On Saturday and Sunday, July 22 -23, 2017, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park invites the public to step back in time to a Civil War 1864 occupied town. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day this living history program, featuring the 13th New Jersey military living history group, will demonstrate Union army garrison duties such as guard mount parade; searching and arresting spies, deserters, and traitors; processing prisoners of war; searching citizens; and maintaining military security in a occupied enemy town. Costumed volunteers and staff will interpret civilian life under harsh military rule.
Harpers Ferry, important militarily, suffered constant occupation and action throughout the American Civil War. In August of 1864, Harpers Ferry became the launching point for Union General Philip Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign. The campaign’s primary goal was to seek and destroy forces under the command of Confederate General Jubal Early. A secondary objective was to destroy the food supplies in the Shenandoah Valley that provided sustenance to the Army of Northern Virginia. Harpers Ferry served as both a base of operations and supply center during this campaign. Sheridan successfully completed both objectives. His work was so thorough that one soldier remarked, “a crow would be well advised to take its own provisions if it intended to fly across the valley."
For further details, call the Information Center at 304-535-6029.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
