On February 15, 1794, George Blessing, who would become famous as "The Hero of The Highlands" on July 9, 1864, when he and his sons held off an attacking Confederate force at their farm near Myersville, was born. He died December 18, 1873. During The Civil War, many residents around Frederick County lost livestock and property to the armies of both sides. George Blessing was more determined than most to protect his farm. When he and his daughters returned from caring for the wounded at the Battle of Antietam, he had stumbled across six rifles. He took them home, cleaned them and put them in the back of a closet. A year later they would come in handy. Blessing, who was born February 15, 1794, was 70-years-old when Confederate troops crossed his property on July 9, 1864, on their way to Frederick. Several neighbors had enlisted Blessing's help in order to hide their horses from nearby troops. A squad of Confederates entered Blessing's farm, which was three miles west of Myersville, and began to investigate the contents of his barn, when Blessing shouted: "The first man who touches that door again is a dead man." When the rebels ignored the warning, Blessing and his son Tom fired together. The soldier at the barn door took two mini-balls in his right arm, and the squad, unable to determine the size of the force, began to ride away. Blessing fired again, mortally wounding the captain of the unit. A half hour later, twenty-five rebel cavalry men rode onto the Blessing farm to determine the size of the force. Blessing shouted the order that the first man to stir would be shot. The Confederates began to shoot in the direction of the voice, and Blessing was grazed on one ear, his only wound despite the more than 50 shots fired in his direction. Blessing's aim was truer and he wounded the rebel leader. Confused, the Confederates rode away. Later, a large armed contingent could be seen approaching the farm, but rather than Confederates seeking retribution, it was Cole's Rangers - one hundred Union cavalry who had come to the rescue. Weeks later the story of Blessings' encounter with the Confederates was reported in the New York Tribune. When Blessing saw the title - "The Hero of The Highlands" - he laughed and said to his wife, "what nonsense, if they mean me." The Examiner of Frederick reported the death of George Blessing in its issue of December 24, 1873. It reads: "The highly esteemed gentlemen died at his residence near Wolfsville, Catoctin District, in this county, on Thursday last (December 18) in the 80th year of his age. Mr. Blessing was our best citizen and will be remembered as `The Hero of The Highlands,' in connection with the barnyard fight with the rebels in 1864." The Examiner went on to detail the story from its editions at the time, but the editors also included a copy of a letter written by Blessing to correct their report of the incident. The day after his death, Blessing was buried in Harmony. John W. Ashbury Wasps1965@comcast.net <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net>