The Rosser Raid- Westminster MD - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

TEXT from the Marker-The Rosser Road "Welcome into my home!"
— Antietam Campaign 1862 —

(Preface) After Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's smashing victory over Union Gen. John Pope at the Second Battle of Manassas, Lee decided to invade Maryland to reap the fall harvest, gain Confederate recruits, earn foreign recognition of the Confederacy, and perhaps compel the Union to sue for peace. The Army of the Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac River on September 4, 1862. Lee divided his force, detaching Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's corps to capture Harpers Ferry. At Antietam Creek on September 17, Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac fought Lee's men to a bloody draw. Lee retreated to Virginia September 18-19.

(Main Text) In the early evening darkness of September 11, 1862, Confederate Col. Thomas L. Rosser, 5th Virginia Cavalry, led several hundred cavalrymen on a sudden and unexpected raid into Westminster. Rosser and his men had departed from New Market early in the morning. They rode into Westminster on Liberty Street, then known as Goose Pond Lane. Artillery Capt. James Breathed, a Maryland native, accompanied the cavalrymen with one cannon. During the occupation of Westminster, the gun was positioned in the fork of West Main Street and Pennsylvania avenue facing the railroad.

The Southern-sympathizing townspeople greeted the troopers warmly, and the cavalier colonel was the center of attention. Graciously, he gave the gushing citizens tokens of remembrance including uniform buttons, signatures, and hairs cut from his horse's mane. Rosser had captured the steed from Union Gen. John Pope a few weeks earlier.

Col. John Brooke Boyle welcomed Rosser and his staff into his home for dinner with his family. The stately residence served as Rosser's headquarters for the night. The rest of Rosser's command bivouacked on John Street. The Odd Fellows Hall at 140 East Main Street, which was serving as the armory for the Carroll Guards Militia, was broken into during the night and the contents vandalized. The next day, the Confederates rode out of Westminster in the direction of South Mountain.

Boyle's house is known as Rosser's Choice to this day.

Type of site: Historic Home Address: Intersection of West Main Street and Carroll Street, Westminster, MD United States 21157 Admission Charged: No Charge Website: [Web Link] Phone Number: Not listed Driving Directions: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/26/2021 Searcher28 visited it 08/25/2021 Don.Morfe visited it

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