Packhorse Ford
A day after the Battle of Antietam, Confederate General Robert E. Lee retreated to the safety of the West Virginia (then Virginia) bluffs across the river from here. This was the only good crossing on the river for many miles upstream or downstream. Some of Lee's artillery units were already in place on the bluffs. Pursued by 700 soldiers from the 118th Pennsylvania Infantry, the Confederates reacted by opening fire. This was the Pennsylvania boys' first taste of battle; they soon discovered their new Enfield rifles were defective and useless. Pushed to the bluff's edge, some fell to their death, while others were killed or wounded trying to escape back across the river.
Only 431 Pennsylvania soldiers returned to the safety and cover of Maryland soil. Lee's troops then withdrew, ending the Maryland Campaign.
Marker can be reached from Canal Road, on the right when traveling east.
Courtesy hmdb.org
