In June 1864, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee sent Gen. Jubal A. Early's corps from the Richmond battlefield 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. After abandoning his attempt to capture Harpers Ferry, Early and his army crossed the Potomac River a few miles north of here at Blackford's (Boteler's) Ford near Shepherdstown and spread out through the Maryland countryside. On July 6-8, 1864, the Confederates passed by this spot, with Gen. John C. Breckenridge's troops the first to arrive. Early ordered Gen. Bradley T. Johnson's cavalry brigade eastward on July 9 to free the prisoners, and the next day Johnson sent Maj. Harry Gilmer's regiment to raid the Baltimore area. That same day, Union Gen. Lew Wallace delayed Early at the Battle of Monocacy, and Federal reinforcements soon strengthened Washington's defenses. Early attacked near Fort Stevens on July 11-12, then withdrew to the Shenandoah Valley with the Federals in pursuit, stopping them at Cool Spring on July 17-18. Although he failed to take Washington or free the prisoners, Early succeeded in diverting Federal resources from Richmond. The passage here also stood in contrast to events five years earlier, when John Brown came here to launch his invasion of the South and begin a war against slavery, after which Robert E. Lee, who captured Brown at Harpers Ferry, later became the Confederacy's most famous general.