Sam Bass' Death Site

An uneducated Indiana orphan who drifted to Texas as a youth, Sam Bass won fame racing his swift “Denton Mare”, gambling, and robbing trains. A rich haul in Nebraska was followed by months of reckless spending. Bass liked to shower ...

Battery B, Fourth U.S. Artillery

Artillery Brigade - First Corps

Army of the Potomac

First Corps

Artillery Brigade

Battery B Fourth U.S. Artillery

Six 12 pounders

Lieut. James Stewart commanding

July 1 In position about 200 yards south of the Lutheran Theological Seminary until 3 p.m. when ordered to support the Second ...

“A Great Struggle is Now Impending”

The Breakthrough Trail

The Union high command began making preparations to attack the Confederate lines on the Boisseau Plantation shortly after the capture of the Rebels’ picket line on March 25. Final orders arrived on the afternoon of April 1 for ...

Washington Confederate Cemetery

Immediately after the Civil War, Union casualties in the Frederick-Washington County areas were re-interred at a new National Cemetery at Sharpsburg. Yet no provisions were made to provide decent burial for thousands of hastily-buried Confederates. To address this problem, the ...

“We Fought Desperately”

The Breakthrough Trail

The passage of the picket posts and abatis shattered regimental formations in the Vermont Brigade. The attack degenerated into a rush of disorganized men rather than an example of textbook tactics. Orderly Sergeant Thomas H. McCauley of the ...

Cunningham's Battery - Dance's Battalion

Artillery Reserve - Ewell's Corps

Army of Northern Virginia

Ewell's Corps Artillery Reserve

Dance's Battalion Cunningham's Battery

The Powhatan Artillery

Four 3 inch Rifles

July 1 Reached the field in evening too late to take part in the Battle.

July 2 Early in the morning took position ...

The Attack Begins

The Breakthrough Trail

Major General Horatio G. Wright deployed the 14,000 attackers of his Sixth Corps in a wedge-shaped formation. Although the entire battle front extended for nearly a mile, the point of the wedge was here, manned by the Vermont ...

Dance's Battalion - First Virginia Artillery

Artillery Reserve - Ewell's Corps

C.S.A.

Army of Northern Virginia

Ewell's Corps Artillery Reserve

Dance's Battalion

First Virginia Artillery

Cunningham's, Smith's, Watson's, Griffin's

and Graham's Batteries

Four 20 pounder Parrotts, Four 10 pounder Parrotts

Ten 3 inch Rifles, Two Napoleons

July 1 The Battalion reached the field in evening too ...

Blunt's Attack

From this spot the observer is viewing the terrain over which General James C. Blunt's 1st Division advanced on the afternoon of December 7, 1862, to attack the Confederate left and relieve the pressure on General F.J. Herron's 2nd and ...

Father & Son Canal Builders

The Waterways

Marshall Parks, Sr.

1786-1840

The Dismal Swamp Canal, located about six miles west of here, officially opened in 1805. Dug completely by hand, its shallow depth limited navigation to flat boats and lighters manually poled or towed from ...