldier on top of a tall square pedestal.
    14th New Jersey Monument

    The 14th New Jersey Monument was the first of five monuments to be erected on the battlefield.

  • A tall stone column with a round ball at the top.
    Pennsylvania Monument

    A monument to the sons of Pennsylvania who fought to save the nation's capital.

  • A rough cut stone block monument with a brass plaque with writing on it.
    UDC Monument

    In July 1914, the Frederick chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy dedicated a Confederate monument at Monocacy.

  • A tall rectangular stone with a bronze Greek Cross centered at the top.
    Vermont Monument

    The State of Vermont dedicated this monument to honor the 10th Vermont Infantry Regiment D.

  • A rectangular stone block with an angled top. A bronze plaque in the shape of a book on the top.
    Maryland Monument

    The Maryland Civil War Marker was dedicated on July 9, 1964, to commemorate the centennial of the Battle of Monocacy.

Last updated: April 8, 2021

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