Woolford in Dorchester County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Anna Ella Carroll
Unofficial Cabinet Member
Anna Ella Carroll was born on Maryland's Eastern Shore in 1815. Often called an unofficial member of President Abraham Lincoln's cabinet, she was a Unionist author and newspaper reporter who had traveled extensively throughout the South and Midwest before the Civil War. Among her most popular books were The War Powers of the General Government (1861) and The Great American Battle (1856). Just before the war, she journeyed through the Midwest and noted the importance of the rivers and the railroads as a strategic link to the resources of the region. In 1861, her contacts at the War Department encouraged her to tour the upper Mississippi River valley and report on conditions there. While in St. Louis, she met with Mississippi River pilots who described the river and its major tributaries. With this information, Carroll developed outlines for a Federal campaign into the South on the Tennessee River and sent a detailed plan to the War Department. In 1862-63, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant took his army up the Tennessee River and captured several key forts and transportation junctions; among them was the fortified town of Vicksburg. The seizure of the railroads and water-transportation facilities of the Tennessee Valley was one of the keys to the eventual success of the United States. Carroll was never officially recognized for her contributions to military strategy during the war, but she received a small pension many years later. She died on February 19, 1894.
Erected by Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Maryland Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1870.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 38° 29.989′ N, 76° 10.03′ W. Marker was in Woolford, Maryland, in Dorchester County. Marker was at the intersection of Taylors Island Road (Maryland Route 16) and Old Trinity Church Road, on the right when traveling east on Taylors Island Road. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Woolford MD 21677, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies. Writer, War Strategist, Enigma (approx. 0.3 miles away); Trinity P.E. Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); Walk the Old Trinity Heritage Trail (approx. 0.3 miles away); Finding Freedom (approx. 0.8 miles away); Treaty Oak (approx. one mile away); Church Creek (approx. 1.1 miles away); Malone's Church (approx. 2.8 miles away); Gethsemane Methodist Protestant Church (approx. 3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Woolford.
More about this marker. On the right is a portrait captioned, "Anna Ella Carroll (1815-1894) is buried here in Old Trinity Church." On the lower left is a wartime map of Tennessee and Kentucky.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has been replaced by the linked marker.
Also see . . .
1. Anna Ella Carroll. Maryland State Archives webpage (Submitted on December 4, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland.)
2. Anna Ella Carroll. Wikipedia entry. (Submitted on December 4, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland.)
Additional commentary.
1.
— Submitted October 18, 2019, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 30, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 4, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 3,111 times since then and 34 times this year. Last updated on July 31, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on December 4, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. 2. submitted on August 8, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 3. submitted on December 4, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. 4, 5. submitted on August 8, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 6. submitted on September 7, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7. submitted on July 31, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 8, 9. submitted on August 8, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.