Strategic Location
During the Civil War, thousands ofUnited States soldiers were stationedhere in Cumberland and AlleganyCounty to guard against raids andincursions by Confederate forces.Located only about 130 miles fromthe capital at Washington. D.C.,and a short march from Winchester,Virginia, and Romney, West Virginia,at the lower end of the ShenandoahValley, this area was strategically important to both sides in the conflict. Here in Cumberland was thewestern terminus of the Chesapeakeand Ohio Canal. The National Road,a principal east-west thoroughfare, also ran through the area. Most significantly, Cumberland was a major stop on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, an artery used for the rapid transportation of Federal troops,supplies, and equipment. The protection of this vital lifeline between Wheeling, West Virginia, and Washington was concentrated in Cumberland. Because of its importance to the Union war effort, the railroadin Allegany County became a prime target for Confederate raiders. Allegany County also became home to a large United States military hospital complex, where thousands ofsick, injured, and wounded soldiers received medical care. After the war ended, Cumberland became a major demobilization base.| HM Number | HM13 |
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| Series | This marker is part of the Maryland Civil War Trails series |
| Tags | |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Friday, October 10th, 2014 at 12:15am PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 17S E 691893 N 4391230 |
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| Decimal Degrees | 39.64935000, -78.76345000 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 39° 38.961', W 78° 45.807' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 39° 38' 57.66" N, 78° 45' 48.42" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 301, 240 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 119 S Mechanic St, Cumberland MD 21502, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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