Harpers Ferry, West Va.
U.S. Civil War Home
The Civil War had a profound and disastrous effect on Harpers Ferry, leaving a path of destruction that wrecked the town's economy and forced many residents to depart forever. Because of the town's location on the strategic Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley, Union and Confederate troop movements through Harpers Ferry were frequent. The town changed hands eight times between 1861 and 1865. On April 18, 1861, less than 24 hours after Virginia seceded from the Union, Federal soldiers set fire to the armory and arsenal to keep them out of Southern hands. The arsenal and 15,000 weapons were destroyed, but the armory flames were extinguished and the weapons-making equipment was shipped south. When the Confederates abandoned the town two months later, they burned most of the factory buildings and blew up the railroad bridge.
United States forces re-occupied Harpers Ferry in 1862, using it as a base for operations in the Shenandoah Valley. During the Confederacy's first invasion of the North, Stonewall Jackson captured the 12,5000-man Union garrison stationed here on September 15, 1862. When the Federals returned to Harpers Ferry, they began transforming the surrounding heights into fortified encampments to protect both the town and the railroad. In 1864, Union Gen. Philip H. Sheridan used Harpers Ferry as his base of operations agains Confederate troops in the Shenandoah Valley.
Below are some pictures from the trip. Click on a picture for the larger version.
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Photos Copyright © REB
Above text Copyright © National Park Service
We took a trip to Harpers Ferry recently. The Park Service charges $5.00 a carload to park at the Visitor's Center. (Watch out for the rude money taker.) Then, they shuttle you down to the town. It's about a 5 minute trip down. The trip back turns into 25 minutes when the bus breaks down.
