Sandy Hook in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

30-Pounder Battery

Photographed By Craig Swain, September 22, 2007

1. 30-Pounder Battery Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Positioned here at the end of a towering plateau, this fortification was the first earthen battery built on the mountain by the Federals in the fall of 1862. Facing south, its guns "commanded perfectly the summits of Loudoun Heights as well as Bolivar Heights."

A four-sided earthwork forms the dominant feature of this battery. Protecting its exterior slope is a dry moat - the widest, longest, and most uniform moat on the mountain. 30-pounder Parrotts were standard armament here.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.

Location. 39° 19.895′ N, 77° 43.439′ W. Marker is in Sandy Hook, Maryland, in Washington County. Marker can be reached from Sandy Hook Road. Located on the Stone Fort Trail loop of Maryland Heights in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Knoxville MD 21758, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Making a Mountain Citadel (approx. 0.2 miles away); Hiking Maryland Heights (approx. 0.2 miles away); Charcoal Making on Maryland Heights

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(approx. 0.2 miles away); Naval Battery (approx. ¼ mile away); 100 - Pounder Battery - Heaviest and Highest (approx. 0.4 miles away); Maryland Heights - Mountain Fortress of Harpers Ferry (approx. 0.4 miles away); Harpers Ferry - Changes through Time (approx. 0.4 miles away); Civil War Campgrounds (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sandy Hook.

More about this marker. On the right side of the marker is a depiction of the battery's interior.
On the left is the "30-Pounder Battery Plan." It reads, "George Kaiser's January 1863 illustration of the 30-pounder Battery shows many features of the earthwork." Key points indicated on the plan are the dry moat, rampart, gun platform, and magazine.

On the lower left is a side view of "A 30-pounder Parrott rifle on siege carriage, typical of a gun mounted here." Specifications for the gun given are: Bore diameter: 4.2", Length of tube: 136", Weight of tube: 4200 lbs., Weight of projectile: 29 lbs., Range: 2200 yards (1 1/4-mile).

Regarding 30-Pounder Battery. This marker is one of a set along the National Park Service's trail to the top of Maryland Heights.

Battery Plan image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, September 22, 2007

2. Battery Plan

30-Pounder Parrott image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, September 22, 2007

3. 30-Pounder Parrott

Powder Magazine in the Battery Works image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, September 22, 2007

4. Powder Magazine in the Battery Works

The Dry Moat of the Battery image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, September 22, 2007

5. The Dry Moat of the Battery

Interior of the Battery image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, September 22, 2007

6. Interior of the Battery

Looking over the parapets of the battery, some of the gun positions are still visible.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 19, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 27, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,566 times since then and 77 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 27, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.