Special Orders No. 191
Confederate General Robert E. Lee issued Special Orders No. 191 on September 9, 1862 during the Maryland Campaign while his army was camped on the Best Farm. The orders outlined his plans for the Army of Northern Virginia during the campaign and divided the army into four sections to secure garrisons and supplies, and capture Federals at Martinsburg, Harpers Ferry, and Boonsboro, while Lee went to Hagerstown. Lee anticipated that he would have time for the army to complete their tasks then join him to march north.
Copies of the orders were written for each of Lee's commanders. One of the orders, written for Major General Daniel Hill, was lost. Hill had already received his orders from Major General Thomas J. Jackson, (his immediate superior until the next day when he would have his own command), thus did not realize another order had been sent to him from Lee's camp. In fact that order was lost. How it was lost remains a mystery.
On September 13th, members of Company F, 27th Indiana Volunteer Infantry discovered the orders in an envelope with two cigars on or near present day Monocacy National Battlefield. By noon the orders had passed through the chain of command and given to Major General George McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac. That evening McClellan's commanders had their orders to march.
The two armies fought at the Battle of South Mountain, and on September 17th at the Battle of Antietam. McClellan halted Lee's invasion into the North, but did not pursue the Confederates. The ramification of the loss and find of the "Lost Order," Special Orders 191 and its impact on the 1862 campaign continues to be debated among historians.
Current Disposition[edit]
Lee's Lost Orders have been in the custody of the United States Library of Congress. The documents were put on temporary display in the museum at the Monacacy National Battlefield Visitors Center from August to October of 2012.
(George McClellan Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (143.00.00), Digital ID # al0143)
Complete Text of Special Orders, No. 191[edit]
- Special Orders, No. 191
- Hdqrs. Army of Northern Virginia
- September 9, 1862
- The citizens of Fredericktown being unwilling while overrun by members of this army, to open their stores, to give them confidence, and to secure to officers and men purchasing supplies for benefit of this command, all officers and men of this army are strictly prohibited from visiting Fredericktown except on business, in which cases they will bear evidence of this in writing from division commanders. The provost-marshal in Fredericktown will see that his guard rigidly enforces this order.
- Major Taylor will proceed to Leesburg, Virginia, and arrange for transportation of the sick and those unable to walk to Winchester, securing the transportation of the country for this purpose. The route between this and Culpepper Court-House east of the mountains being unsafe, will no longer be traveled. Those on the way to this army already across the river will move up promptly; all others will proceed to Winchester collectively and under command of officers, at which point, being the general depot of this army, its movements will be known and instructions given by commanding officer regulating further movements.
- The army will resume its march tomorrow, taking the Hagerstown road. General Jackson's command will form the advance, and, after passing Middletown, with such portion as he may select, take the route toward Sharpsburg, cross the Potomac at the most convenient point, and by Friday morning take possession of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, capture such of them as may be at Martinsburg, and intercept such as may attempt to escape from Harpers Ferry.
- General Longstreet's command will pursue the same road as far as Boonsborough, where it will halt, with reserve, supply, and baggage trains of the army.
- General McLaws, with his own division and that of General R. H. Anderson, will follow General Longstreet. On reaching Middletown will take the route to Harpers Ferry, and by Friday morning possess himself of the Maryland Heights and endeavor to capture the enemy at Harpers Ferry and vicinity.
- General Walker, with his division, after accomplishing the object in which he is now engaged, will cross the Potomac at Cheek's Ford, ascend its right bank to Lovettsville, take possession of Loudoun Heights, if practicable, by Friday morning, Key's Ford on his left, and the road between the end of the mountain and the Potomac on his right. He will, as far as practicable, cooperate with General McLaws and Jackson, and intercept retreat of the enemy.
- General D. H. Hill's division will form the rear guard of the army, pursuing the road taken by the main body. The reserve artillery, ordnance, and supply trains, &c., will precede General Hill.
- General Stuart will detach a squadron of cavalry to accompany the commands of Generals Longstreet, Jackson, and McLaws, and, with the main body of the cavalry, will cover the route of the army, bringing up all stragglers that may have been left behind.
- The commands of Generals Jackson, McLaws, and Walker, after accomplishing the objects for which they have been detached, will join the main body of the army at Boonsborough or Hagerstown.
- Each regiment on the march will habitually carry its axes in the regimental ordnance—wagons, for use of the men at their encampments, to procure wood &c.
- By command of General R. E. Lee
- R.H. Chilton, Assistant Adjutant General
(Text in red was not included in the "Lost Copy" found by Union Forces.)
Best Farm, Monocacy NB Location Map (Approximate Location of Lost Orders Discovery)[edit]
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