Union Soldiers Find Lee's Battle Plans Wrapped Around Cigars: The War Turns
Three cigars saved — or cost — thousands of lives. Union soldiers from the 27th Indiana Infantry found Robert E. Lee's Special Orders No. 191 wrapped around three cigars in a field near Frederick, Maryland. Someone in the Confederate army had lost them. General McClellan held the orders for 18 hours before acting. Lee found out his plans were compromised, regrouped at Antietam Creek. The battle five days later became the bloodiest single day in American military history: 22,000 casualties. Three cigars.
September 13, 1862
164 years ago
Key Figures & Places
American Civil War
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Union (American Civil War)
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Robert E. Lee
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Frederick, Maryland
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Battle of Antietam
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American Civil War
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Union
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Robert E. Lee
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Special Order 191
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Frederick, Maryland
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Battle of Antietam
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Union army
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