What is Monocacy National Battlefield?
“I’ve seen signs but have no idea what it is,” said a reader. One of the country’s lesser known national park battlefields, Monocacy, just south of Frederick, commemorates an 1864 Civil War battle that saved Washington from a probable Confederate attack. Lee was surrounded in Petersburg, Va. Trying to break free, he sent Gen. Jubal Early on a mission to capture the northern capital, hoping it would draw Union troops away, allowing his army to escape. But in the nick of time, Union forces under Gen. Lew Wallace intervened, delaying Early and allowing Washington to be reinforced without lifting the siege in Petersburg. Details: 301/662-3515; www.nps.gov/mono.
