Haven't heard about the "Battle that Saved Washington, D.C.?"

During the Civil War in the summer of 1864, Confederate General Robert E. Lee was under siege in Petersburg, Virginia and needed a way to relieve the pressure from Union General Ulysses Grant's army. He came up with a bold plan that, if successful, might do just that - he would attack the federal capital, Washington, D.C., from the north. To this end, Lee ordered Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early to lead a force of 16,000 men and push the Union army from the Shenandoah Valley and then put his plan into effect.

By July 9, Early's troops had moved through the Valley crossed the Potomac River and were in western Maryland, just 35 miles north of the federal capital. The only obstacle in their way a small force of 6,500 Union troops cobbled together at the last minute by Union General Lew Wallace. The place they would meet was Monocacy Junction, a few miles south of Frederick, Maryland.

The Monocacy National Battlefield app is a portable reference for that fateful battle, the soldiers who fought here, the civilians who developed the land and lived here, and the landscape which makes up the battlefield. Features include:

* Details on the battle and the soldiers who fought here;
* A tour of the historic farmsteads which make up the battlefield;
* The history of the civilians who lived here and developed the land;
* Ongoing research into the varied landscape from prehistory to the present;
* A calendar of events for the battlefield;
* A quiz to test your knowledge;
* ... and more.

If you are a Civil War buff, learning about U.S. history in school or just curious about how this little-known battle may have affected the outcome of the Civil War, check it out!