Mr. Lincoln at Harpers Ferry and Antietam March 8, 2009

Following the Union victory at Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862, President Lincoln issued his preliminary emancipation proclamation, announcing that if the Confederacy was still in rebellion, slaves in designated areas of the country would hence forward and forever be free. Mr. Lincoln traveled to Harpers Ferry and Antietam to visit the Army of the Potomac during the first week of October.

Many of the sights of Lincoln’s time remain at both Antietam and Harpers Ferry. You can see them and learn about them on this full-day study tour with historian Ed Bearss. At Harpers Ferry, visit Camp Hill (where both Union and Confederate forces encamped), locations associated with John Brown’s Raid, and museums that interpret these critical days in our history. At Antietam, go to Grove Farm, where Lincoln and McClellan met and discussed the nation and the army’s future. Visit sites where Lincoln viewed the troops, assessed the political and military situation, and reflected on what his preliminary emancipation proclamation portended.

Lunch is included at the Cliffside Inn in Harpers Ferry.

Resident Members $117;
Gen. Admission $163

Metro: Smithsonian

Official Website: http://www.smithsonianassociates.org