Return of Special Orders 191

Date: July 14, 2012
Contact: Tracy Evans, 301-662-3515

Join Monocacy National Battlefield as we commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the 1862 Maryland Campaign with "Return of Special Orders 191" special event and exhibit.

On September 9, 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee issued special orders to his commanders while camped on the Best Farm, present day Monocacy National Battlefield. One of the orders was lost by a Confederate then found several days later in a nearby field by Union soldiers. Known to history as "the lost orders," the information it contained gave Union General George B. McClellan valuable information about the intentions and movements of the Confederate Army, ultimately forcing Lee into battles at South Mountain and Antietam.

The mystery surrounding the loss and finding of the orders and its significance have sparked interested since the Civil War. The exhibit will unravel some of the mystery and provide a glimpse of the rarely viewed document.

August 1 - October 31, 2012
The special exhibit includes the original lost orders, and items belonging to soldiers of the 27^th Indiana Volunteers who found it, including unpublished correspondence about the finding of the orders.

August 4, 2012
1:00 p.m. - Frederick Visitor Center, 151 S. East Street, Frederick, MD
Panel discussion on the significance of the discovery of Special Orders 191.

3:00 p.m. - Monocacy National Battlefield Visitor Center, 5201 Urbana Pike, Frederick, MD
Grand Opening of the special exhibit.

All event, exhibits, and programs are free to the public.

The park visitor center is open daily from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Trails are open until dusk. For more information call 301-662-3515.