Photo above: Union soldier exhibit at the South Mountain Battlefield museum in Gathland State Park. Below: North Carolina monument at Fox's Gap, Battle of South Mountain.
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Spotlight on Lesser Known History
Battle of South Mountain, Middletown, Maryland
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America's Best History Spotlight
On this page we're going to Spotlight the lesser known historic sites and attractions that dot the history landscape across the USA and are worth a visit if you're in their area. And while they may be lesser known, some are very unique, and will be that rare find. You'll be, at times, on the ground floor, or maybe even know something others don't. It'll be fun. Visit them.
Battle of South Mountain, Middletown, Maryland
It's one of those engagements that preceded a more famous history event, but that doesn't mean the Battle of South Mountain is not important. From the Lost Orders of the Confederate Army before it to the Battle of Antietam that followed, the series of events in mid-September of 1862 would eventually lead to a Union victory and Emancipation. And yes, the Battle of South Mountain in the three gaps along its ridges; Turner, Fox, and Crampton, would have a significant role in those outcomes. So for any advocate or buff of the Civil War, a deke over to these ridges during your visit to Antietam or Harpers Ferry or Manassas is worth the time to see where the middle section of that story actually happened, to see for yourself the path and footsteps that would lead to freedom.
Photo above: Field of Battle at Fox's Gap, Battle of South Mountain, today, courtesy americasbesthistory.com.
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Battle of South Mountain
Now don't expect a visit to the gaps of the this battlefield to be like visiting Antietam or Manassas. The important story to be told is still a bit of a mix as far as coordination and preservation of the land, and certainly not hyped nearly enough at either National Park which bookends its activity. However, interpretation at the beginning (at Washington Monument State Park) or end (Gathland State Park) has been taking a leaps and bounds turn to put it altogether for visitors. The exhibits at Gathland, housed in two historic buildings are wonderfully staged, clean and precise about the time and tenor of the South Mountain conflict. I'm not sure whether you should visit them in order or reverse (Gathland is wonderful), but I'd probably stick to the suggestions of the rangers there to head over to Washington Monument State Park, see the monument there (not Civil War related), look at the exhibits, and get a driving tour map.
The first gap, Turner, is less interpreted than either Fox Gap or Crampton's Gap. At Fox Gap, beyond the trailhead to the Appalachian Trail that runs along the entire South Mountain ridges and parks, is a trail to the North Carolina Monument, the Reno Monument, and wayside exhibits. At Gathland State Park (Crampton's Gap) on the south end of the line, there are a myriad of exhibits and markers, not only in the two buildings mentioned above, but surrounding the parking area and large monument to War Correspondents that rises above the ridge. As stated before, the two museums here may not be Smithsonian in size, but after you visit, you'll have a true idea about the chronology of the battle and the correspondents who covered the Civil War. That's a story you may not get anywhere else, and may be worth the drive all on its own.
Image above: War Correspondents Monument and battle waysides explaining the Battle of Crampton's Gap, Gathland State Park, Battle of South Mountain.
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Battle of South Mountain
What's There
Washington Monument State Park - Museum/Visitor Center with exhibits and orientation on the Battle of South Mountain, plus the walking trails to the South Mountain's version of the Washington Monument itself.
Self-guided driving tour - To the other parks in the area as well as the three gaps defended during the battle; Turner's Gap, Fox's Gap, and Crampton's Gap. Wayside markers and exhibits at all three. Crampton's Gap includes two museums and a large War Correspondent's Monument in Gathland State Park.How Much to Visit
Free for the Civil War related sites. Greenbrier, north of most of these, is a state recreation park and does charge for day use and camping.
Hours Open
Park hours 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Museums at Gathland open on weekends with longer days/hours in the summer. Visitor Center/Museum at Washington Monument State Park open Thursday to Monday May to September and weekends in April and October. Check before going.
