Historic Frederick

Today Adolla took me exploring sites in her home town. Our first stop was Mount Olivet, a historic cemetery. Here I am sitting on the memorial marking Francis Scott Key's final resting place.

Key was born in Frederick and practice law in the area. During the War of 1812 he was taken prisoner aboard a British ship where he wrote the poem that became the National Anthem. His family had his body moved from it's original burial plot in Baltimore to the family plot in Frederick where they erected this monument. They rededicated this chapel in his honor in 1998.

Another patriot buried here is Governor Thomas Johnson. Johnson was a member of the Continental Congress. He nominated George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, he served as Maryland's First Governor and was Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. His is one of the first written opinions found in the US Supreme Court Records.

Moving up in time we find the Burial place of Barbara Fritchie. She was immortalized in a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier. Supposedly when the Confederate Army was marching through Frederick this frisky 95 year old leaned out of her second floor window and proclaimed, " Shoot, if you must, this old gray head, but spare your country's flag." It's unknown if this scene actually happened but in her earlier years she was a patriot and friends with Francis Scott Key.

Maryland may have remained in the Union but most of her citizens remained supporters for the Southern Cause during the Civil War. In a corner of the cemetery 408 unknown confederate soldiers buried side by side.

Next we headed out to see where these men died. The Monocacy National Battlefield.

Fought near the Monocacy river this battle was the third and final attempt of the Confederacy to enter the North. General Grant had sent the majority of his troops to Petersburg Virginia to fight General Lee's troops so Confederate General Jubal Early took his chance to storm the Shenandoah Valley and possibly capture Washington while it was nearly defenseless. Grant refused to heed warnings from B&O Rail President John Garrett and refused to send troops. Union General Lew Wallace took it upon himself to check out matters and meet the confederate troops at the Monocacy River. They fought hard and eventually lost the battle but they were able to hold the Confederate troops enough for Grant to move reinforcements to DC.

Here I am standing next to a monument to General Lew Wallace and the 14th New Jersey Regiment that fought so bravely here.