NPS Website; Local Website
WHAT IS IT?Site of the July 9, 1864 Civil War fight which the Park claims to be the “Battle that Saved Washington”.
BEAUTY (4/10)
The 1/2-mile loop Gambrill Mill Trail was the highlight of our visit. Variations of green shimmered in every direction. Purple wildflowers framed a rippling creek crossed by old stone bridges. Newborn Canada Geese streamlined through a murky pond eager to learn from their proud parents. We remained unclear as to this area’s historical relevance but we enjoyed this typical Eastern early springtime setting.
The remainder of the Battlefield sprawls around fields of private farmland and wooded fields. The land is bisected by both Interstate 270 and the increasingly busy Maryland Route 355 (The Georgetown Pike).
HISTORICAL INTEREST (4/10)
The Site repeats its stage name, the “Battle that Saved Washington”, so many times that all but the most skeptical visitors are liable to accept the Park’s claim that the fight was “one of the most important of the War” as fact.
That claim goes something like this:
1) 15,000 rabid Confederates led by the irascible Jubal Early make their way from the Shenendoahs poised to attack defenseless Washington, DC. 2) By the grace of our founding fathers’ ghosts, Union General Lew Wallace trudges 5,800 tired troops to Frederick, Md. to intercept the irresistible Rebel force. 3) The Confederates rout the Bluecoats troops but are stalled long enough to allow Washington DC to reinforce its defenses. 4) Early cannot attack DC, the Union is preserved, and we all live happily ever after...until reconstruction.
We tend to get suspicious as the what if? qualifiers pile up. In Monocacy’s case, the Site accepts Early’s future victory as an incontrovertible fact. In addition, there is an underlying belief that the assumed sacking of Washington, DC would have mattered. At the time of the battle, the South was on their last legs. Sherman was closing in on Atlanta, Richmond had fallen and Lee’s Army had been backed into a siege in Petersburg, Va. The Rebels food, ammunition, land control, troop count and morale all had dwindled to alarmingly low rates.
At best, a last ditch seizing of the nearly deserted Washington DC would only have delayed the South’s inevitable defeat. Despite the Park’s assertion, the Battle of Monocacy ranks near the bottom in the importance scale of NPS Civil War sites.
CROWDS (3/10)The Confederate and Union forces met at this location primarily because it was a crossroads on the way to Washington DC. 142 years has not altered the integral location. The speed and density of traffic, however, has increased considerably.
Two of the four stops on the Park’s Auto Tour are located along the Georgetown Pike. No one obeys the Pike’s 35-mph speed limit and everyone tailgates. A speeding car with an oblivious driver nearly rear-ended the proud Altima while we tried to make a difficult left-hand turn into an Auto Tour stop’s parking lot. The Pike is too crowded for an Auto Tour; we wonder how many Civil War tourists have been in accidents at Monocacy NB.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (2/5)
The Gambrill Mill Visitor Center is located on the Georgetown Pike about halfway between I-270 Exits 31 and 26. Frederick, Md.’s southeastern sprawl is threatening to overcome the Battlefield’s land. The Washington, DC Beltway is just 30 miles to the southeast via I-270; The Baltimore, Md. Beltway is 45 miles to the east via I-70.
Monocacy NB’s closeness to urban centers hinders its accessibility. The roads around the Battlefield are just too crowded, even during our midday Sunday visit. We saw the Battlefield and its monuments but never felt we could get close to them because of speeding cars, tiny parking lots, bumpy dirt/gravel roads and ambiguous trails.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (2/5)
The worst Civil War bookstore we have seen; and there is only two more to go!
COSTS (4/5)
Entry into Monocacy NB is unquestionably free.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (3/5)
The two Rangers at the Visitor Center were both isolated by two older gentlemen telling their personal World War II yarns. We had Civil War questions but the stories kept going. So we left.
TOURS/CLASSES (2/10)
On March 24, 2006, the NPS broke ground on a new Visitor Center. In the meantime, the Gambrill Mill Visitor Center has seen its share of neglect. The exhibits are outdated, there is no introductory film, a poor bookstore and no glossy explanatory Park brochure.
We left the Park confused, unsure of what we saw and doubtful of the Battle’s big picture worth. While we were there, we did not know where to go, we were frazzled by the traffic and nearly had our car totaled. A little bit of Park Service guidance would have helped.
FUN (2/10)
Our only enjoyment came from our Gambrill Mill Trail stroll. We could not wait to leave.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (2/10)Because Monocacy NB is close to Harrisburg, PA and on the road to DC we will probably stop back once the Visitor Center is finished. Until then, we suggest avoiding Monocacy NB like the plague found at the Natural Bridges NM campground.
TOTAL 28/80
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