Monocacy National Battlefield | Civil War Trails
The Lost Orders: Frederick's Pivotal Civil War Discovery
On September 13, 1862, Union soldiers resting near Frederick stumbled upon one of the Civil War's most consequential finds: a copy of Robert E. Lee's Special Orders No. 191, wrapped around three cigars beneath a locust tree. Issued days earlier from Frederick County's Best Farm, the "Lost Orders" handed Gen. George McClellan the Confederate battle plan, setting the stage for the Battle of South Mountain and the Battle of Antietam.
