The Battle of Falling Waters 1863: The End of the Gettysburg Campaign

Eleven days after Gettysburg, Union and Confederate forces clashed again on the banks of the Potomac River.

Historian George Franks will present his research on the Battle of Falling Waters. Franks has made extensive use of first-hand accounts, detailed maps, period drawings and photographs to breathe life into the crucial yet little remembered end of the Gettysburg Campaign.

The story of the Gettysburg Campaign, both before and after the three day, battle, has recently received increased attention from historians. The movement of the Army of Northern Virginia from Gettysburg and its pursuit by the Army of the Potomac are every bit as important to the study of the American Civil War as the events in and around the small crossroads town in Pennsylvania. Many historians agree the Gettysburg Campaign concluded with the Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland, on July 14, 1863. Although not the climactic battle of the war desired by President Abraham Lincoln, it remains a story of miscalculation, bravery, larger-than-life personalities, tragedy, and a cover-up. This presentation will tell the story of that final battle.

The story does not end with the battle. Included is an intriguing tale about veterans of the Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland decades after Gen. Robert E. Lee’s rear guard clashed with Maj. Gen. George G. Meade’s cavalry. The program concludes with a detailed description of the battlefield today and efforts to preserve portions of the land for future generations.

The program beings 11:00 AM in the Pry Barn. It will be a “pay-what-you-please” event. Admission to tour the Pry House Field Hospital Museum is $5.

George F. Franks, III studied history at the U.S. Naval Academy and the University of Pittsburgh. A former telecommunications executive with extensive international experience, he is currently the President of Franks Consulting Group and the owner of CockedHats.com, a historical hat business. George is the founder and President of the Battle of Falling Waters 1863 Foundation, Inc. and a member of the Board of Directors of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area. He is the former President of the Capitol Hill Civil War Round Table, a member of Hagerstown Civil War Round Table, Save Historic Antietam Foundation and the Civil War Trust. George is also a Governor and a former Vice President of the Company of Military Historians. He has spent a decade researched the July 14, 1863 battle of Falling Waters, Maryland for a decade. Melissa Cooperson and George own and live in the 1830 Daniel Donnelly House on the battlefield.

The Author can be reached via email at fallingwatersmd1863@gmail.com or on his web site www.fallingwatersmd1863.com.