monocacy national battlefield

Though it was a little-known event, it seems this battle had as much influence on the outcome of the Civil War as Shiloh or Vicksburg. The visitor center is small & intimate, but informative.The day we were there, a re-enactment of the cannon fire was the big draw; but it will be a pleasant visit any day the weather is decent.

One of the best Civil War battlefield presentations we've ever been to. We spent two hours in the museum alone. Then did the hike/walks and the auto tour. Truly illuminating.

The Battle here probably saved Wash DC from a serious attack by Rebel forces. Start at the Visitor's center. Very well done and informative displays. Auto tour had only 5 stops but it was well marked and had good directions.

This is where Jubal Early's raid on Washington went south as it were, thanks to Lew Walace's very effective holding action. It was by Civil War standards a smallish battle but the scale makes it easier to follow the action than some of the larger, more convoluted engagements.The starting place for the intrepid battlefield historian/tourist is the visitor's center, which coincidently (or perhaps not) is on the site where the battle itself started. There is a small second floor museum with some artifacts (captured confederate battle flag, Lew Wallace's uniform, etc.) and interpretive displays. One very useful stop is the interactive diorama of the battlefield with a sequence of lighted markers that walks the viewer through the key elements of the battle. Downstairs is a small shop with various trinkets for sale and nice selection of books on the battle and related elements of Civil War history (the B&O railroad, Fort Stevens - where Jubal's raid met its final end, Washington's Civil War forts, etc.).From the visitor's center, one can proceed on a brief driving tour of the battlefield. As it was a smaller engagement, there are only five stops spread over a couple miles (more or less), Two of these are the Best and Worthington farms. The farm houses still exist, but aren't open to the public (at least when we were there), but there are some handy signs though that describe what happened. There also are some walking trails that one can take, but the one at the Worthington farm was poorly marked (at least we couldn't figure it out) so we missed seeing the ford of the river where the Confederates crossed in force. The trail at the last stop was easier to follow (also much shorter) which was a good thing as it provided a vantage point to see both the site of the covered bridge torched by Wallace to prevent it falling into Confederate hands and the railroad bridge which served as the escape route for the Union troops. As at many battlefields, many states whose units were engaged here built monuments after the war. The largest honoring the New Jersey contingent is at the first stop. Although not stops on the driving tour, eagle eyed drivers may want to keep an eye out for some of other state memorials (Vermont, Pennsylvania, etc.) along the road while driving between stops, not to mention the distinctive triangular railroad junction which was a key landmark and objective of the original battlefield (you can spot it from the bridge on Rt. 355 off to one side of the roadway). Frederick itself is very interesting - while in the area be sure to visit Francis Scott Keys' grave/monument and the county museum.

Much to see and do. People there are extremely knowledgeable and very gracious. Assissted with directions to other sites of intrest. Museum was spectacular and really explains what happened there during the civil war.

Nice museum, easy and quick to see. Easier than a lot of Civil War Battlefields to understand the lay out and the movement of the troops. Probably the best description of how the troops moved around is in the museum. Take the time to see the exhibit.

My husband is a Civil War buff and we have visited MANY battlefields. When he said he wanted to go to Monocacy, I was expecting a small blip in the road. I couldn't have been more wrong. The Visitor's Center was very nice and the museum upstairs was very informative, well laid out and interesting. Loved the electric light display of the battle! Dan, the volunteer at the front desk, was so helpful. The stops on the auto tour were well marked and easy to find. Very pleasantly surprised and will definitely visit again.

While in the Frederick, MD area, I was looking forward to learning more about this key battlefield - who knows whether Washington DC would have become a battle ground. The museum was very informative, and the timeline display was very well done. I would recommend to everyone interested to learn more, whether a buff or a casual visitor.

We stopped off at Monacacy Battlefield on our way through Frederick, MD. It's not far from downtown so it's worth the stop. The museum, although relatively small, is better than the auto tour. Nice exhibits and the diorama depicting the progress of the battle is cool. It was nice to see older technology rather than every modern and digital.The auto tour has five stops. There are some worthwhile stops (the Best Farm and Worthington Farm) but at two of the other stops there was little to see (such as stop 5). There is a pond at here but not much else. The building is an administration building and off limits. Stop two is a monument near the river/bridge crossing. Be extra cautious pulling back out onto the road as traffic can be heavy and moving pretty quickly. If we weren't in a hurry we could have spent a bit more time in the museum and out at the farms. Take a little time and explore. I don't know how much we might have missed.

Did the museum and battlefield tour on our recent trip to Frederick Maryland. The tour was quick but interesting.I love to learn more about the Civil War trails. The museum was small but packed with information and took me a lot longer to go through than anticipated. Well laid out and excellently done. Hard to believe how much they got into that small building.

We were able to enjoy this battlefield during the course of visiting the area and stopping at several of the bigger named sites such as Antietam.

Stopped at the Monocacy National Battlefield visitor center on 7/20/14. Very nicely done! We didn't get to walk any of the trails or do the driving self-tour guide (they provide maps) because time didn't allow. But, I look forward to returning for the tour.

Stopped here on the way to Harpers Ferry, Nice visitor center, book store, and exibits. Small driving tour and hiking trails through scenic country side.

Compared to Harpers Ferry, Antietam, this is just ok. Poor signing from the main highways, low level of interactive maos in the visitor centre. Good parking, friendly staff, but overshadowed by its superb neighbours.

For the size a real nice visitor center. If you enjoy Civil war history a good battlefield to visit. Very enjoyable.!