Boteler’s Ford Tablet B. F. 3 Marker

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Near Shepherdstown in Jefferson County, West Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Boteler’s Ford Tablet B. F. 3

Boteler's Ford War Department Marker B. F. 3 Marker Photo, Click for full size

By Craig Swain, July 28, 2007

1. Boteler's Ford War Department Marker B. F. 3 Marker

Inscription.
(September 20, 1862)
Early in the morning of September 20, movements were made by General McClellan to ascertain the position of the Army of Northern Virginia. Maj. Charles S. Lovell’s Brigade (1st and 6th, 2d and 10th, the 11th and 17th U. S. Infantry) Sykes’ Division, 5th Corps, crossed the Ford and pushed out on the Charlestown Road. Barnes' Brigade, Morell’s Division, was ordered to cross and move on Shepherdstown. Lovell had gone about a mile and a half on the Charlestown Road when he met the Confederates in force. The Brigade was deployed, about-faced and fell back to the bluffs bordering the river and on either side of the Charlestown Road. The 2d and 10th Infantry were deployed as skirmishers in a belt of woods on the left front. Warren’s Brigade (5th and 10th N. Y. Infantry) Sykes’ Division, crossed at the Ford and formed on Lovell’s left. Barnes, being ordered by Sykes to form on Lovell’s right, suspended his movement on Shepherdstown and went into position west of the mill, 220 yards north of this point. Lovell’s skirmishers and some Cavalry, which had crossed and gone to the front were now pressed back by the advance of A. P. Hill’s Confederate Division and Sykes ordered the entire command to recross the Potomac, which was done in good order by Lovell’s and Warren’s Brigades. The Confederate advance on the part

Markers at the Intersection of River and Trough Roads Photo, Click for full size

By Craig Swain, July 28, 2007

2. Markers at the Intersection of River and Trough Roads

of the line held by them being checked by the fire of Weed’s, Randol’s and Van Reed’s Batteries posted on the heights on the Maryland side of the river. Barnes’ Brigade, the last ordered withdrawn, met with great loss at the mill and on the bluffs and river bank beyond. (Marker Number B.F. 3.)

Marker series. This marker is included in the Antietam Campaign War Department Markers marker series.

Location. 39° 25.668′ N, 77° 46.728′ W. Marker is near Shepherdstown, West Virginia, in Jefferson County. Marker is at the intersection of River Road (County Route 17/1) and Trough Road (County Route 31/1), on the left when traveling west on River Road. Click for map. Marker is in this post office area: Shepherdstown WV 25443, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, as the crow flies. Boteler’s Ford Tablet B. F. 1 (here, next to this marker); Boteler’s Ford Tablet B. F. 2 (here, next to this marker); Barnes' Brigade (here, next to this marker); Pack Horse Ford (here, next to this marker); 118th Pennsylvania Infantry (here, next to this marker); Packhorse Ford (approx. 0.3 miles away in Maryland); In Honor of James Rumsey (approx. 1.1 miles away); Blackford’s Ford (approx. 1.2 miles away in Maryland). Click for a list of all markers in Shepherdstown.

More about this marker.

Along River Road Photo, Click for full size

By Craig Swain, July 28, 2007

3. Along River Road

On the left are some of the bluffs that confronted the attacking Federal Forces.

This is one of two remaining War Department Tablets placed at Boteler’s Ford. Three others have been removed from the site. The title of this tablet is based on secondary sources. Some also cite this tablet as "Blackford Ford No. 3."

Also see . . .
1. National Park Service site on the Battle of Shepherdstown. (Submitted on August 1, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
2. Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association. (Submitted on August 1, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

By Craig Swain, July 28, 2007

4. Mill Ruins

Ruins of the cement mill stand next to a path down to the Patomac. In this vicinity, Barnes Brigade covered the Federal withdrawal.

Credits. This page originally submitted on August 1, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,830 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 1, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.