Monocacy

 

A river in northern Maryland, which rises as a creek in southern Pennsylvania; the Indian name means stream containing many large bends. The Civil War Battle of Monocacy, in which General Lew Wallace’s Union forces prevented General Early’s Confederates from reaching Washington, D.C., was fought on the banks of the river near Frederick, Md., 4 and 5 July 1864.

 

III

 

Monocacy (SP‑1116) was purchased by the Navy 27 July 1917 from Philadelphia & Reading Railway Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; placed in service 25 September 1917 while being fitted out as a fleet tender at Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pa.; and renamed Genesee (q.v.) before commissioning 17 October 1917.