Dated September 20, 1862 "near Shepherdstown (on the south bank of the Potomac from Sharpsburg) which Chilton wrote, the text being dictated by General Lee..
One major historical theme of the Lost Order story is that Mac's copy was written in Chilton's hand. A Union colonel connected to an intermediate HQ involved in handing the order up to General McCllean, his name is Pittman, said he recognized Chilton's handwriting as the writer
of the text of the order. The authentic examples of Chilton's handwriting in the letter to Jefferson Davis demonstrate Pittman is plainly wrong.
Collected by Joseph Ryan from the National Archives
About the author: Joe Ryan is a Los Angeles trial lawyer who has traveled the route of the Army of Northern Virginia, from Richmond to Gettysburg several times.
