The 1st Regiment Maryland Volunteer Infantry was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

that served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Service

The 1st Maryland was organized at

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and 4 companies (A, B, C and D) were mustered into Union service on May 16, 1861. The regiment moved to Relay House on the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

where additional companies (E, F, G, H, I and K) were mustered between May 25 and May 27. The regiment's first

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

was

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

John Reese Kenly John Reese Kenly (January 11, 1818 – December 20, 1891) was an American lawyer, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Biography Kenly was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1845, but went ...

, a Baltimore attorney who had served in

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

as a major of

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

. When Kenly was promoted to Brigadier Genreral in August 1862, the new regimental commander was Colonel David Leroy Stanton.

Battle of Front Royal

In March 1862 the 1st Maryland was assigned to

Maj. Gen. Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Nathaniel Banks Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War. A millworker by background, Banks was prominent in local debating societies, ...

forces operating in the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

. The regiment was station at

Front Royal Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was 15,011 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. History The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to become F ...

on May 23, 1862, when it was attacked by Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson's Army of the Valley. Surprised and outnumbered, the 1st Maryland put up a stubborn rearguard action during which Col. Kenly was wounded. Union casualties were 83 killed and wounded, and 691 captured. The prisoners were paroled in September 1862. The battle is notable in that the Union 1st Maryland had been attacked by their fellow Marylanders, the Confederate

1st Maryland Infantry, CSA The 1st Maryland Infantry, CSA was a regiment of the Confederate army, formed shortly after the commencement of the American Civil War in April 1861. The unit was made up of volunteers from Maryland who, despite their home state remaining in the U ...

.Maryland Civil War units at www.2ndmdinfantryus.org/csunits.html
Retrieved May 10, 2010 This is the only time in United States military history that two regiments of the same numerical designation and from the same state have engaged each other in battle. After hours of desperate fighting the Southerners emerged victorious. When the prisoners were taken, many men recognized former friends and family. According to J. J. Goldsborough, who would go on to write the history the

Maryland Line The "Maryland Line" was a formation within the Continental Army, formed and authorized by the Second Continental Congress, meeting in the "Old Pennsylvania State House" (later known as "Independence Hall") in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in June 17 ...

in the Confederate Army:

nearly all recognized old friends and acquaintances, whom they greeted cordially, and divided with them the rations which had just changed hands.Goldsborough, J. J., p.58, ''The Maryland Line in the Confederate Army''
Retrieved May 13, 2010

Medal of Honor recipients

* Abel G. Cadwallader : Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 1st Maryland Infantry. : Place and date: At Hatchers Run and Dabneys Mills, Va., 6 February 1865. : Entered service at: : Birth: Baltimore Md. : Date of issue: 5 January 1897. : Citation: Gallantly planted the colors on the enemy's works in advance of the arrival of his regiment. * Joseph Stewart : Rank and organization: Private, Company G, 1st Maryland Infantry. : Place and date. At Five Forks, Va., 1 April 1865. : Entered service at: : Birth: Ireland. : Date of issue: 27 April 1865. : Citation. Capture of a rebel flag. * William Taylor : Rank and organization: Sergeant & Second Lieutenant (Highest Rank: Captain). : Place and date: Front Royal & Weldon Railroad, VA : Entered service at: 27 May 1861 : Birth: Washington, D.C. : Date of issue: 29 August 1864 : Citation: "When a sergeant at Front Royal, Va., he was painfully wounded while obeying an order to burn a bridge, but, persevering in the attempt, he burned the bridge and prevented its use by the enemy. Later, at Weldon Railroad, Va., then a lieutenant, he voluntarily took the place of a disabled officer and undertook a hazardous reconnaissance beyond the lines of the army; was taken prisoner in the attempt."

Losses

The 1st Maryland lost 8 officers and 110 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded, and 1 officer and 148 enlisted men to disease during its service.1st Regiment, Maryland Infantry
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, National Park Service

References

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External links