Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park

The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal was an important supply line for the Union, and was often a target of Confederate troops. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was built between 1828 and 1850, running 184.5 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland; it operated until 1924. During the war, it was an important supply line for the Union, and was sabotaged by the Confederates several times, most notably as they were retreating from Harpers Ferry in 1862. The Confederates were able to successfully occupy Harpers Ferry on September 15, 1862, partly because of the lack of Union fortifications at nearby Fort Duncan. After the town and garrison were re-occupied by the Union army in October 1862, Maryland Heights, overlooking the canal and Harpers Ferry, and Loudoun Heights, across the Potomac River in Virginia, were heavily fortified.