Capturing Joe Hooker - Sykesville, MD - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

The plaque says, "In June 1863, as Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia marched north, Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s Confederate cavalry rode east of the main army. Soon, Federal cavalry hunted Stuart. Before dawn on June 29, several former area residents guided Stuart’s column north from Cooksville. At Old Frederick Road (present-day State Rte. 99) the force divided, and elements ranged east to Sykesville and Marriottsville.

Gen. Fitzhugh Lee’s brigade continued north on Washington Road to Hood’s Mill and occupied the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad there, cutting telegraph lines to disrupt communications between Frederick and Washington. Stuart soon learned that Gen. Joseph Hooker had been relieved of command of the Army of the Potomac the day before at Frederick and might return to Washington on a special train about 10:30 a.m. that day. The Confederates burned a small wooden bridge over Piney Branch about half a mile east of Hood’s Mill and tore up several sections of track to stop the train and capture Hooker. An alert engineer on an earlier train spotted them, however, and backed up to Frederick to warn Hooker, thereby thwarting the scheme."

Group that erected the marker: Civil War Trails Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Sykesville, MD URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   06/01/2022 Don.Morfe visited it 03/15/2020 Searcher28 visited it

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