Tourism Council of Frederick County

Four Days and Three Nights

From the outset of the Civil War until its end, Maryland and the Eastern Seaboard was a center of military activity.  Situated between the capitals of Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia, Maryland was truly a “house divided.”  The stories become even more vivid when you explore the battlefields, museums and other historic sites during the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War. 

Follow along Maryland’s Civil War Trails when you visit the sites in the itinerary designated with an asterisk. At these designated sites, markers are in place to offer an in depth explanation of stories of the Civil War.

^AAntietam Campaign (Maryland Civil War Trails)

^GGettysburg Invasion & Retreat (Maryland Civil War Trails)

^BBaltimore Region (Maryland Civil War Trails)

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Day One

Baltimore, Maryland

Start at the beginning…the scene of the first bloodshed of the Civil War. Begin your tour at Baltimore’s President Street Station^B, where on April 19, 1861 Federal militia arrived on their way to defend Washington, D.C.  While marching along Pratt Street to the Camden Station (now the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards) en route to the nation’s capital, they met a mob of Southern sympathizers.  A number of soldiers fell before they opened fire, killing a dozen rioters.  The Baltimore Riot (or Pratt Street Riot), as it became known, was the first bloodshed of the war.  Continue on to Federal Hill^B, above the Inner Harbor, where Union batteries were stationed for the duration of the war, pointing their guns at the city of Baltimore.   Then, visit Fort McHenry National Shrine and Historic Monument^B.  While better known for its role in the War of 1812 and the penning of the National Anthem, the fort was reinforced and became a prison. After lunch at one of the restaurants around the Inner Harbor or Federal Hill, tour the USS Constellation^B, a Civil War-era sailing vessel that interrupted the slave trade from Africa, and explore the collections at the Reginald Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, which portrays the journey to freedom.  Many of Baltimore’s museums and historic sites are presenting stellar exhibitions during the sesquicentennial. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum^B showcases the largest assemblage of Civil War locomotives and rolling stock as part of a special exhibition, The War Came by Train.  The Maryland Historical Society^B presents Divided Voices: Maryland in the Civil War, which vividly tells the story of a state caught between the North and the South.  The Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards presents Riots, Railroads and the Coming of Mr. Lincoln. Take advantage of the Civil War Experience Pass for discounted admission to these museums plus Mount Clare^B.  This evening, enjoy dinner in one of Baltimore’s great neighborhoods or take a dinner cruise to see the sites from the water.

Day Two

Washington County, Maryland

Arrive in Sharpsburg, the site of Antietam National Battlefield^Α, the bloodiest single-day in American history where 23,110 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after 12 hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862. The battle led to President Abraham Lincoln’s issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation and marked the first time photographs of the dead were taken before burial.  An 8.5-mile self-guided driving tour winds through the park, detailing the three phases of the battle and ending at Antietam National Cemetery, the resting place of 4,776 Union dead from the battles of Antietam, South Mountain, and Monocacy and more than 200 non-Civil War graves. The park is also connected by a series of hiking trails for those who wish to travel off the beaten path.

Just west of town visit the site of the historic Grove Farm^A where President Lincoln visited the Army of the Potomac and its commander, General George B. McClellan, in early October of 1862. Many well-known photographs of Lincoln with McClellan and his staff were taken by Alexander Gardner here. Slightly less than one mile west of the Grove Farm is Ferry Hill^A, the boyhood home of Henry Kyd Douglas, Stonewall Jackson’s youngest staff officer who brought Jackson here during the 1862 Maryland Campaign.

Travel back through the quaint town of Sharpsburg, stopping east of town at the Newcomer House^A, one of only two historic homes on the battlefield open to the public and also the new Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area Exhibit and Visitor Center^A. The Newcomer House was built in the late 1780s as part of a thriving mill complex that straddled the Boonsboro Pike (Route 34) near the Middle Bridge crossing Antietam Creek.  The center features interpretive exhibits that share the overarching themes of the heritage area -- In the Heat of Battle, On the Homefront, and Beyond the Battlefield – and highlight sites in Washington, Frederick, and Carroll counties where these themes can be explored. 

Stop at the Pry House Field Hospital Museum, which served as headquarters for Union Commander General George B. McClellan and Major Jonathan Letterman, medical director for the Army of the Potomac. The museum exhibits, sponsored by the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, detail the history of local families and Jonathan Letterman’s reorganization of the medical department as well as the invention of triage at Antietam. 

