Corbit's Charge: Suicidal Bravery

History: Here on the afternoon of June 29, 1863, Federal and Confederate cavalrymen clashed on the street. Capt. Charles Corbit's Co. of the 1st Delaware Cavalry guarded the Western Maryland Railroad line at Westminster. They charged east on Main Street when Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's column approached from Sykesville. Corbit's men struck the Confederates at the Washington Road intersection, driving them back. The Westminster postmaster wrote that Corbit's men displayed "an almost suicidal bravery." The fighting surged back and forth on Main Street until Confederate reinforcements overwhelmed the Federals who suffered 55% casualties.

More to Explore: South of Westminster in the picturesque countryside, you'll find Serpent Ridge Vineyard, which specializes in small lots of handmade wine, made from grapes grown in their own vineyard, select Maryland vineyards and other carefully chosen sites. Sample their award-winning wines in their tasting room, open weekends. The Maryland Wine Festival, held in September at the Carroll County Farm Museum, is another venue for tasting a wide variety of award-winning local wines and food.

Photo Credits:

1. "Trooper, 1st Delaware Cavalry, and soldier, 150th New York Infantry, on Main Street in Westminster, June 1863." Courtesy of the Gil Barrett Collection, U.S. Army Military History Institute
2. "Photograph of Captain Charles Corbit." Courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives.
3. "Photograph General J.E.B. Stuart." Courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
4. "Headquarters of 150th New York Infantry Provost Guard." Courtesy of the Historical Society of Carroll County