Caught in the Crossfire

Since the war's onset, John T. Best had grown accustomed to seeing Union and Confederate soldiers on his farm, which was a crossroads of war where armies from both sides frequently camped throughout the Civil War. On the morning of July 9, 1864, shots rang out on the farm and a battle ensued as Confederate artillery moved into the fields and exchanged fire with Union artillery on the heights. Union infantrymen became easy targets for Confederate sharpshooters hidden in Best's barn until a Union artillerist spotted puffs of smoke from their rifles. Union artillery then pounded the barn, and the second, third, and fourth shots burst inside it, setting it on fire and destroying it along with tools, harvested crops, and hay. During the battle, John and Margaret Best hid in the house with their children. After the war, the Bests filed claims against the Federal government for property that Union soldiers stole or destroyed in 1862, but no claims are known for the 1864 destruction.

Ballenger Creek, Maryland · United States