Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal's situation along the Potomac River, a dividing line between the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War, made the canal strategically important to both sides. Several Campaigns were fought on or near the canal, most notably the Battle of Falling Waters in Williamsport, Maryland during the retreat from Gettysburg. Stretching 184.5 miles along the Potomac, the park includes six visitor centers in Maryland and Washington, D.C.