Jones' Crossroads: Forts Facing Forts

History: For the first time since the Battle of Gettysburg, most of the Union army faced Gen. Robert E. Lee on July 12, 1863. The Federals were firmly entrenched on a ridge parallel to the Sharpsburg-Hagerstown Turnpike, a quarter mile west. Less than a mile farther west, the Confederates had completed four miles of formidable fortifications a day earlier to protect Lee's avenues of retreat across the Potomac River. Union Gen. George G. Meade paused and reconnoitered on July 13. By the next day, as he prepared to probe for weaknesses, Lee had retreated to Virginia.

More to Explore: While at Jones' Crossroads, Antietam National Battlefield is just a short drive to the south on MD 65. This battle culminated General Robert E. Lee's first military campaign onto northern soil. Check out Devil's Backbone County Park where you can float down the Antietam Creek on a tube or kayak. Or you can enjoy a stream side picnic, then fish or walk a nature trail to the ridge summit, which holds the park's namesake.

Photo Credits:

1. “How Union soldiers entrenched themselves in the lull of fighting.”
2. "An example of Confederate fortifications used during the war." Photo courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division