With all the discussion / controversy over all things Confederate, recently, I had seen that 3 out of Baltimore's 4 Civil War monuments are dedicated to the Confederacy.
This led me to look more into Baltimore's various monuments and I found the website, Monument City Blog (MCB). Per their site, "Monument City is a human-scale geotagging project. We’re riding our bikes around Baltimore City to document historical monuments, memorials and markers with GPS, photos and other first-person data."
I figured I'd start with some the Confederate memorials that the city is now looking into possibly removing.
Per the MCB, ...Dedicated on May 1st, 1948, this monument is by artist Laura Gardin Fraser and was paid for by the $100,000 left in J. Henry Ferguson’s will, who idolized the Confederate generals as a youth. Ferguson died in 1928, a design contest was held in 1935 and Fraser won the commission. Architect John Russell Pope created the base and the dedication took place on the anniversary of the eve of the Battle of Chancellorsville (1863).
On April 18th of 1861, as Civil War hostilities heated up, Lee turned down an offer to become a major general in the US Army, resigned two days later and took up leadership of the Virginia state forces on April 23. General Lee was appointed general-in-chief to the Confederate army on January 31st, 1865. He was quickly named one of the five full generals of the Confederate States of America, but refused to wear the insignia of general, instead wearing the stars of a confederate colonel, equivalent to his last rank in the US Army.
Lee is depicted in this double equestrian monument astride his famed horse, Traveller. Stonewall Jackson (depicted astride “Little Sorrel”) is considered by some to be “one of the most gifted tactical commanders in United States history.” Jackson was accidentally shot by Confederate pickets during the Battle of Chancellorsville. His left arm was amputated but he survived for eight days, at which point he died due to complications of pneumonia. Upon hearing the news, Lee is said to have pronounced, “He has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right.” Completion of this monument was held up by the onset of WWII, and there is a note inscribed on the base thanking the business partners for honoring pre-war contracts and pricing of materials.
Logging Requirements:
1. Visit the site in person.
2. Post a photo of your and / or your GPS with the monument.
3. Examine the inscription at around the base (just below the actual sculpture). Find the word "BLINDFOLDED". Just above it is an inscription. The 3rd word on the last line is the Log Password.
While I'm a proud Yankee, I do live in Maryland - The Old Line State. We had the most divided loyalties of any state during the Civil War and had units on both sides. The only reason the legilature didn't vote to secede was that Lincoln sent troops to arrest the pro-Confederate members of the General Assembly while they were in special session in Frederick. So, the Civil War is a major part of the state's history.
I also deployed 2 Munzees in this park. Be sure to check the map out while you're here.
I also created a few new Sighter locations in the area.