The rich farmland of Carroll County skirts the Mason-Dixon Line, denoting North from South. Picturesque and serene, this pivotal county remained relatively unscathed during the two years the Civil War raged here.

Union commanders were aware of the strategic value of this rolling farmland. The recently completed Western Maryland Railroad’s depot in Westminster meant much needed supplies could come in from Washington and Baltimore. The Union Army of the Potomac set up its rail head and supply base in Westminster where it remained during the course of the war. Supply lines were established and guarded; residents became accustomed to Union troops and supply wagons in and around their once peaceful town.

With Confederate troops converging from the north and west, Major General George G. Meade, Commander of the Army of the Potomac, developed a plan to protect Baltimore and Washington. If the Confederate Army moved south, the “Pipe Creek Plan” would create a defensive shield behind Pipe Creek, which flows west across Carroll County. Meade’s army began moving northeast from Frederick to position troops in the hills outside Manchester, as described in the Pipe Creek Plan. Though they didn’t know yet, these soldiers were marching on the roads to Gettysburg.