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Contact: Jana Friesen McCabe, 301-471-0322
FREDERICK, Md.: Was it two cigars or three? Join Monocacy National Battlefield staff on Saturday at the Monocacy National Battlefield Visitor Center at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. to explore the Mystery & Myths of Lee’s Lost Orders. Living history presenters with the Independent Greys will set up a soldier encampment at the visitor center on Saturday and Sunday. All programs are free.
On Sept. 13, 1862, Union soldiers discovered an envelope containing cigars and a copy of Robert E. Lee’s Special Orders 191 on property farmed by John Best. Often mislabeled as a battle plan, Special Orders 191 set the stage for the resulting battles of both South Mountain and Antietam on Sept. 14 and 17, 1862. Monocacy National Battlefield staff will discuss how Special Orders 191 was developed, lost, its recovery and the mythology that has sprung up around it.
In September 1862, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac River into Union Territory for the first time. Confederate troops, and later pursuing Federals, passed through the towns and farms of Frederick County as they moved westward. It was just outside of Frederick City on the Best Farm, now part of Monocacy National Battlefield, that Confederate General Robert E. Lee first learned of the Union troops pursuing his army. Lee dictated an order to his commanders that would become more famous for being lost than for its implementation, Special Orders 191.
The Mystery & Myths of Lee’s Lost Orders program is Saturday at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, the Independent Greys will set up camp at the visitor center. All programs are free. The Monocacy National Battlefield Visitor Center is located at 5201 Urbana Pike, Frederick, Md. (GPS address only).
Monocacy National Battlefield preserves, protects and commemorates the landscape, historic structures, archeological sites and monuments that contribute to the national significance of the Battle of Monocacy. The park also provides opportunities for visitors to understand and appreciate the significance of the Battle of Monocacy within the full context of the Civil War and American History. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/mono.
Last updated: September 16, 2019