Its burials include Confederate dead from such nearby battles as Antietam, Gettysburg, Monocacy and South Mountain.
Moses Poffinberger and Aaron Good of Sharpsburg identified ad hoc burial sites from throughout the western part of the state, primarily from the battlefields at Antietam, Monocacy and South Mountain, but also from skirmishes and from Robert E. Lee's retreat from Gettysburg.
Avery's body was carried as far as Williamsport, Maryland and buried there, but moved to the Washington Confederate Cemetery.
Standing 19 feet (5.8 m) high, overlooks the section of the 110 acres (45 ha) Rose Hill Cemetery where the Confederate dead are buried.
In 1865, the state legislature chartered the property as a cemetery for the citizens of Washington County, Maryland, and changed the name to Rose Hill.