Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
September 12–15, 1862

Although it is best known as the scene of John Brown's abortive attempt to arm and liberate local slaves, Harpers Ferry is also the site of a famous 1862 battle. From the heights that surround the sleepy village, Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson orchestrated one of the largest mass surrenders in American history.

Jackson's plan involved the precise coordination of three separate commands split between two wide rivers. Even today, with 21st-century technology and communications, such a plan would be difficult to coordinate successfully. In the early 1860s, only a commander of Jackson's caliber and confidence could have pulled it off. In his biography of Jackson, author James I. Robertson, Jr. writes, "Harpers Ferry was the most complete victory in the history of the Southern Confederacy."

Threat: On August 19, 2006, a consortium of Jefferson County, W. Va. developers crossed onto National Park Service (NPS) property along School House Ridge and dug two 1,900-foot-long trenches for water and sewer piping. They did so without receiving any permit from NPS or notifying Park authorities of their intent. Despite repeated requests to cease and desist, the developers refused, leaving nearly two acres of taxpayer-owned hallowed ground seriously compromised. After the incident, NPS officials discovered archaeological artifacts among the rubble. To make the story even more heartbreaking, the property had only become part of the Park in May 2005, after CWPT members contributed $300,000 toward its protection.

Currently the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Justice are considering charges against the developers, who could be tried under both civil and criminal law.

Priority: CWSAC classified Harpers Ferry as a Priority I, Class B battlefield.

Please note that no attempt is made to rank the sites within History Under Siege— instead, the battlefields are listed in alphabetical order.