The Lost Order

After crossing the Potomac River early in September 1862, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee reorganized the Army of Northern Virginia into three separate wings. On September 9, from his camp here, he issued Special Orders No. 191, outlining a strategy to divide his army, send Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson to attack Harpers Ferry, and send Gen. James Longstreet toward Hagerstown. Seven copies went to senior subordinates. Gen. D.H. Hill received one copy through Jackson, but Lee's headquarters also sent Hill a second, unexpected copy. Placed in an envelope with two cigars, that copy was lost on its way to Hill. On September 13, near the Georgetown Pike just south of Frederick, Co. F, 27th Indiana Infantry stacked arms and rested, and a soldier found the envelope. It soon reached Gen. George B. McClellan, who realized he had the Confederate battle plan. The available evidence does not indicate exactly where the orders were found but suggests the Best Farm, which occupied the ground for a mile north from here. By the next morning, McClellan had his army moving toward Lee, surprising him and forcing him into battle before he had consolidated his army.

Ballenger Creek, Maryland · United States