"1st Maryland Regiment (UNION)" Topic

Trying to find some info on which division and brigade this unit was assigned to at the battle of Front Royal in 1862 in Bank's V corps(later XII). I know that they were opposed by their confederate conterparts at the battle but can't find an OOB for this action.

IIRC they were unattached to any specific brigade but operated under the direction of General Richard S. Ewell.

How about the Union 1st Maryland regiment?

It is an usual day that finds Scott being tripped up on an ACW question. May we not come to rue this date!
1st Bde (Donnelly's), 1st Div (Alpheus Williams').See Cozzens, Shenandoah 1862 for recent telling.

I used to belong to a group of living historians that represented the 1st MD US. There is an interesting story about the 1st Md at Front Royal. The official history of the regiment talked about the flag being torn up and distributed so as not to be captured. I believe that it was in the late 1980's or early 1990's that the flag, intact, was found in Richmond. Gotta love it.

Apparently the 1st Md was somewhat lax in its posting pickets and securing it's position at Front Royal allowing Jackson's forces to basically sweep them up.

I believe the two 1st Maryland regiments met again at Culp's Hill. If not, I'm sure someone will correct me.

They also faced each other at Sharpsburg in '62, and the monument honoring both units, erected by the state of Maryland, is located about 50 yards, or so across the road from the Dunker Church.

Paul

Sorry!

I was thinking of the Rebel 1st MD when I answered. Didn't read the question well enough!

LOL!

Scott – no problem, probably wasn't obvious in my question.

Vtsogames, I believe they were both engaged at Culp's Hill. The Rebel 1st Maryland had become the 2nd MD though and there were two Union MD 1st battalions (1st Maryland Potomac Home Brigade and 1st Maryland Eastern Shore). Don't know if either of these two units were descended from the 1st MD Union at Front Royal though.

Can't wait to visit the battlefield and see the monuments to these units first hand.

I'm a member of the 1st Maryland US reenacting unit. firstmdus.net

"there were two Union MD 1st battalions (1st Maryland Potomac Home Brigade and 1st Maryland Eastern Shore). Don't know if either of these two units were descended from the 1st MD Union at Front Royal though."

No, they are separate units. The eastern shore unit is well, from the eastern shore of Maryland. It was interesting as it contained a number of pro-union slave owners. PHB is a militia unit from the Frederick Maryland area initially tasked with guarding the river and had many pro-union Virginians in the ranks. Later the 1st PHB became a campaigning unit and ended it's service as the 13th Maryland volunteer. The 1st Maryland US volunteer was formed in 1861 in Baltimore.

The story about the flag torn up at Front Royal was from the men of the unit and presented in the official history, link after the war. There isn't an explanation about why the story doesn't jive with the truth other than the men were afraid of their wives and lied. (The lost flag was paid for and presented to the unit by the ladies of West Baltimore.) Later the "Maryland" colony in the city of San Francisco, California provided the unit a new flag.

While the battle of Front Royal was lopsided and started out poorly for the 1st, the unit achieved it's objective of warning the rest of the Union Army and stalling Jackson. In addition, the wounding of Colonel Kenly (Maryland's great hero from the Mexican War) and the rough treatment of the prisoners had a profound affect in Baltimore. From that point forward Maryland was truly on the Union side.

The 1st MD was not at Antietam. The prisoners were in the the Steamer Vanderbilt on the James river heading to camp parole, Annapolis. The non-capture part of the unit was apart of the Baltimore defenses. I believe the 1st PHB was there.

During the battle at Culp's hill, the 1st Maryland vol was at Frederick Maryland. They had just recently been reformed to full strength with the return to health of the Front Royal prisoners. They took part in the chase of Lee back into Virginia and became the hub veteran unit of the Maryland brigade in the Overland campaign. Interesting, the unit was present when the rebel Marylanders were crushed at Five Forks.

I have an answer to the question of the lost flag from the Maryland historian Daniel Toomey. It appears that company "H" had it's own set of colors. These might be the ones that were torn up. The one in Richmond was the one presented by the Baltimore Ladies. This flag has multiple documented stories. In one it was found the the unit's abandoned camp. In another, it was hidden in the house of a Miss McKay. Anyway, She presented the flag to Confederate General Bradley T Johnson of the rebel 1st MD at the 1880 dedication of the Maryland monument in the Winchester Cemetery. Johnson offered the flag to Kenly. He declined the offer. It then went to the new Richmond museum.

In 1891, Johnson was a Pallbearer at Kenly's funeral. Many veterans from both Maryland units were present.