The town is featured in the documentation of the general ebb and flow of forces during the Civil War. On July 3, 1864 a running battle took place through the town in which troops under Lieutenant General Jubal Early, after initial setback, prevailed over Federal forces. The victory cleared the way for Early’s entry into Maryland as part of the third and last Confederate invasion of the North, culminating in a Pyrrhic victory at Monocacy Junction near Frederick, Maryland on July 8.