The Battle of Shepherdstown

The two-day Battle of Shepherdstown, the final event of the Maryland Campaign, was a pivotal engagement fought along the Potomac River on 19-20 September 1862 between the rear-guard of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia as it retreated from Antietam and pursuing elements of the Army of the Potomac's cavalry and Major General Fitz John Porter's 5th Corps. Following a Confederate debacle on the evening of September 19, Lee sent A. P. Hill's Light Division to Shepherdstown to repel the Union crossing.

This engagement, though smaller in scale than Antietam, had significant implications: it effectively prevented a Confederate re-entry into Maryland and officially brought Lee’s ambitious campaign north of the Potomac River to an end. The talk will delve into the details of this often-overlooked battle, looking at the casualties sustained by both sides, the terrain over which the battle was fought, and the lasting impact of Shepherdstown…