Lee's Headquarters

The Lee Headquarters marker stands next to the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the State of Maryland monuments to the Battle of Monocacy, but the Lee headquarters marker dates to the Antietam campaign almost two years previously. This is a good example of how the border areas of Maryland and Virginia were repeatedly fought over during the war.

This area was the headquarters for Lee's Army of Northern Virginia during the early days of his first invasion of the North in September of 1862. It was here that the infamous "Lost Order" was written, which fell into the hands of Union General George McClellan and led directly to the Battle of South Mountain and the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest single day of fighting in American history.

Location and directions

The monuments are on the west side of Urbana Pike (State Route 355) 100 yards south of the entrance to the new Monocacy Visitor Center

Location: 39.37644 N, 77.397046 W; see map

Text from the marker

Headquarters
of
Generals Robert E. Lee,
"Stonewall" Jackson
and
Longstreet Sept. 6-9, 1862.

Here was written the famous
Lost order No. 191 and the
proclamation to the people
of Maryland.

See more about Lee's Special Orders Number 191, including the full text