Battle of Westminster Part 3 With Licensed Battlefield Guide Hope Coates

Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Hope Coates is our host for this series on Westminster. She is standing south of the Church of the Ascension, an Episcopal Church in Westminster, Maryland. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009

Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Hope Coates continues our series on the Battle of Westminster, Maryland. This short fight, was one of those important events that contributed to the delay of Major-General J.E.B. Stuart's Confederate cavalry from reaching Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia before the Battle of Gettysburg began. Hope is a native of Westminster, and has been a Licensed Battlefield Guide since 2006. In our first post Hope introduced us to Westminster, J.E.B. Stuart's movements, and showed us the location of the railroad. In our second Westminster post she showed us where the fighting occurred through the streets of Westminster. In today's post she talks about the aftermath of the battle including some soldiers' burial locations.

This map shows the location of where our Westminster videos were produced. Video #1 was on the campus of McDaniel College, now known as College Hill. Video #2 was taken on near the railroad. Videos #3 and #4 were taken at the wayside markers at the Mary Shellman House. Videos #5 and #6 were taken at the intersection of East Main Street and the Washington Road. Video #7 was taken across the street from the Mary Shellman House. Video #8 was taken in the back yard of the Church of the Ascension on Court Street. Video #9 was taken east of the Carroll County Courthouse. Video #10 was taken in the Westminster City Cemetery. This map was created facing north at approximately 5:00 PM on Sunday, June 28, 2009.

An 1862 map of Westminster, Maryland. This map, which is oriented to the northwest, was scanned at approximately 4:00 PM on Wednesday, June 17, 2009.

The Church of the Ascension, located at 23 North Court Street, was founded in 1844. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

We are looking at the back of the Church of the Ascension. The red bricks of the Carroll County Courthouse are in the right background. Hope is pointing to the grave of a Confederate buried near the large tree, Confederate Lieutenant John William Murray. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Hope Coates is standing by the two grave markers for Lieutenant John William Murray of the 4th Virginia Cavalry Regiment. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

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In Video #8 (Videos #1-7 were shown in our previous Westminster posts) Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Hope Coates explains where the four soldiers killed during the Battle of Westminster were first buried, and where only Lieutenant Murray still remains in Westminster. This view was taken facing southeast to northwest to southeast at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

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In Video #6 Licensed Battlefield Guide Hope Coates discusses how Captain Charles Corbit of the 1st Delaware Cavalry led his soldiers against the 4th Virginia Cavalry. This view was taken facing northwest to southwest at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

The modern stone for Lieutenant Murray... This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

... and his original stone. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

Lieutenant William St. Pierre Gibson of Company D of the 4th Virginia Cavalry was the other Confederate killed during the battle of Westminster. He was buried in the Church of the Ascension Cemetery until 1867 when his brother moved his body to Culpeper, Virginia. This is an image taken before the Civil War.

The Carroll County Courthouse at 101 North Court Street is located near the Church of the Ascension. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

As Hope shows us, there are some War Department tablets in front of (southwest of) the Courthouse. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

This tablet shows the movements of the Army of the Potomac on June 29, 1863, the same day as the Battle of Westminster. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

The other tablet documents Buford's cavalry division arriving in Westminster. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

There are also some Maryland Civil War waysides at the Courthouse. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

A closer view of the "Divided Loyalties" wayside. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

This drawing depicts how the Carroll County Courthouse looked in the 1830s. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

The wayside also informs the reader that the gun of Battery B, 1st Rhode Island (Brown's Battery) which had the cannon ball stuck in the muzzle was brought here following the battle of Gettysburg. It is now on display in the State House at Providence, Rhode Island. Unfortunately, this wayside mistakenly perpetuates the myth that a Confederate artillery round is lodged in the muzzle. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

The other wayside describes the "Aftermath of the Battle" which Hope describes to you in this post and our previous Westminster post. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

Licensed Battlefield Guide Hope Coates has now moved to the northwest side of the Courthouse by a marker to the Battle of Westminster. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

The marker, honoring both sides that fought here, was erected in 2006. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

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In Video #9 Hope Coates discusses the importance of the Battle of Westminster. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

We have now moved into the Westminster City Cemetery, which was originally the home to the Union Meeting House, which stood on the site shown here. This view was taken facing north at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

Here is a picture of the Union Meeting House which was taken just before the structure was demolished in 1892. This view was taken facing north in 1892.

The Union Meeting House was used as a hospital during the Gettysburg Campaign. Here is the interior of the building before it was demolished in 1892. This view was taken facing northeast in 1892.

There are five soldiers involved with the Gettysburg Campaign buried in this section of the Westminster Cemetery. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

Behind the soldiers' gravestones, we are looking at the top of the hill where the Union Meeting House once stoody. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Hope Coates is standing by the five soldiers. Notice how the stone in the middle is new. This view was taken facing south at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

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In Video #10 Hope Coates gives us some background on some of the soldiers buried here. This view was taken facing south at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

We'll look at the gravestones of the soldiers buried here from left to right. This is the stone of Private R.H. Clark of Company B of the 7th Maine Infantry Regiment. Clark died in Westminster on June 30, 1863 at the age of 24 years. This view was taken facing south at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

Mary Shellman placing a flag and flowers at the gravesite of Private R.H. Clark of the 7th Maine Infantry Regiment. This picture was taken on Memorial Day circa 1890.

William Frazier of Company F of the 7th Maryland Infantry Regiment (USA) died in Westminster in 1864. This view was taken facing south at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

The stone for Ernest Koehler was erected by the Pipe Creek Civil War Round Table in 2007. This view was taken facing south at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

Malachi Buckley served in Company D of the Irish Brigade's 69th New York Infantry Regiment. This view was taken facing south at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

2nd Lieutenant Orville T. Andrews of Company C of the 15th Illinois Infantry Regiment died in 1884 at the age of 43. The 15th Illinois was in the Army of the Tennessee. This view was taken facing south at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

To see other posts by Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guides, click here.