The Maryland Campaign: Sep. 2-13, 1862
19th Century
•
20m
On September 2nd, 1862, the Maryland Campaign officially began with the first cavalry skirmish at Mile Hill north of Leesburg. Over the next few days, Confederate divisions of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia started making their way into the town. From September 4th - 6th, the army crosses the Potomac River at White's Ford, entering Maryland to begin Lee's first invasion of the North. Lee hopes that McClellan's overcautious nature will give him at least a week's head start on the Union Army of the Potomac still in Washington. Still, by the 4th, McClellan had reorganized the army and set it on the march to meet Lee's forces in Western Maryland. Lee's troops occupy Frederick, where the General plans to deal with the Union garrisons at Harpers Ferry and Martinsburg, labeled Special Order No. 191. This document, now famous as the "Lost Order," will come into the hands of General McClellan, who will famously remark, "Here is a paper with which, if I cannot whip Bobby Lee, I will be willing to go home." But will McClellan's information coup be enough for the General to defeat Lee and his Confederates as they march out of Frederick through the passes of South Mountain?
Up Next in 19th Century
-
The Wide Awakes
Watch to learn the history of the Wide Awakes and find out who started them, what was their purpose, who would be a typical member, and why the torches! Thank you to the Waterloo Area Historical Society in Michigan for providing an amazing setting at twilight.
-
Custer's Strategy of Defeat
On the morning of June 25, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer made the fateful decision to attack a large Native American village camped on the banks of the Little Big Horn River. It was a decision that would cost him his life, the lives of 268 of his men, and over 60 Native America...
-
Last Stand of the 89th Ohio
The 89th Ohio regiment formally mustered into service at Camp Dennison, near Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 1, 1862. The 89th joined the Army of the Cumberland’s advance on Chickamauga, Georgia, where the Battle of Chickamauga erupted on September 19 and 20, 1863. Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s...
