Battle of Harpers Ferry facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Harpers Ferry
Part of the American Civil War
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia 1865.
Date September 12, 1862 (1862-09-12)–September 15, 1862 (1862-09-15) Location Jefferson County, West Virginia, Loudoun County, Virginia, and Washington County, Maryland Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
United States	Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
Dixon S. Miles  †, Julius White	Stonewall Jackson A.P. Hill
Strength
14,000	21–26,000
Casualties and losses
12,636 total 44 killed 173 wounded 12,419 captured The Union garrison also surrendered 13,000 small arms, 200 wagons, and 73 artillery pieces.	286 total 39 killed 247 wounded

The Battle of Harpers Ferry was fought September 12–15, 1862. It was part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. As Gen. Robert E. Lee's Confederate army invaded Maryland, a portion of his army under Major General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson was sent to capture Harpers Ferry. His troops surrounded, bombarded, and captured the Union garrison at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). This was a major victory at relatively minor cost.

Background

During the Maryland Campaign of 1862, Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia advanced north through the Shenandoah Valley into Maryland. Lee planned to capture the garrison at Harpers Ferry to secure his line of supply back to Virginia. The Confederate Army was being pursued at a leisurely pace by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac. Even though the Union Army outnumbering him more than two to one, Lee chose the risky strategy of dividing his army. He sent one portion to converge and attack Harpers Ferry from three directions. Col. Dixon S. Miles, Union commander at Harpers Ferry, insisted on keeping most of the troops near the town instead of taking up commanding positions on the surrounding heights. He had been ordered by McClellan to hold the town until McClellan could send more soldiers.

The battle

The slim defenses of the most important position, Maryland Heights, first encountered the approaching Confederate on September 12. But there was only a brief skirmishing. Strong attacks by two Confederate brigades on September 13 drove the Union troops from the heights.

During the fighting on Maryland Heights, the other Confederate columns arrived. They were astonished to see that critical positions to the west and south of town were not defended. Jackson methodically positioned his artillery around Harpers Ferry and ordered Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill to move down the west bank of the Shenandoah River in preparation for a flank attack on the Federal left the next morning. By the morning of September 15, Jackson had positioned nearly 50 guns on Maryland Heights and at the base of Loudoun Heights. He began a fierce artillery barrage from all sides and ordered an infantry assault. Miles realized that the situation was hopeless. He agreed with his subordinates to raise the white flag of surrender. Before he could surrender personally, he was mortally wounded by an artillery shell and died the next day. After processing more than 12,000 Union prisoners, Jackson's men then rushed to Sharpsburg, Maryland, to rejoin Lee for the Battle of Antietam.

Images for kids

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  William MacLeod, Maryland Heights - Siege of Harpers Ferry, 1863

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  Battle of Harpers Ferry

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  Union military positions near Harpers Ferry in both 1862 and 1864. Restored Civil War period map.

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  Map of Harpers Ferry Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program