Anniversary of the Battle of Monocacy

Date: June 17, 2013
Contact: Tracy Evans, 301-662-3515

The Battle of Monocacy, known as "the battle that saved Washington," took place on July 9, 1864 as part of the third and final Confederate Campaign in Maryland. After the battle, a Baltimore newspaper wrote, "The country does not yet know how much it owes the gallant men who fought that battle." On July 6-7, 2013, Monocacy National Battlefield will commemorate the actions of those men on the 149^th anniversary of the battle by offering 13 programs throughout the weekend. Living history volunteers will be on hand to demonstrate how infantry and artillery soldiers fired their weapons during the battle while also interpreting the significance of those actions to the Battle of Monocacy.

In a change from past anniversary events, visitors will be able to experience infantry and artillery firing demonstrations at the new visitor center; historically where the Confederate forces under General Jubal Early first opened fire on the Union army under General Lew Wallace on the morning of the battle. In addition to the firing demonstrations, the living historians will also share stories about the lives of soldiers during the war.At the end of the day on Saturday, a park ranger will offer a battlefield orientation program. The full schedule of programs follows:

Saturday, July 6, 2013: 
  Artillery demonstrations – 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. 
  Infantry demonstrations – 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.
  Battlefield orientation program – 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, July 7, 2013: 
  Artillery demonstrations – 10:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.
  Infantry demonstrations – 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

All programs are free to the public and take place at the park's visitor center located at 5201 Urbana Pike, Frederick, MD 21704. For more information, please call the visitor center at 301-662-3515. Operating hours are daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 pm.