Escaped Rebel officers came ashore at this remote Virginia beach. A new marker tells the story -- but you need to earn the view by a long walk in state park

Jason Saffer adjusts Va. marker (Civil War Trails) and Florida wreckage of Maple Leaf (at left, Library of Congress)

Most of Civil War Trails’ 1,530 markers are just a short walk from a parking lot. But there are many you have to work a little harder to reach.

For example, you must ride a boat to see one on St. Clement’s Island in the Potomac River or take a rigorous hike along the Appalachian Trail to soak in others.

Now the Williamsburg, Va.-based nonprofit has erected a marker in likely its most remote location, says executive director Drew Gruber.

Virginia State Parks announced last week the addition of the new panel at False Cape State Park below Virginia Beach. To get there, pedestrians or bicyclists must venture six miles beyond a parking lot, over a dune, past a primitive campground and head for the Atlantic Ocean surf.

Visitors will learn about how Confederate officers overcame unarmed guards on the Maple Leaf transport ship in 1863, escaped and eventually made their way to friendly lines.

“People have already been making the trek,” Gruber told the Picket. “Besides hiking to the site where these POWs landed you can also take a tram tour ...”

Star shows location of marker and trail map shows proximity to camping area, ocean (Civil War Trails, Va. State Parks)

The escape from the Maple Leaf is labeled as a point of interest on the park’s trail map.

“Now having a physical marker at the location enables us to preserve the Civil War history of False Cape and lets park guests explore learn, and embrace the lessons of courage and unity from this daring account,” said Rachel Harrington, chief of visitor experience at the park, in the news release.

Not everyone breaks a sweat to reach the marker. Harrington told the Picket a tram the park operates features a four-hour guided tour. The open-air Blue Goose Tram goes fairly close to the site of the landing and informs participants of the Civil War history.

The Civil War episode took place in June 1863, when 97 captured Rebel officers were being taken on the vessel Maple Leaf from Fort Monroe, Va., to Fort Delaware, then to a Northern prison camp. They quickly took control of the transport ship from 12 soldiers carrying unloaded muskets.

They did not have enough coal to flee to the Bahamas and after sailing south for about 30 miles some 70 officers decided to land small boats on what is now the state park, said Harrington. (About 27 captives stayed on board)

The soldiers split up and headed toward friendly lines in nearby North Carolina. Despite heavy Union cavalry pursuit and the challenges of the Great Dismal Swamp, they rendezvoused in Weldon, N.C., before taking a train to Richmond, Va. Local sympathizers gave them a hand during their odyssey.

“After a 12-day journey, the officers arrived in the Confederate capital, where they told tales of their bold feat,” the marker reads. “After resting and receiving back pay, they returned to their units.”

The Maple Leaf returned to Federal service but ran into more bad luck in April 1864 when it struck a torpedo in the St. Johns River near Jacksonville, Fla.

“The explosion tore the bow of the ship apart, ripping through the deck and killing four soldiers," according to the National Park Service. “The vessel sank quickly, but apart from those lost in the explosion there were no other fatalities.”

The shipwreck was not salvaged, but  thousands of artifacts were recovered in the 1980s and 1990s. Many are on exhibit at the Mandarin Museum nearby.

Civil War Trails promotes tourism, working with local governments, parks and visitor bureaus. It has another sign about the Maple Leaf below Currituck, N.C.

Virginia Beach tourism leaders hope the Maple Leaf marker and other attractions will help draw tourists to the Sandbridge area near the North Carolina border during the offseason.

False Cape State Park features about six miles of beaches. (At right, park manager Austin Monnett and chief ranger Rachel Harrington.) It offers guided kayak trips, primitive camping, interpretive programs, hiking and biking trails

Public vehicular access at the state park is prohibited. Visitors should park at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge's parking lot at 4005 Sandpiper Road, Virginia Beach, to begin their hike or ride and to reach the visitor center. The cost to park is $5. Tram tours cost $8 and require a reservation. They operate year round, but run more frequently from April through October. Click here for more information.

87 died when two boats collided during the search for John Wilkes Booth. They will be remembered this weekend at Maryland museum

A maritime tragedy that occurred on the Potomac River during the intense search for Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth will be remembered this weekend by a wreath laying, free museum admission and other activities.

The annual events are planned at St. Clement’s Island Museum in St. Mary’s County, Md.

The April 23, 1865, collision of the barge Black Diamond and the steamer Massachusetts in the Lower Potomac near St. Clement’s Island killed 87 people. 

The military had contracted with the Black Diamond to help prevent Booth from escaping into Virginia. He managed to do so and was killed a few days later, overshadowing the ship tragedy off Coltons Point.

The overloaded Massachusetts -- a privately owned ship also known as JWD Pentz -- was carrying about 300 soldiers from Alexandria, Va., to return to various regiments at City Point and Fort Monroe when it struck the port side of the coal barge, manned by 11 volunteers, shortly after midnight.

Angela Wathen's depiction of collision (St. Mary's County Museum Division)

According to the newspaper accounts, the tragedy occurred within one mile of Blackistone Island (now called St. Clement’s Island) but the exact location is not known, said Karen Stone, manager of the museums division of the St. Mary’s government.

While the Black Diamond sank, the Massachusetts limped nearly 30 miles to Point Lookout, Md. Most of the dead were on the troop transport.

Stone, in an article for Historynet.com, wrote:

“It is difficult to compile a complete list of the names of the men lost on Massachusetts, as they represented several regiments. Most were recently exchanged prisoners of war, captured at Plymouth, N.C., on April 20, 1864, and sent to the Confederates’ infamous Camp Sumter prison camp in Andersonville, Ga. After being transferred from Andersonville to the Confederate prison camp in Florence, S.C., in December 1864, the men were eventually exchanged and nursed back to health by Union doctors at Camp Parole near Annapolis, Md. All were returning to their various regiments to complete their terms of service.”

Visitors can take a water taxi to nearby St. Clement's Island State Park

Here’s how this weekend will play out:

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Visitors can enjoy free water taxi rides to a state park on nearby St. Clement's Island (the final ride will leave at 3 p.m.) and free admission to the St. Clement's Island Museum. There are special exhibits on the Black Diamond story and the Surratt House Museum (Clinton, Md). St. Clement’s Island State Park has a hiking trail and replica of Blackistone Lighthouse. A large cross marks the site of the arrival of Roman Catholic colonists in 1634.

SATURDAY

2 p.m.: A concert on the waterfront lawn of the museum will feature the Sibling Rivalry Fiddle Band, a four-sibling ensemble playing Civil War-era music and other American folk tunes. The teen musicians are Fredericksburg, Va., natives and their instruments include the fiddle, bodhran, tin whistle and mandolin.

St. Clement's Island Museum (St. Mary's County Museum Division)

SUNDAY

2 p.m.: Commemorative ceremony marking the Black Diamond-Massachusetts disaster. It will include a wreath laying, the reading of the names of those who died and were identified, and remarks by the commanding officer of Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

3 p.m.: Reception at St. Clement’s Island Museum following the ceremony.

Evening cruise: Sold out.

A painting of the disaster donated by artist Angela Wathen will be on display.

For more information about the weekend, contact St. Clement's Island Museum at 301-769-2222 or visit Facebook.com/SCIMuseum.

Wreath laying at previous ceremony (St. Mary's County Museum Division