Near Cooksville in Howard County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Cooksville
Saving the Guns
| — | Gettysburg Campaign | — |
When Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart led his cavalry division north across the Potomac River into Maryland in June 1863, about 400 Federals and civilians were captured and then paroled in Brookeville. At the same time, Confederate Gen. Fitzhugh Lee’s brigade continued its march north toward Hood’s Mill.
Near Cooksville, meanwhile, Capt. R.E. Duvall’s Co. A, Purnell Legion Md. Cavalry, had bivouacked on the National Road with two ordnance rifles of Capt. W.D. Rank’s Battery H, 3rd Pa. Artillery. Duvall was escorting the guns to Relay in Baltimore County, where they were to be used in the defense of the Thomas Viaduct on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
When Stuart’s advance drove in the Union pickets before dawn on June 29, Duvall sent Sgt. Andrew Duncan and Pvt. Jonathan Norris back to Frederick to warn Gen. George G. Meade of the Confederate presence, then beat a hasty retreat under cover of darkness. He lost some camp equipment and four horses but saved his men and Rank’s guns. Near Poplar Springs he encountered Col. John B. Mclntosh’s cavalry brigade, which was hunting for Stuart and offered protection. When Duvall’s company and the two guns did not reach Relay as expected, area commander Gen. Robert Schenck reported them captured. It was two days before he learned their true status.
Erected by
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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 June 1863.
Location. 39° 19.26′ N, 77° 1.148′ W. Marker is near Cooksville, Maryland, in Howard County. It is at the intersection of Roxbury Mills Road (Maryland Route 97) and Frederick Road ( Route 144), on the right when traveling north on Roxbury Mills Road. It is in the Park-And-Ride lot at I-70 Exit 76. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cooksville MD 21723, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Gettysburg Campaign (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Cooksville (here, next to this marker); Roberts Inn (within shouting distance of this marker); Simpson & Mount Gregory United Methodist Churches (approx. 0.9 miles away); Mount Gregory United Methodist Church Bell (approx. 0.9 miles away); Cooksville High School (approx. 0.9 miles away); Dr. Charles Alexander Warfield (approx. 1.3 miles away); a different marker also named New Lisbon (approx. 2.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cooksville.
Other markers no longer nearby. Gettysburg Campaign (was here, next to this marker but
Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 8, 2007
2. Cooksville Marker
This is a previous iteration of the marker. The inscription has identical text with slightly different formatting.
Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 8, 2007
4. This Marker is the Left-Most Marker
This is a photo of the prior iteration of the marker in its environs.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 3,203 times since then and 55 times this year. Last updated on March 17, 2025, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on July 21, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on April 9, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 3. submitted on July 21, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 4. submitted on April 9, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
