McNeill's Raid

McNeill's Raid (HM4DU)

Location: Cumberland, MD 21502 Allegany County
Buy Maryland State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 39° 39.133', W 78° 45.546'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 987 views
Inscription

Capture of Crook and Kelly

In the predawn darkness of February 21, 1865, Confederate Lt. Jesse McNeill and his partisan (guerrilla) rangers rode into Cumberland from the west on this road. Unlike most raiderswho targeted the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad for attack, McNeill had other targets in mind: Union Gens. Benjamin F. Kelley, who commanded the troops guarding the railroad, and George Crook.

McNeill's men overpowered two guardunits and deceived others who challenged themby claiming, to be scouts from New Creek, west oftown. One group rode to the Barnum Hotel andrushed upstairs to Kelley's door, where they "persuaded" his adjutant to admit them. Once inside, they rudely awakened Kelley, ordered him todress, and marched him and the adjutant downstairs. Other rangers occupied the Revere House and knocked on Crook's locked door. When Crook invited them inside, ranger Joseph Vandiver entered with a light in one hand and a pistol in the other. He identified himself to Crook as Confederate Gen. Thomas L. Rosser, perhaps to make surrender more palatable, and told Crook, "You are in my power, and you have two minutes in which to dress. There are your clothes; either put them on or go without."

Leaving town, McNeill's rangers and their prisoners rode west on Baltimore Street, then turned left on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canaltowpath. At Wiley's Ford, they crossed the Potomac River into West Virginia. McNeill's daring raidstunned Federal officials, who quickly arranged a prisoner exchange for the two generals.
Details
HM NumberHM4DU
Series This marker is part of the Maryland Civil War Trails series
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, September 27th, 2014 at 1:20am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 692258 N 4391557
Decimal Degrees39.65221667, -78.75910000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 39.133', W 78° 45.546'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 39' 7.98" N, 78° 45' 32.76" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)301, 240
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 154-168 Baltimore St, Cumberland MD 21502, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. What year was the marker erected?
  8. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?