Hagerstown in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
First Battle of Hagerstown
Vicious Fighting in the Streets
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Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, March 23, 2008
1. First Battle of Hagerstown Marker
Combat raged here in the town square and in adjoining city blocks for six hours on Monday, July 6, 1863. Holding Hagerstown was crucial to Gen. Robert E. Lee's retreat to Virginia after the Battle of Gettysburg. If the Confederates lost this crossroads town, Lee's access to the Potomac River would be seriously hampered. The Federals recognized Hagerstown's importance, and just before noon Gen. H. Judson Kilpatrick's cavalry division galloped north on Potomac Street. It charged into three Virginia brigades, and each side fed reinforcements into what became a wild melee of mounted charges and dismounted duels.
The fighting lurched from street corner to street corner, and ultimately into dismounted assaults from house to house, yard to yard, doorway to doorway, churchyard to churchyard, and gravestone to gravestone. The arrival of Confederate infantry - Gen. Alfred Iverson's North Carolina brigade - finally compelled the Federals to abandon their effort to seize Hagerstown.
Monday, July 6: "Afternoon. At this moment fighting is going on in our very own town and the balls are whizzing through the streets. Oh God, of Heaven, have mercy upon us and deliver us from this terrible war."
- Louise Kealhofer diary
"The cutting and slashing was beyond description; here right beforeand underneath us the deadly conflict was waged in a hand to hand combat, with the steel blades circling, waving, parrying, thrusting, and cutting, some reflecting the bright sunlight, others crimsoned with human gore; while the discharge of pistols and carbines was terrific, and the smoke through which we now gazed down through and on the scene below, the screams and yells of the wounded and dying, mingled with cheers and commands, the crashing together of the horses and fiery flashes of small arms presented a scene such as words cannot portray."
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-W.W. Jacobs, civilian eyewitness
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 date for this entry is July 6, 1863.
Location. 39° 38.563′ N, 77° 43.191′ W. Marker is in Hagerstown, Maryland, in Washington County. It is on North Potomac Street (Maryland Route 65) south of West Franklin Street (U.S. 40), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15 N Potomac St, Hagerstown MD 21740, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Baltimore Metro Region and in Western Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Second Battle of Hagerstown (here, next to this marker); Treatment of the Wounded (a few steps
Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, March 23, 2008
2. First and Second Battles of Hagerstown Markers
Another marker is no longer nearby. Hagerstown (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . . Gettysburg - Invasion and Retreat. Visit Maryland entry detailing other sites on the Virginia-Maryland-Pennsylvania Gettysburg Campaign Civil War Trails system. (Submitted on January 2, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, March 23, 2008
3. Location of markers
Credits. This page was last revised on September 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 24, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. This page has been viewed 4,920 times since then and 55 times this year. Last updated on September 5, 2024, by Mark P. Brock-Cancellieri of Baltimore, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 24, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
