Hardcover with dust jacket, 256 pages, index, more than 80 photos illustrations and maps. Just downstream from the village called Shepherdstown, near a shallow crossing called Boteler s Ford, a mill was built to exploit the rich vein of cement found nearby. Life in this idyllic region was interrupted by struggles of the still young nation. Few could have imagined the dramatic events that took place around the ford and mill in September of 1862 when General Robert E. Lee s Army of Northern Virginia entered the region. Union soldiers were sent to oppose this invasion. It is difficult to understate the importance of this offensive, known as the Maryland Campaign of 1862. On September 17th, the two armies clashed around the village of Sharpsburg in the bloodiest single day of combat ever seen in North America. Wounded men streamed across the ford, competing for the road with southern forces still marching toward the conflict. After 12 hours of conflict resulting in 23,000 casualties the two exhausted armies did not renew the contest on the 18th. It was clear to Lee that he must retreat, but also that the crossing would be extremely difficult. While still able to fight, Lee s army was in a precarious and vulnerable position. If pursued, the Army of Virginia might be cornered and destroyed. This campaign was far from over, and only a miracle could save Lee s army. Long overlooked by historians and visitors, the events that took place at Boteler s Ford on September 19 and 20 were cr