War Along the Chesapeake - Chestertown, MD - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

The sign says, "Welcome to Kent County! The Civil War intruded into quiet Eastern Shore communities, and residents of this beautiful, water-laced region faced difficult choices.
In the years before the war, enslaved African Americans from the Eastern Shore actively sought freedom via the Underground Railroad. Courageous "conductors" such as Eastern Shore-native Harriet Tubman, and other sympathetic residents, helped them along their hazardous way.

During the conflict, hundreds of formerly enslaved and free Black men from the Eastern Shore enlisted in the U.S. Colored Troops, the units authorized in January 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. After war's end, Black veterans returned to establish towns and emancipation celebrations that continue to influence Eastern Shore culture.

While some of the Eastern Shore's white residents held fast to the Union, others supported the Confederacy. Union authorities arrested newspaper publishers suspected of disloyalty. Daredevil watermen used twisting rivers and waterside towns to run the Federal blockade and supply Confederate forces.

Combat's devastation may have bypassed this area, but families with loyalties on both sides suffered the loss of soldier relatives on faraway battlefields and experienced the hardships of war in other ways. Enjoy the civil War Trails markers that explain the complex impact and long shadows the conflict left on Maryland's unique, colorful Eastern Shore.

[Captions:]
Harriet Tubman was known as "Moses" for leading so many to freedom (image late 1860s)

A schooner sails by a ferry landing on the Nanticoke River. Such vessels made furtive voyages along the Eastern Shore to bring supplies to the Confederacy." .

Type of site: Other Military Site Address: 122 MD-289, Chestertown, MD 21620 Admission Charged: No Charge Website: [Web Link] Driving Directions: Located at the Chestertown Visitor Center Phone Number: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Post a picture of site showing the signage or other notable feature. Please tell what you saw or learned.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.