Doubleday Hill Monument
Encyclopedia
The Doubleday Hill Monument is an American Civil War
monument located in Williamsport, Maryland
, in what is now River View Cemetery. Erected in 1897, the monument commemorates the crossing of the Potomac River and occupation of the hill by Major General Abner Doubleday
. The monument, also known Doubleday Hill, overlooks the Potomac River into West Virginia.
The monument also credits Doubleday with creating the game of baseball in 1835, an unlikely claim which Doubleday himself never made. A popular legend circulating at the time of the monument's erection claimed that Doubleday invented baseball in 1839, although Doubleday was attending West Point that year.
Doubleday Hill was a deviation from the more popular form of late 19th and early 20th century monuments: the statue of a standing, uniformed soldier. Between the years of 1863 through 1919, monuments often depicted a soldier “standing holding the barrel of a rifle that rests upright on the ground in front of him." This more common form was particularly prevalent from 1880 to 1920.
Monuments placed at locations other than battlefieldd parks during the years 1863 to 1919 normally honored soldiers and sailors from the same town, county, or state where the monument was erected. The Doubleday Hill monument differed from this practice by celebrating occupation of the site by Doubleday, who was from Ballston Spa, New York.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
monument located in Williamsport, Maryland
Williamsport, Maryland
Williamsport is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,868 at the 2000 census and 2,278 as of July 2008.-Geography: Williamsport is located at ....
, in what is now River View Cemetery. Erected in 1897, the monument commemorates the crossing of the Potomac River and occupation of the hill by Major General Abner Doubleday
Abner Doubleday
Abner Doubleday was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pivotal role in the early fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg. Gettysburg was his finest hour, but his...
. The monument, also known Doubleday Hill, overlooks the Potomac River into West Virginia.
The monument also credits Doubleday with creating the game of baseball in 1835, an unlikely claim which Doubleday himself never made. A popular legend circulating at the time of the monument's erection claimed that Doubleday invented baseball in 1839, although Doubleday was attending West Point that year.
Doubleday Hill was a deviation from the more popular form of late 19th and early 20th century monuments: the statue of a standing, uniformed soldier. Between the years of 1863 through 1919, monuments often depicted a soldier “standing holding the barrel of a rifle that rests upright on the ground in front of him." This more common form was particularly prevalent from 1880 to 1920.
Monuments placed at locations other than battlefieldd parks during the years 1863 to 1919 normally honored soldiers and sailors from the same town, county, or state where the monument was erected. The Doubleday Hill monument differed from this practice by celebrating occupation of the site by Doubleday, who was from Ballston Spa, New York.