Williamsport (C&O Canal NHP)

History: General Stonewall Jackson's command crossed into Virginia here en route to capturing Harpers Ferry in September 1862, prior to the Battle of Antietam. Jackson changed course so he could engage the nearby federal garrison at Martinsburg, Virginia, which put him behind schedule. He rejoined Lee on the Antietam battlefield barely in time to save the Confederate army.

More to Explore: Hike, bike and fish along the C&O Canal, visit Riverview Cemetery where Union Captain Abner Doubleday built breastworks and set up artillery, and tour the town museum, which is housed in a 1755 barn. The nearby city of Hagerstown offers outlet shopping, arts and family entertainment ranging from minor-league baseball to hands-on experiences at a science and history Discovery Station. A wide selection of accommodations is available.

Photo Credits: “Thomas Jonathan Jackson, full-length portrait, on horseback, facing left, holding up hat in his right hand” & “Signal officers, in attic of farm house, watching the army of General Lee near Williamsport, Md.” Courtesy of: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division