Brunswick Formerly Berlin - Brunswick MD
Posted by: Don.Morfe
N 39° 18.734 W 077° 37.669
18S E 273440 N 4354719
Union troops pursuing the Confederate army to Virginia after the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 crossed the Potomac River here. Called Berlin at the time of the Civil War, this town truly experienced the challenges of life on the border.
Waymark Code: WM15AYR
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 11/26/2021
Views: 0
TEXT on the Historic Marker:
Brunswick Formerly Berlin— Gettysburg Campaign —
Union troops pursuing the Confederate army to Virginia after the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 crossed the Potomac River here. Called Berlin at the time of the Civil War, this town truly experienced the challenges of life on the border. Both the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad here were military targets. The town would be relocated, grow and gain its new name as the railroad achieved greater commercial influence after the war. Still, it was an important military communications link during the conflict. Frequent Confederate track-wrecking incursions required Union troops and railroad crews to repair ruined bridges rapidly. Wartime interruptions to canal traffic brought financial hardship to many local citizens. The wooden covered bridge here, completed a few years before the war, was destroyed at the onset of hostilities in 1861 along with bridges at Point of Rocks and Harpers Ferry. In October 1862, a pontoon bridge was constructed near the ruins of the destroyed bridge to allow Gen. George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac to pursue Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia after the Battle of Antietam. Those pontoons were removed to Fredericksburg, Virginia, in November 1862, to allow Union troops to cross the Rappahannock River. A pair of pontoon bridges was installed here in July 1863, this time with Gen. George G. Meade leading the Army of the Potomac across its namesake river in pursuit of Lee.
Type of site: Transportation Route or Facility
Address: 100 South Maple Street Brunswick, MD United States 21716
Admission Charged: No Charge
Website: [Web Link]
Phone Number: Not listed
Driving Directions: Not listed
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