From there, the next must-do is Maryland’s only state battlefield South Mountain State Battlefield. The battle of South Mountain was fought September 14, 1862, prior to Antietam, and was the first conflict on northern soil. Stop at Turner’s Gap^A and visit the museum at Washington Monument State Park details the conflict there. A small hike, which also connects to the Appalachian Trail, leads to the Washington Monument^A, the first monument dedicated to the memory of George Washington. 

Nearby is Gathland State Park at Crampton’s Gap^A, the mountain home of Civil War journalist George Alfred Townsend. The famous stone War Correspondent’s Memorial Arch serves as a tribute to army journalists and photographers from the Civil War. Enjoy lunch at Vesta Pizzeria, in historic downtown Boonsboro, a town named for cousins of the famous Daniel Boone.  Don’t miss the Boonsborough Museum of History and its extensive collection of Civil War artifacts including pikes from John Brown’s raid, manumission papers from area slaves, and personal items that belonged to Stonewall Jackson’s youngest staff member Henry Kyd Douglas. 

While exploring the town visit Turn The Page Bookstore and shop for items made by local artisans at Gifts Inn BoonsBoro, owned by New York Times Bestselling author, Nora Roberts. An enchanted evening awaits with an overnight stay at Nora Roberts’ Inn BoonsBoro.

Day Three

Frederick, Maryland

Today, continue your journey along prominent Civil War sites with a visit to Frederick. Strolling through the heart of the old town of Frederick provides a rich introduction to the historical significance of the area. It was a crossroads of the Civil War and for the first and only time, Maryland's state capitol was moved to Frederick, Maryland in April 1861, and the debate over the burning question of secession took center stage. Read the story of the Kemp Hall Legislative Session^A on East Church Street.

Frederick’s historic Market Street is dotted with restaurants and unique shops selling everything from children’s toys to specialty food items, including delicious chocolate.  Nearby Patrick Street is home to several boutiques selling collectibles and antiques. 

 

Confederate troops once marched through Downtown Frederick on Patrick Street and a striking photo of the event can be seen at your next stop, the National Museum of Civil War Medicine^A. Following the Battle of Antietam, there were more wounded soldiers in Frederick than citizens. Visit the museum to hear the story of the care, healing and medical advances that took place in the war. Discover the dramatic stories of the war along with the developments that set medicine on a path toward the modern era. From recruitment, to life in camp, to the road to recovery, you will hear the personal stories of a soldier’s life during the Civil War.

After your museum visit, enjoy a break for lunch in the area. Downtown Frederick is filled with many award-winning restaurants to choose from including Brewer’s Alley^G located on Market Street. The building that houses this restaurant was completed in 1769 and served as a town hall and market house during the Civil War. In July of 1864, Confederate General Jubal Early declared that he would burn down the city if he did not receive a ransom from city of Frederick in the amount of $200,000. The banks quickly raised the money and Early moved on. The original ransom letters are on display in the banquet rooms on the upper level of the restaurant. Today, Brewer’s Alley serves up its own beer brewed in-house along with excellent comfort food.

During the special legislative session at Kemp Hall, Frederick’s City Hall^AGmysteriously burned and finances to reconstruct the now present building were quickly approve d. Across the street from City Hall, step inside All Saints’ Episcopal Church (normally open on weekdays), a Neo-Gothic church by celebrated 19th century architect, Richard Upjohn.  The church is one of the famed “clustered spires” made famous in John Greenleaf Whittier’s 1863 poem, “Barbara Fritchie.”  Then head over to the Barbara Fritchie House^AG where you can read about Frederick’s feisty heroine who flew the US banner in the face of Confederates on the march to Antietam.  A short walk away, you can tour the Roger B. Taney House. Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court and a former resident, Taney wrote in the 1857 Dred Scott Decision that the Constitution's freedoms did not extend to African-Americans, one of the steps on the road to war. Early in their careers, Taney and his brother-in-law, Francis Scott Key, both practiced law in Frederick.

Optionally, you may choose to tour the Museum of Frederick County History where docents can lead you on a tour of this 1820's Federal-style mansion that maintains a unique collection of furnishings, art and memorabilia from Frederick's past.

