Engagement at Burkittsville
Historical Background Information

 General History of Maryland

Maryland,"the weeping maiden, bound and fettered, seeking relief"

Baltimore Riots - April 1861, when Federals entered Baltimore a riot ensued. A secessionists call was made for help: "Streets red with Maryland blood!" Militias were formed to aid the conflict.

Frederick - Secession was a hotly debated subject in the legislature. But, this soon ended with an order by Pres. Lincoln in September 1861. This order was given to the Third Wisconsin Infantry along with detectives to arrest the legislature in Frederick, which came under martial law. A flourishing of arrests occurred not only in Frederick but from Baltimore to the western counties.

Treason Bill and the Ensuing Arrests - In 1862 the treason bill was enacted. This bill provided penalties for assisting the "enemy." Fear deprived freedom in Maryland citizens not only in the philosophical sense but truthful knowledge of the incarcerations at Fort McHenry. Few women had been arrested and therefore they were more vocal of their secessionist support than their male counterpart.

Divided State - Confederate and Union regiments were formed during the Civil War. In 1861 the First Maryland Infantry was organized with Company H being the recruits of Frederick as well as the First Regiment of the Potomac Home Brigade. As politically divided as the state was, communities became segmented, neighbors no longer trusted one another and kept themselves secluded, churches divided, and family members alienated one another.

This small farming community consists of two churches, a courtroom, production houses (tannery, loom house, and pottery), and shops (tailor shop). The battle of Crampton's Gap began on Sunday. Those townspeople who decided not to flee before the invasion were attending morning worship when the shelling began on Burkittsville. Fleeing to their homes, they stood at doorways and windows to wave handkerchiefs and flags at the union soldiers entering town. Confederates invaded homes at the base of the mountain but the federals overcame each and ran the rebels up the steep incline to Crampton's Gap. Civilians gathered together on their house rooftops to watch the battle unveil. By evening the gap was under the control of the union army, and makeshift hospitals were established throughout Burkittsville and surrounding farmhouses to handle the casualties. Hundreds were wounded and several hundred confederates were captured during the conflict. Those civilians who had fled returned to assess the damage of their property and wander through the carnage of the battlefield, and yet others were more inclined to scavenge the area for souvenirs. Some of these scavengers met with resistance but the majority took whatever they could carry. At the hospitals women gathered to aid with dressing wounds, the Christian Women's Society aided incoming wounded by gathering medical supplies in the nearby tailor shop, and others fearing that confederate wounded were not being attended to asked for permission to take them home to care for them. What wounded could survive the travel were sent to the Hessian barracks in Frederick, Maryland which was made into a hospital for wounded federals or others were sent farther to Baltimore.

Ernst, Kathleen A. , Too Afraid to Cry: Maryland Civilians in the Antietam Campaign. (Stackpole Books: Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania) 1999.

Reese, Timothy J., Sealed With Their Lives: The Battle for Crampton's Gap. (Butternut and Blue: Baltimore, Maryland) 1998.

Click here for Excerpts from "The Sun" (Baltimore newspaper) through September 17, 1862