Events of the Civil War in Washington County, Maryland

The Civil War transformed the Potomac River into an international boundary, placing Washington County on a dangerous border. The valley, located at the mid-point of a natural corridor, appeared to Confederate generals as a dagger pointed at the soft underbelly of the North.

Events of the Civil War shows that War through the eyes of one community in the path of some of its greatest events. Both Antietam and Lee's retreat from Gettysburg through the county are seen in the context of the War's impact on the freedom, lives, and property of local residents. This study is drawn from letters, newspapers, regimental histories, diaries, family histories, and published and unpublished archival sources. It is a model of Civil War local history research.