While Wallace's troops technically lost the battle at Monocacy, their brave actions that day actually served as a victory, delaying the Confederate force in its push toward Washington, D.C., thereby allowing Union reinforcements to reach the city and set up defenses. Had Wallace not held the Confederate troops, lead by Gen. Jubal Early, in a long day of fighting, Washington likely would have fallen, and the United States as we know it would not exist.
The Monocacy visitor center does a great job of presenting Maryland's predicament as a border state...one that had sympathizers for both sides of the Civil War. It nearly seceded from the Union; in fact, Union leaders had many of the Southern-leaning leaders in the state's government arrested prior to a secession vote. As Maryland surrounds Washington D.C. on three sides, its secession would have been disastrous to the Union's hold on the seat of government. Monocacy may not be one of the bigger names in the Civil War lexicon, but its importance cannot be overstated.
Another place of little fame but important history is Catoctin Mountain Park in northeast Maryland, home of Camp #3...a.k.a. Camp David, Shangri-La and Hi-Catoctin. What began as a public works project in the 30s became a mountain retreat for every president beginning with FDR in April 1942. The attack on Pearl Harbor had taken place less than six months before, and the stress of the war was taking a toll on Roosevelt. His doctors advised a high-altitude getaway where the patient could receive some relief from the humidity and constant stress of D.C. But Roosevelt didn't want to be more than a two-hour drive from the Oval Office. The Catoctin Mountain site, already established as a camp for disadvantaged children, was selected from among a number of options, and it was renovated and ready for Roosevelt's first official visit in early July. Over the last three years of his life, he made many trips to his Shangri-La, and some of his most strategic meetings with military aides and even Winston Churchill took place on its acres.
The presidents following FDR have maintained the camp; some adored it (Nixon, Reagan) and others rarely if ever went there (Truman, Clinton). Carter used it when he hosted the historic peace summit with Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat, and Eisenhower brought Nikita Kruschev to it during the Cold War discussions. Considered too rustic by some, others found it to be, as stated by Betty Ford, "the best thing about the White House."
Catoctin Mountain Park rangers are not allowed to disclose the camp's location within the park's boundaries, but its entrance is easy enough to spot from the main road...fences bearing signs warning against stopping, photographing and trespassing are a pretty good give-away. We didn't push our luck, although there didn't seem to be any active guards in the vicinity. We have no idea of the Obama family's feelings for the place. And as visits are made by helicopter these days, vs. motorcade, even park rangers aren't sure when VIPs are in residence. We picked up a fascinating book about the camp's storied past. It contains great photographs of many presidents during visits to the mountain-top retreat, showing them relaxed and informal, in stark contrast to the suit-and-tie reality of their D.C. lives. The waiting book was a good motivation for tackling this entry a little earlier in the evening than has been our recent routine.
 |
| The Worthington family viewed horrific fighting from the boarded-up windows of their basement. The 6-year-old son, Glenn, was profoundly affected by what he witnessed and, as an adult, advocated for the establishment of the Monocacy Battlefield National Park. He died before seeing its creation. |
 |
| The Camp David security fence within Catoctin Mountain Park. |
No comments:
Post a Comment