Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I’d been pretty much driving right past and in some cases through a major Civil War battlefield in getting to and from work! And it was a part of history that I knew nothing about: the Confederate invasion of the District of Columbia (where Abraham Lincoln came under fire of Confederate sharpshooters!)

This is not something I would like to ignore further…so I’m taking some trips, maybe this spring or summer, to Fort Stevens, to Antietam, and another to recreate the trail of John Wilkes Booth as he fled the District and headed through southern Maryland. All of these places are within a few hours’ drive at most; most are roughly 90 minutes away. 2 years ago