Where Is It Located
South Mountain is located near Middletown, Maryland, with easy access from Interstate 70, Route 40, or Alternate 40. There are four state parks along the ridgeline, including Greenbrier State Park (recreation, not Civil War), Washington Monument State Park, South Mountain Battlefield State Park, and Gathland State Park. We suggest starting at Washington Monument State Park, even though we didn't, to start at the beginning and get orientation about where and when. From Frederick, Maryland, take Interstate 70 West to Exit 42, Route 17 North, left on Monument Road to Zittlestown Road. 18 miles total. From Antietam National Battlefield, take Maryland 34 East to Boonsboro, turn right on Alt 40, then left on Zittlestown Road. Total 9 miles. Address of Washington Monument State Park is 6620 Zittlestown Road, Middletown MD 21769, for GPS fans.
Websites
Washington Monument State Park.
Gathland State Park.
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Area Historic Sites
So what else is there to do near South Mountain? Well, there's the four state parks there for history and recreation. Greenbrier State Park has boating, camping, hiking, etc., and might be a good place to stay for those camping and visiting the South Mountain Battlefields. Not far away are the National Battlefields of Manassas, Monocacy, Antietam, and Harpers Ferry, plus the hundreds of miles of Potomac River that winds beside the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park.
Antietam National Battlefield
Monocacy National Battlefield
Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Photos, History, and More Spotlights
Battle of South Mountain Chronology
August 28-30, 1862 - Second Battle of Bull Run.
September 9, 1862 - Order 191 is written. Lee would split his Army is three wings; Jackson to Martinsburg, McLaws/Walker to Harpers Ferry, and Longstreet to Boonsboro.
September 13, 1862 - Order 191. The Lost Orders detailing Lee's plan to split the Confederate Army in three parts, heading to Harpers Ferry and over South Mountain is found by the Union on the Best Farm in Frederick, Maryland.
September 14, 1862 - Battle of Crampton's Gap between Franklin's Union 6th Corps of 12,500 troops versus the rear guard of McLaws (Cobb) and 2,100 Confederates. Artillery began at noon and Federal assault three hours later. The Federal victory drove the Confederate force from the gap, but the delay cost the Union time to save Harpers Ferry from falling.
September 14, 1862 - Turner's Gap. Confederate General D.H. Hill spread his 5,000 troops along the two miles from Turner's to Fox's Gap. Attack by Union Iron Brigade pushed the Confederates up the Mountain, although they did not yield the gap.
September 14, 1862 - Fox's Gap. Drayton's Brigade under D.H. Hill fought against the Union 9th Corps of General Reno. Morning attack by Union gained ground to the south of the gap, but the Confederates held around the Daniel Wise farm when reinforcements arrived. Generals Reno and Confederate General Garland were mortally wounded in the fight. At dusk, Confederates ordered by Robert E. Lee to withdraw from South Mountain.
September 15, 1862 - Union garrison at Harpers Ferry captured.
Septmber 17, 1862 - The Battle of Antietam.
Photo above: Drawing of the Battle for Fox's Gap, South Moutain, 1864. Courtesy Library of Congress.
War Correspondents and Gathland
Civil War jounalist, George Alfred Townsend, built a series of twenty buildings on his estate in today's Gathland State Park. Two buildings survive as museums; remnants of others can be seen around the park. A monument to War Correspondents, fifty feet high by forty feet across, was built in 1896 to commemorate the correspondents who wrote about the war and subsequent conspiracy to kill President Abraham Lincoln.
Townsend was the youngest war correpondent of the Civil War and wrote under the pen name Gath. In 1884, he bought the tract of land to build his estate and twelve years later built the War Correpondents Monument dedicated to the 157 war correspondents who covered the conflict. Townsend wrote for the New York Herand in 1861 and the New York World in 1865. He is perhaps best known for writing about the assasination and conspiracy to assasinate President Abraham Linclon.
Photo above: George Alfred Townsend (left), Mark Twain (center), David Gray (right) editor of the Buffalo Courier, 1871. Photo courtesy Library of Congress.
Photo above: Gathland State Park Museum and Visitor Center. Museum includes exhibits on the life of George Alfred Townsend and other war corresondents. Additional museum on the Battle of South Mountain is situated in the same area.
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