Hagerstown in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Hagerstonians in the Civil War
Colonel Henry Kyd Douglas, CSA 1838-1903
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 22, 2017
1. Hagerstonians in the Civil War Marker
Inscription.
Hagerstonians in the Civil War. Colonel Henry Kyd Douglas, CSA 1838-1903. Douglas was raised at Ferry Hill Place, on the Maryland side of the Potomac River at Shepherdstown. In 1861, he enlisted in the 2nd Virginia Infantry and fought in the Battle of First Manassas. From April to October, 1862, Douglas was the youngest officer to serve on the staff of Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson. Through the rest of the War he served as a general staff officer and infantry officer and was wounded and captured at Gettysburg. Swapped in a prisoner exchange in 1864, he commanded an infantry brigade in the Appomattox Campaign up to Lee's surrender., When peace came, Douglas resumed his law practice and eventually moved to Hagerstown. Governor Oden Bowie appointed him to serve on a commission which created the Washington Confederate Cemetery on South Potomac Street (9 blocks south of here) and re-buried over 2000 Confederate war dead. Active in the Maryland National Guard, Douglas was promoted to Major General and served as the Adjutant General from 1892 to 1896. When America went to war with Spain in 1898, Douglas was one of several former Confederate officers who were considered for the rank of general in the U.S. Army as a means of securing southern support for the war. Dissatisfied with a post offered by President McKinley that carried only the rank of major in the United States Volunteers, he declined the appointment., Douglas lived here from about 1879 until his death in 1903. After his death, his wartime diary was published under the title I Rode With Stonewall, which is considered a major first-person account of service written by a Confederate staff officer., Subsequent owners modified the house to its current appearance.
Douglas was raised at Ferry Hill Place, on the Maryland side of the Potomac River at Shepherdstown. In 1861, he enlisted in the 2nd Virginia Infantry and fought in the Battle of First Manassas. From April to October, 1862, Douglas was the youngest officer to serve on the staff of Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson. Through the rest of the War he served as a general staff officer and infantry officer and was wounded and captured at Gettysburg. Swapped in a prisoner exchange in 1864, he commanded an infantry brigade in the Appomattox Campaign up to Lee's surrender.
When peace came, Douglas resumed his law practice and eventually moved to Hagerstown. Governor Oden Bowie appointed him to serve on a commission which created the Washington Confederate Cemetery on South Potomac Street (9 blocks south of here) and re-buried over 2000 Confederate war dead. Active in the Maryland National Guard, Douglas was promoted to Major General and served as the Adjutant General from 1892 to 1896. When America went to war with Spain in 1898, Douglas was one of several former Confederate officers who were considered for the rank of general in the U.S. Army as a means of securing southern support for the war. Dissatisfied with a post offered by President McKinley that carried only the rank of major in the United States Volunteers, he declined the
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appointment.
Douglas lived here from about 1879 until his death in 1903. After his death, his wartime diary was published under the title I Rode With Stonewall, which is considered a major first-person account of service written by a Confederate staff officer.
Subsequent owners modified the house to its current appearance.
Location. 39° 38.832′ N, 77° 42.98′ W. Marker is in Hagerstown, Maryland, in Washington County. Marker is at the intersection of North Potomac Street and West North Avenue, on the right when traveling south on North Potomac Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 405 North Potomac Street, Hagerstown MD 21740, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Douglas, circa 1890 in the uniform of a General in the Maryland National Guard. Inset: A youthful Douglas before the Civil War.
Close-up of photos on marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 22, 2017
4. Captain Douglas and Belle Boyd
Captain Douglas receiving intelligence about Union troops from Belle Boyd, a spy, prior to the Battle of Front Royal in May 1862. This intelligence resulted in the capture of most of the 1st Maryland Infantry (Union). “La Belle Rebelle” by John Paul Strain,
courtesy of the artist.
Close-up of painting on marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 22, 2017
5. 405 North Potomac Street
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 27, 2017
6. Henry Kyd Douglas' Gravestone Elmwood Cemetery Shepherdstown W. Va.
CSA
Henry Kyd Douglas
1838—1903
Staff Officer
of
Stonewall Jackson
Credits. This page was last revised on September 1, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 322 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 23, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 6. submitted on August 28, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.