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| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic) |
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Silver Spring in the Civil War
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By Tom Fuchs, January 28, 2006 | |
| | | 1. Silver Spring in the Civil War Marker | | |
Inscription. On July 11-12, 1864, General Jubal Early's 20,000 Confederate troops marched down Georgia Avenue (formerly Seventh Street Turnpike), in their attack on Fort Stevens in the District of Columbia (1). Francis Preston Blair's vacant home (2) "Silver Spring" (currently the location of Acorn Park) was seized as headquarters for Early. Confederate soldiers swarmed over the area camping on the grounds of U.S. Postmaster General Montgomery Blair's summer home (3) "Falklands," and Mary Blair's summer home (4) the "Moorings," later named "Jesup Blair House" and still standing in Jesup Blair Park.
The weary Confederates having just left a bloody battle at Monocacy two days prior, stopped to rest and regroup in Silver Spring, then called Sligo, thus allowing time for Union General Frank Wheaton's troops to arrive from Petersburg, Virginia. Explosions ripped the air. Remnants of the deadly conflict such as cannon balls and artillery shells have been found in the Woodside community, formerly the Wilson farms. Richard Wilson was sympathetic to the Southern Cause and his farm house (5) (which still stands) reportedly served as headquarters for Early's second in command, former U.S. Vice President John C. Breckenridge. His brother John remained loyal to the North. Ironically, Union soldiers damaged John Wilson's farm and killed John and Richard's father.
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By Tom Fuchs, January 28, 2006 | |
| | | 2. 1865 War Department Map | | This map is reproduced on the marker and is keyed to the text. | | |
the aftermath of the struggle, "Falklands" lay in smoldering ruins. Bodies and debris lay scattered about the community; casualties numbered in the hundreds. Sligo Post Office served as a Confederate hospital. Proper interment of hastily buried Confederates took place later in the Cemetery at (6) Grace Episcopal Church under the direction of the pastor, James Avirett, former chaplain wth Ashby's Cavalry, C.S.A. A monument to honor these men was erected on the church grounds in 1896. To remember the Union effort, local citizens renamed the nearby (7) Leesboro after General Wheaton.
Erected by Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
Location. 38° 59.969′ N, 77° 1.934′ W. Marker is in Silver Spring, Maryland, in Montgomery County. Marker is at the intersection of Georgia Avenue (Maryland Route 97) and Spring Street, on the left when traveling north on Georgia Avenue. Click for map. Marker is at Woodside Urban Park. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8800 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring MD 20910, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Jubal Early’s Raid on Washington (here, next to this marker); Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler (approx. half a mile away); Springing Up (approx. half a mile away); A Community Grows (approx. half a mile away); Original Federal Boundary Stone North (approx. half a mile away in District of Columbia); The ‘Mayor’ of Silver Spring (approx. 0.6 miles away); A Downtown is Born (approx. 0.7 miles away); Heat Up, Cool Down (approx. 0.7 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Silver Spring.| | | | 
By Tom Fuchs, January 28, 2006 | |
| | | 3. Confederate Dead Monument | | "To the memory of seventeen unknown Confederate dead, who fell in front of Washington, D.C. July 12, 1864. By their Comrades." This memorial is at Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery at Grace Church Road off Georgia Avenue near the intersection of 16th Street. The church can be seen in the background. | | |
Also see . . . Civil War Battle for Fort Stevens. (Submitted on January 31, 2006.)
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By Tom Fuchs, January 28, 2006 | |
| | | 4. Grace Episcopal Church | | |
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By Tom Fuchs, January 28, 2006 | |
| | | 5. Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery | | |
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By Tom Fuchs, January 28, 2006 | |
| | | 6. Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery | | |
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Credits. This page originally submitted on January 31, 2006, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland. This page has been viewed 4,349 times since then. Last updated on November 5, 2010, by TRCP Alliance of Birmingham, Alabama. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 31, 2006, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
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