Blackford's Ford

In June 1864, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee sent Gen. Jubal A. Early's corps from the Richmond battlefields to the Shenandoah Valley to counter Union Gen. David Hunter's army. After driving Hunter into West Virginia, Early invaded Maryland to attack Washington, D.C., draw Union troops from Richmond, and release Confederate prisoners held at Point Lookout. On July 5, 1864, a column under Gen. Jubal A. Early crossed Blackford's Ford here in the third and final Confederate invasion of Maryland and the North. Abandoning his plan to capture Harpers Ferry first, Early relied on speed and surprise to sow confusion among his adversaries and accomplish his goals, though it took his men until the next day to complete the crossing. Union Gen. Lew Wallace delayed Early at the Battle of Monocacy on July 9, Federal reinforcements soon strengthened Washington's defenses, and Early attacked near Fort Stevens on July 11-12 before withdrawing to the Shenandoah Valley with the Federals in pursuit. He stopped them at Cold Springs on July 17-18. Although Early failed to take Washington or free prisoners, he succeeded in diverting Federal resources. Blackford's Ford had also served earlier Confederate invasions of the North after upstream bridges were destroyed and natural fords became strategic crossing points. Confederate Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's men crossed here during the Antietam Campaign in September 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee's entire army retreated past here after the Battle of Antietam, and Lee's second invasion of the North began here during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign. Like the other two invasions, Early's 1864 campaign was unsuccessful, though his threat to Washington drew Federal reinforcements from Richmond and Petersburg.

Maryland · United States