Frederick’s Mt. Olivet Cemetery is home to the grave and monument of Frederick County’s native son, Francis Scott Key. Key is most notable for having penned the poem in 1814 that inspired our National Anthem. Established in 1854, the cemetery also contains the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers who fought in the battles of South Mountain, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Monocacy. One can also see a Confederate Monument, a memorial to children who fought and died in the Civil War and a monument at the grave of Barbara Fritchie.

This afternoon, stop at the Monocacy National Battlefield^A, known as the "battle that saved Washington". Monocacy is where Union General Lew Wallace’s greatly outnumbered troops, many of whom were untried in battle, were defeated on July 9, 1864 by Confederate forces led by General Jubal Early. The battle, though won by the Confederates, delayed Early’s advance on Washington, D.C. With the arrival of Federal reinforcements the next day, the Confederates’ hope of taking Washington was thwarted. Their withdrawal into Virginia spared the national capital and marked the Confederacy’s last attempt to carry the war into the North.

Monocacy National Battlefield was also the site where Lee’s Lost Order^A was discovered in a field by a Union soldier in 1862. Wrapped around a bundle of cigars, Special Order #191 outlined Lee’s campaign strategy to divide his army sending General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson to attack Harpers Ferry, and send General James Longstreet toward Hagerstown. The original Special Order #191 will be on loan from the Library of Congress and on display at the Monocacy National Battlefield Visitor Center from August 1 – October 31, 2012.

For a special evening with an historical twist, travel just outside the city to the quaint town of Buckeystown where you can have dinner and overnight at the Inn at Buckeystown.  The Inn occupies an 1897 mansion in a Nationally Registered Historic Village with pre-revolutionary roots and a strong Civil War influence. Enjoy superb cuisine served on Victorian china and with period silverware.

Day Four

Frederick, Maryland and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

This morning, head north along your route to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and you can visit some of Frederick County’s northern Civil War sites. In Thurmont is the site of the Catoctin Iron Furnace^G. Production at the two furnaces was never interrupted during the Civil War, despite troops moving in the area very close by. Iron produced here was used in the manufacturing of ironclad ships like USS Monitor.

Further up the road is the site of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton^G, which shares three important stories of the Civil War. One of which is the Daughters of Charity, who served during the Civil War very valiantly as nurses and caregivers to the many wounded soldiers on both sides of the war. The other two stories are that of General John F. Reynolds’s tragic love story and St. Joseph’s Valley Camp, an encampment of 80,000 Union Soldiers nearby.

Continue on to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and Gettysburg National Military Park. The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory in the summer of 1863 that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Rebellion," it was the war's bloodiest battle with 51,000 casualties. It also provided President Abraham Lincoln with the setting for his most famous address.

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Please contact the following for tours, prices and operating hours:

 

For information on visiting sites in Baltimore, please contact:
Visit Baltimore
1-877-BALTIMORE
www.baltimore.org  

 

For information on Antietam National Battlefield, the Newcomer House, Pry Field Hospital Museum, South Mountain State Battlefield and other sites in Washington County, please contact:

Hagerstown/Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau
16 Public Square
Hagerstown, MD 21740
(301) 791-3246
Toll Free: 888-257-2600
www.marylandmemories.org

Visitor Welcome Center hours:
Monday thru Friday: 9am-5pm
Saturday: 10am – 4pm
Sunday: 12pm- 4pm (May-Oct) / Closed (Nov-Apr)

For information on the city of Frederick, Monocacy National Battlefield, National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and other sites in Frederick County, please contact:

Tourism Council of Frederick County
151 S. East Street
Frederick, MD 21701
(301) 600-2888
Toll Free: 800-999-3613
www.fredericktourism.org 

Visitor Center open daily from 9am-5:30pm      

Star Spangled Tours, Receptive Tour Services
(240) 626-0963
www.starspangledtoursmd.com
starspangledtours@comcast.net       

For more information on the Maryland tri-county Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area in Washington, Frederick and Carroll counties, please contact:

Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area
www.heartofthecivilwar.org
info@heartofthecivilwar.org

For overnight accommodations, please refer to our Destination Frederick Visitor Guide.
For further information please contact:

Becky Bickerton, Sales Manager, (800) 999-3613 or 301-600-4050 or e-mail at bbickerton@fredco-md.net