FOX GAP -- George Brigham Jr. climbs to the crest of a ridge near Reno Monument Road and stops beside an old stone wall nearly hidden in a cluster of trees.
He peers out at a deserted field, and in his mind sees . . . soldiers in blue and gray . . . firing, fighting . . . a battle.
No wonder. This stone wall provided cover for a small force of Confederate soldiers during the better part of a warm September day 132 years ago. These soldiers fought a continual assault from Union troops, who were trying to wrest control of a natural passage here -- one of three across formidable South Mountain.
A blood bath ensued. Union troops climbed the rocky, steep ridge -- some carrying 90-pound backpacks -- only to meet volleys of Confederate fire. Soldiers, most of them from Ohio and North Carolina, resorted to hand-to-hand combat.
In letters and diaries, many would recall the Battle of South Mountain as producing some of the fiercest fighting of the Civil War.
The Union and Confederacy lost generals here. About 4,600 soldiers from both sides became casualties. Two future U.S. presidents -- Rutherford B. Hayes, who was wounded, and William B. McKinley -- were part of the Union assault.
Mr. Brigham, a cabinetmaker and former building contractor, is waging his own battle in the same place. It's a sometimes creative, sometimes controversial effort to preserve the South Mountain battlefield, a couple of thousand acres stretching along the ridge that divides Frederick and Washington counties and supports the Appalachian Trail.
In most Civil War histories, the Battle of South Mountain is a footnote, overshadowed by the horrific carnage that occurred during the Battle of Antietam three days later outside the small town of Sharpsburg nearby.
"South Mountain was the first major battle in Maryland," said Steven Stotelmyer, an engineer from Downsville who is writing a book about the battle.
The battle's significance was lost even on Mr. Brigham, now the battlefield's would-be protector and promoter, until he found Civil War artifacts, including military buttons and medicine bottles, on his property. Through research, he found that his 182-year-old red brick house -- on the Old National Pike at the mountain's eastern end -- served as a hospital during the battle.
Then he learned that about 35,000 men -- 25,000 Union soldiers and 10,000 Confederate soldiers -- engaged in the battle on Sept. 14, 1862.
That's more than fought at the Battle of Monocacy. The Monocacy site is now a national battlefield southeast of Frederick. South Mountain's casualties exceeded those of the better-known first Battle of Bull Run (or "first Manassas," as some call the Northern Virginia battle) the year before.
Lost opportunity
South Mountain became a battlefield quite by circumstance.
The rugged and sometimes thickly wooded ridge, rising as much as 1,000 feet, was a natural defense for the invading Confederates on its western side, who were seeking to replenish supplies from towns in the area. A small force of rebel soldiers lined the ridge to monitor Union troops known to be in the Frederick area. But heavy fighting broke out as Union troops -- some marching from Frederick that day -- tried to clear Confederates from three passes, Fox's Gap, Crampton's Gap and Turner's Gap. Despite being badly outnumbered, the rebels delayed the Union troops and finally left the mountain under cover of darkness.
Some historians contend that South Mountain, though deemed a Union victory, was really a lost opportunity for Union Gen. George B. McClellan, who often was hesitant to commit his soldiers to battle.
In this case, despite having superior numbers, he kept most of his troops in reserve, not pushing on despite knowing that Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's army was divided on the other side of the ridge. McClellan's soldiers also had found Lee's plans, known as the "lost order," while at camp in Frederick.
A McClellan decision to pursue the rebels "could have very well resulted in the destruction of the Army of Northern Virginia," Mr. Stotelmyer said. "Lee had split his army up in five pieces, as much as 25 miles apart. If the Union army had gotten the chance to get over the mountain. . . ."
Mr. Brigham's efforts to preserve the battlefield began in earnest five years ago when he learned that the owners of a 9.5-acre tract near the monument to Union Gen. Jesse Reno, one of two generals killed during the battle, wanted to subdivide and sell the property.
He called together a group of friends and preservationists who formed the Central Maryland Heritage League Inc., bent not only on preserving the battlefield but also other sites in Middletown Valley. The group bought the parcel next to the Reno monument.
Since then, the group has bought 17 acres on the eastern base of South Mountain on Alternate U.S. 40, also known as the Old National Pike. That parcel includes a 19th-century stone house that served as an inn and tavern for pike travelers.
The state Board of Public Works recently authorized spending nearly $200,000 to acquire an easement that will conserve a 97-acre farm near Fox's Gap where some of the battle's most intense fighting occurred.
To finance land purchases, the group has launched some creative fund-raising campaigns. For instance, it sells honorary square feet of the battlefield for $25 each. That effort has attracted buyers from across the nation and around the world and helped raise about $125,000. The group now sells honorary square feet on either Union or Confederate ground.
The group hopes to benefit from the sale of Civil War Battlefield commemorative coins next spring. The Civil War Trust, a nonprofit group established to preserve battlefields, expects the Mint coins to raise millions of dollars.
"People like George and the Central Maryland Heritage League are the foot soldiers of the preservation movement," said Edgar HTC M. Andrews III, executive vice president of the Civil War Trust who toured South Mountain recently. "They understand the ins and outs of what took place. We hope these coins create a lot of interest and can benefit places like South Mountain."
Mr. Stotelmyer said the group also has been successful in persuading the state to buy development rights on relevant pieces of property. So far, the state holds development rights on about 500 acres. The land remains in private hands, but the owners have received compensation for not developing their property.
More to be done
Mr. Brigham estimates that 1,500 to 2,000 more acres need to be preserved.
In its quest to preserve the battlefield, the Central Maryland Heritage League is not only up against development, but also some landowners who want to sell at high prices and other
property owners who don't want to see tourists invade the still largely rural area.
On the other hand, Mr. Brigham doesn't envision establishing a national battlefield, on, say, the scale of Antietam or Gettysburg. Instead, much of South Mountain will likely remain in private hands, he hopes.
What his group would like to do is open certain areas for interpretation and views.
"We're not going to attract the Gettysburg crowd," Mr. Brigham said. "We're going to get real Civil War buffs -- people studying the war and people whose ancestors fought or were killed here.
"We're not only saving a battlefield," he said. "We're also saving farms -- agricultural lands and green space."