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Visit a section of river between Little Pool and Antietam...
Fort Frederick, Md.
Williamsport, Md.
Antietam Battlefield
Shepherdstown, W.Va.
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Winding from Little Pool to Antietam, the river moves out of the more mountainous areas of the Ridge and Valley Province and into the Great Valley, sometimes considered a separate province. Here the river meanders through the valley, embraced on its sides by both the railroad and the canal.
Approximately 20 miles wide, the Great Valley is known by many names: the Appalachian Valley, the Cumberland Valley (Maryland) and the Shenandoah Valley (Virginia). But even as the river crosses the Valley, the river itself lies hundreds of feet below the valley floor, the product of the river's geological past. Geologists tell us that the Potomac is older than the mountains—its channel was cut before the surrounding land rose to its present elevation. Over eons, as the land rose, the river cut deeper into its channel.
The area includes a series of reminders of a violent past. Fort Frederick, a stone fort with walls 17 feet high, was built in 1756 during the French and Indian War as part of a series of forts along the Allegheny Mountains. Later the fort was used to hold Revolutionary War prisoners and as an outpost for a Union troop garrison in the Civil War. Just a few miles downstream, Antietam National Battlefield was the site of the "bloodiest day" of the Civil War. On September 17, 1862 the battle between the forces of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Union General George McClellan produced more than 23,000 casualties, more than any other single day in the war.
For those interested in learning more about the C&O canal, the town of Williamsport is among the best destinations along the river. Here the canal has been rewatered and there are several displays, including the C&O Canal Museum. |
