Forney’s War Press, published on November 8, 1862, incorporates a sketch of General Humphrey and Porter’s divisions crossing the Potomac at Blackford’s Ford. This event took place six weeks after the Battle of Antietam. October 16, 1862 was the next Union crossing after the battle and Humphrey crossed the river to continue the offensive against the Confederates in Shepherdstown and Kearneysville.

The newspaper was recently donated to Historic Shepherdstown by Carlos Niederhauser. For a closer view of the newspaper see Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association Inc

The original newspaper, Forney’s War Press, was published Philadelphia. Many editions had a woodcut on the front page showing a recent action during the Civil War. John W. Forney served as secretary of the US Senate during President Lincoln’s administration. Forney’s was a weekly publication dedicated to covering the Civil War. When the war ended, the newspaper returned to its prewar name, the Weekly Press. Forney sold the paper in the 1870s and it ceased publication about 1880.