Sculpted by Gary Casteel
1863 Signed and Numbered Limited Edition Monument Replicas
On July 9, 1914, the fiftieth anniversary of the battle, nearly 500 people gathered at the edge of the Best Farm to dedicate a monument to Confederate soldiers who fought and died at the Battle of Monocacy. The ceremony followed the well-established formula for dedication ceremonies developed by the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). There were Confederate veterans, prayers, speeches, music, and children.
Founded in 1894, the UDC followed the traditions of Ladies Memorial Associations that built funerary markers in the years following the war. Newspaper accounts at the time describe the pageantry of automobiles and teams of horses carrying crowds from Frederick, Maryland, to Monocacy Junction. Once the crowd and dignitaries were in in place, the ceremony opened with bugle blasts and prayers. The first speaker, a Confederate veteran, began with a history of the events that led to the battle at Monocacy.
In accordance with the UDC standard monument dedication program, children performed the job of unveiling the monument. Historian Karen Cox notes that "the Daughters envisioned each monument as a gift that connected past generations with future generations. It was culturally significant, therefore, that a child symbolically open the gift." At Monocacy, 13-year old Grafton Wallis and 9-year old John Wood did the honors. An honor court of girls accompanied the boys. Included in the court was 10-year old Eleanor Potts Williams, the grandniece of Confederate Capt. Alexander Young who was killed at Antietam.
The boys unveiled a rough cut block of granite set upon a smooth granite foundation with a bronze plaque embedded in the front. At approximately 12-feet tall the monument would have dominated the farm fields surrounding it. The bronze plaque read:
This boulder overlooks the Monocacy Battlefield and is in memory of the Southern soldiers who fell in the battle fought July 9, 1864 which resulted in a Confederate victory.
Erected July 9, 1914 by the Fitzhugh Lee chapter United Daughters of the Confederacy of Frederick, Maryland
After the monument was revealed, Colonel Robert E. Lee, Jr., the grandson of General Robert E. Lee, delivered the main address, noting that the Battle of Monocacy was the only Confederate victory on Northern soil. Lee closed by focusing on reconciliation and mutual respect.
Following Lee's speech, the UDC emphasized the patriotism of the participants and the honored Confederate soldiers. They played the Star-Spangled Banner and unfurled an American flag. Dignitaries and veterans of both the Confederacy and Union laid wreaths. In addition to Confederate veterans, the UDC also invited Union veterans as special guests. One of the Union veterans present at the Monocacy monument dedication was J.J. Kahler. He was 17-years old when he fought at Monocacy. Another Union veteran, Capt. Talbert, was 22 at the Battle of Monocacy. The program ended with a benediction and the playing of Taps. Lee's speech and the UDC program reflected the national desire for peace and reunification.
This monument was dedicated July 9, 1914 and is located on the west side of Urbana Pike south of the entrance to the Monocacy Visitor Center.
