On Saturday and Sunday, August 27 and 28, at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, visitors are invited to witness the power of the artillery that defended the Union garrison during the Siege of 1862. The park’s Living History staff will present artillery demonstrations at 1, 2, and 3 p.m., on the battle which led to General Stonewall Jackson’s capture of 12,500 Federal soldiers. A military camp will be open for visitation on the Bolivar Heights Battlefield from 11:00am to 4:00pm. Shuttles from the Visitor Center to the Bolivar Heights Battlefield will be provided.
“We are surrounded by enemy batteries," wrote a Union officer garrisoned at Harpers Ferry on Sept. 15, 1862. On that day, the 12,500-man Union garrison surrendered to Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall" Jackson. This military action at Harpers Ferry was the largest surrender of Union troops during the American Civil War. Following the surrender of Federal troops, Jackson’s men marched northward to join Confederate General Robert E. Lee near Sharpsburg, Maryland, arriving in time to save Lee’s flank from annihilation during the Battle of Antietam.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
