The Old Liner - BCWRT Newsletter

The border state of Maryland was not the scene of large number of Civil War battles, however, some of those battles (like Monocracy) had a major impact on the status of the war in general and the ideology of the entire nation. One such battle was Fox’s Gap.

Join the Baltimore Civil War Roundtable (BCWRT) on Tuesday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. as we feature author Curtis L. Older in a presentation of his book, Hood's Defeat Near Fox's Gap: Prelude to Emancipation. The meeting will take place at the Parkville Senior Center, 8601 Harford Rd, Parkville, MD 21234. (Enter parking lot from Hiss Ave. Use rear entrance to Center.)

Curtis Older details this action, part of the September 14, 1862 Battle of South Mountain, rebuffing a significant amount of incorrect material published about this battle, this new account of the battle of South Mountain gives the reader the opportunity to re-examine and re-interpret the Maryland campaign. As a prelude to the Battle of Antietam, The United States ultimately received Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

One can order autographed hardbound copies of the Hood's Defeat Near Fox's Gap: Prelude to Emancipation for $20 and delivered to your home via Curt Older, 2417 Kinmere Drive, Gastonia, NC 28056.

Remember, come join us on Tuesday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. as we feature author Curtis L. Older in a presentation of his book, Hood's Defeat Near Fox's Gap: Prelude to Emancipation.

If you can't attend in person, register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvcu2qrD0jGNFAFUUs1kwE6jlfY-JbtDIC

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Minutes

Our April meeting was our 476th. The meeting had 7 in-person attendees and 13 participants through Zoom. There were also 3 nonmembers–Cliff Dawson and Dave and Luke Rodgers–who attended and expressed interest in becoming members.

Our speaker was Curtis Older. Mr. Older discussed issues related to the Battle of South Mountain–particularly Fox’s Gap–covered in his book entitled: Hood’s Defeat Near Fox’s Gap: Prelude to Emancipation. Mr. Older has spent the past 35 years researching Fox’s Gap (including its history outside of the Civil War), and has written several books on the subject.

Mr. Older discussed his research methods, particularly the use of evidence. He cited rules laid down by Elizabeth Shown Mills in her book entitled Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian. These included: 1.) documentation (statements of fact which are not common knowledge must be supported by a reference) and 2.) analyzing evidence (the most reliable accounts of an event are from those with firsthand knowledge of the event).

Mr. Older said he found no evidence to support the contention of Ezra Carman, Joseph Harsh, and others that Confederate General John Bell Hood and his two brigades attacked near the Wise Cabin or Miller’s Field. However, he found three primary sources that provided evidence that a soldier in the 23rd North Carolina was responsible for the death of Union General Jesse Reno–not a soldier from a unit under Hood’s command, as has been claimed. Mr. Older said that a quote from Union General Jacob Cox supports the notion that the battle ended at “Cox’s Intersection”--an area half a mile west of Fox’s Gap, at the intersection of Moser Road and Park Hall Road.

Mr. Older said that many authors don’t emphasize the role of artillery in the battle, arguing that Hood couldn’t have “taken” any land in the area of the Wise Field and Wood Road, given the presence of Durrell’s six-gun Union battery as well as an additional six Union cannon in the area. He emphasized the importance of the mountainous terrain on which the battle was fought, stating that the “Crest of the Heights,” the highest point on Moser Road (and west of the Mountain House on Turner’s Gap), is critical in identifying where Hood and his men were on the battlefield.

Mr. Older argued that other authors have not adequately identified the Union objective in the battle, saying that that objective was NOT to go north along Wood Road and attack at Turner’s Gap. He cited a quote from Union General Alfred Pleasonton in which Pleasonton said there were two roads–one on the right and one on the left of Turner’s Gap–that would “...assist us materially in turning the enemy’s position on both flanks.” Mr. Older identified these as Zittlestown Road and Moser Road–not the Old Hagerstown Road nor the Old Sharpsburg Road. These two roads connect with the Old National Pike west of Turner’s Gap. With Union troops taking either of these intersections, combined with their control of Cox’s Intersection, the Confederates would be forced to retreat through Boonsboro.

In his analysis of Hood’s advance, Mr. Older noted that Hood said he wanted to get as far as possible toward the Union left flank. Mr. Older said that previous authors misunderstood Hood’s

statement that “The night closed in…with the mountain, on the right, within our lines.” ALL other authors, he said, interpreted this to mean “with the mountain on the (Confederate) right flank within our lines.” But, he argued, what Hood actually meant was “with the mountain on ‘my’ right within our lines.” The mountain on Hood’s right, Mr. Older said, was actually the West Ridge.

Mr. Older argued that a “solid case” can be made that the battle of South Mountain, rather than Antietam, was what prompted Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. On September 13, the day before South Mountain was fought, the president had said he would issue the preliminary proclamation if the Union won the next battle. According to Mr. Older, South Mountain was an “overwhelming” Union victory while Antietam was merely a draw. He also noted that four presidents were at Fox’s Gap “on business”–George Washington, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley, and Abraham Lincoln.