Near Boonsboro in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Deaths of Two Generals
“Hallo, Sam, I’m dead!”
— Antietam Campaign 1862 —
The fight for Fox’s Gap on September 14, 1862, claimed the lives of two generals, one from each side. Confederate Gen. Samuel Garland, a Lynchburg, Virginia native, attended the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington and later obtained his law degree. Married in 1856, he suffered tragedy early in the war when both his wife and four-year-old son died in an influenza epidemic. Grief-stricken, he left Lynchburg as captain of the Lynchburg Home Guard, excelled during the Peninsula Campaign and Seven Days’ Battles, and soon attained general’s rank. Charged with defending Fox’s Gap, he fell mortally wounded by a bullet through his chest while rallying his men about ¾ of a mile south of here.
As evening fell and the Confederates fell back through the gap and off to the north, Union Gen. Jesse L. Reno rode by here and into the field across from Wise’s cabin to investigate what he believed was a delay in the push for Turner’s Gap. Just then, Gen. John Bell Hood’s Texans arrived on the field and fired the final Confederate volley, mortally wounding Reno. Carried on a stretcher to his friend Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis’s headquarters, Reno called to him, “Hallo, Sam, I’m dead!” A few minutes later he died, the first Union Corps commander killed during the war. His monument is the second oldest one erected for the Maryland Campaign.
Erected by Maryland Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Maryland Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1861.
Location. 39° 28.231′ N, 77° 37.043′ W. Marker is near Boonsboro, Maryland, in Washington County. Marker is on Reno Monument Road near the Appalachian Trail, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 21605 Reno Monument Rd, Boonsboro MD 21713, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Maryland Campaign of 1862 (here, next to this marker); The Battle for Fox’s Gap (here, next to this marker); The Lost Orders (here, next to this marker); Welcome to Historic Wise's Field (here, next to this marker); Near Here in Wise’s Field (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Boonsboro.
More about this marker. Portraits of Garland and Reno are displayed on the lower left and right respectively. A photograph of the Monument to Gen. Reno, South Mountain Battlefield is in the upper right. In the upper left is a general map of the area with stars indicating nearby Civil War Trails sites.
Also see . . .
1. General Samuel Garland – Brave and Accomplished. (Submitted on July 23, 2006.)
2. General Jesse Reno – Remember Reno. (Submitted on July 23, 2006.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 6, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2006, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 3,147 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 23, 2006, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 3. submitted on September 23, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4. submitted on August 9, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. 5, 6. submitted on December 15, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7. submitted on February 3, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.