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our website. We are getting it ready for the
sesquicentennial of the American
Civil War. |
Welcome to the website of the Monterey Pass Battlefield Association.
The Monterey Pass Battlefield Association is comprised of individuals,
living historians and community organizations whose main goal is to
educate, to interpret and to
preserve the battle of Monterey
Pass through various programs and activites. These programs include
journalism, lectures, special interpretative programs and living histories. The
association's purpose is to honor the memory of the men, both Union
and Confederate, who fought during the night of July 4th into the
early morning hours of July 5th, 1863. This battle proved to be very
difficult as it was during a blinding thunderstorm and included many
citizens of the area who participated in the fight, serving as guides.
Many
engagements were fought during the Pennsylvania Campaign that are
often overlooked. One of those engagements is the battle of Monterey
Pass, which is the second largest battle in Pennsylvania and was the
only battle that was fought on both sides of the Mason and Dixon Line,
taking place in four counties, Frederick and Washington Counties,
Maryland and Adams and Franklin Counties, Pennsylvania. Being a direct
route to the Potomac River, Monterey Pass was used by the bulk of the
Confederate Army during it’s withdraw from Gettysburg.
After
the Civil War, the
community
of Monterey expanded, becoming a resort town for wealthy families who
spent their summers in the area to escape the heat of the big city.
This is a prime example of a developed battlefield and how housing and
expansion leads to the deterioration of these Civil War battlefields.
In 1890, during this resort era Lt. Colonel Walter H. Taylor moved to
Cascade during the summer. He would talk about the Monterey area where
he and General Lee took a break from the retreat long enough to watch
a portion of his army march back to the Potomac. Today the Taylor
residence is operated as a bed and breakfast called the Cascade Inn.
