It was here, south of the Antietam battlefield, that Robert E. Lee retreated with his shattered army and made a successful crossing to the safety of Virginia (now West Virginia).
I drove the two short miles from the battlefield to this location on the Potomac near where Lee would have crossed his army. Of course, in those days this railroad tressle did not exist nor was there any other bridge across the Potomac. They had to use ferry boats or build a temporary pontoon bridge to get their soldiers, their wounded and their horses and supply wagons to safety.
On this day, the area was alive with visitors old and young, many on bicycles or on foot, enjoying this Columbus Day holiday weekend. Few, if any would be thinking of the great suffering which took place near here in September 1862.
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