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GREAT DRIVES WITH


CAPITAL REGION T


EXPLORE SOME OF THE 600 SITES IN THE


he American Civil War, which ran from 1861 to 1865 and sees its 150th anniversary in 2011, resulted in the death of around 620,000 soldiers (making it America’s deadliest war), the defeat of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery. In the Capital Region, there


were more major Civil War battles fought than anywhere else in the United States and travellers keen to follow its history can visit more than 600 sites in Maryland and Virginia, which help to bring those dramatic days back to life. T e campaign to Antietam resulted in the deadliest day in American military history while the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln led to the pursuit of his killer, John Wilkes Booth, from Washington through Maryland and into Virginia where he met his death. T e following driving itineraries chart the historic locations of those two dramatic events.


THE ANTIETAM CAMPAIGN Follow this sign to sites along the Antietam: Lee Invades Maryland Trail


On August 28-30, 1862, the 50,000 troops of Confederate General Robert E Lee


achieved a stunning victory at Second Manassas over the 62,000 Union soldiers under Union Major General John Pope. As a result, Lee decided to seize the initiative, relieve Virginia and threaten Washington by marching north … a decision that led to the day in which more American lives were lost that any other single day in U.S. military history. T e driving tour that follows the routes of Union and Confederate soldiers as they marched towards what would be the Battle of Antietam begins at the Loudoun Museum in Leesburg, Virginia, near the site of Lee’s headquarters.


Loudoun Museum, Leesburg


Leesburg, Virginia


The Stone House at Manassas National Battlefi eld Park


After a skirmish at Mill Hill, the Confederate soldiers made for White’s Ferry (which now has a modern ferry), then White’s Ford, where signs describe the crossing of most of Lee’s army in early September over the Potomac River into Maryland. Civil War Trails signs display information about various clashes en route. Stops include Comus, were the Confederate cavalry fought a successful rearguard action; Sugarloaf Mountain, which was used by signalmen of both armies at diff erent times during the campaign; Monocacy


Aqueduct, west of Route 28, where two Confederate attempts to destroy this important canal structure failed; Monocacy River Ford, a popular river crossing and Hyattstown, where cavalry action lasted for three days. All are highlighted by Civil War Trail signs.


Landon House in Urbana was occupied by General JEB Stuart’s Confederate cavalry, while Lee’s soldiers camped a short distance north. On the night of September 8, Stuart’s men hosted a ball there, which was interrupted by reports of nearby Union cavalry. T e event became known as the ‘Sabres and Roses Ball’. T e trail continues north to Frederick, where there are


interpretive Civil War Trails signs at the Barbara Fritchie House, the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and Frederick City Hall. At Middletown, the Union army split to attack the diff erent Smith Mountain gaps. Intense fi ghting in cornfi elds and woods, along creeks and roads, and around a tiny country church at Antietam on September 17,


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