BGuthrie Photos: WV -- Harpers Ferry NHP -- Murphy Farm

WV -- Harpers Ferry NHP -- Murphy Farm:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. HARPMF_150228_027.JPG: Home Becomes A Battlefield: The Civil War affected not only the soldiers who fought but the families whose homes and towns became battlefields. Edmund H. Chambers bought this farm in 1848 and lived here with his family until the Civil War. Although Chambers was a loyal Unionist, the Union confiscated his farm in 1862, forcing the family from their home. The U.S. Army arranged for an appraisal of the farm in the event of damage. At the war's end Chambers found the property destroyed and filed a claim demanding restitution. In 1888, 23 years after the end of the war, he was still trying to settle his claim. There is no evidence that he was ever paid. He died in 1890. "I am now very poor and am eighty years old. I am the son of a Revolutionary soldier... and I think I have a very good record." -- Excerpt from Edmund H. Chamber's letter to the Secretary of War, 1888
2. HARPMF_150228_033.JPG: Harpers Ferry painting attributed to Edmund Chambers's daughter Jenny, 1891
3. HARPMF_150228_046.JPG: From Civil War to Civil Rights: In 1862 Union soldiers forced Edmund Chambers, this farm's first owner (1848-1869), from his home. The farm became a battlefield, where Confederate General A.P. Hill struck the winning blow of the Battle of Harpers Ferry. Union General Philip Sheridan built fortified earthworks here in 1864 to protect Harpers Ferry from Confederate attack. In 1895 the displaced John Brown's Fort found a resting place here. Alexander Murphy, the farm's new owner, allowed the fort's reconstruction here and permitted public access. The fort -- a symbol of freedom to those once enslaved -- became a shrine and helped inspire early civil rights advancements for African Americans. For over 130 years, Murphy's descendents preserved the farm in the pristine condition you see today. Major General A.P. Hill was "Stonewall" Jackson's most respected general. Twice during the month preceding the Battle of Harpers Ferry, Hill's Light Division saved Jackson's army at critical moments. Jackson chose Hill to accomplish the most difficult assignment at Harpers Ferry, which ultimately led to the Union's capture. (Picture caption) Niagara Movement members visit John Brown's Fort, 1906. Battle of Harpers Ferry: Invasion rocked the United States during the second year of the American Civil War. In September 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee launched his army into Maryland -- the North. Lee's first target became Harpers Ferry. He ordered "Stonewall" Jackson to make the attack. Here Jackson overcame great obstacles, defeating the Union during a three-day battle and forcing the largest surrender of U.S. troops during the Civil War. His victory at Harpers Ferry enabled Lee to make his stand at nearby Antietam. "At their, first missiles of death fell far short of our camp; but each succeeding shell came nearer and nearer, until the earth was plowed up at our feet, and our tents torn to tatters." -- Lieutenant James H. Clark, 115th New York Infantry
4. HARPMF_150228_057.JPG: Battle of Harpers Ferry: Invasion rocked the United States during the second year of the American Civil War. In September 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee launched his army into Maryland -- the North. Lee's first target became Harpers Ferry. He ordered "Stonewall" Jackson to make the attack. Here Jackson overcame great obstacles, defeating the Union during a three-day battle and forcing the largest surrender of U.S. troops during the Civil War. His victory at Harpers Ferry enabled Lee to make his stand at nearby Antietam. "At their, first missiles of death fell far short of our camp; but each succeeding shell came nearer and nearer, until the earth was plowed up at our feet, and our tents torn to tatters." -- Lieutenant James H. Clark, 115th New York Infantry
5. HARPMF_150228_082.JPG: "The Fate of Harpers Ferry Was Sealed." -- A.P. Hill After an exhausting night of dragging 20 cannon along the river and up the ravines to this site on Chambers (Murphy) Farm, General A.P. Hill and his 3,500 men sprang their trap on the unsuspecting Union army. Before dawn on the last day of the battle, the Confederates aimed their cannon at the Union line, only 1,000 yards away. When the morning fog lifted Hill signaled his artillerymen to open fire. Startled but alert, the Federals vigorously returned the fire. But an hour later their cannon were silent, triggering a Confederate charge. Hill wrote, "General Pender commenced his advance, when, the enemy again opening…[we ran] forward to within 400 yards, and, quickly…poured in a damaging fire. The enemy now displayed the white flag." The Union garrison at Harpers Ferry fell.
6. HARPMF_150228_105.JPG: Sheridan Dug In: In August 1864 Harpers Ferry was again a Union stronghold. Union General Philip Sheridan and his men built this redoubt -- the earthwork in front of you -- as fortification against the Confederates. Sheridan's objective was to stop the Confederates from skirting undetected along the Shenandoah River (below you) into Harpers Ferry. They had done so on three previous campaigns -- Maryland (1862), Gettysburg (1863), and Washington (1864). The ravine to your right separated the redoubt from the rest of Sheridan's earthworks, which included five other redoubts connected to a two-mile-long trench that stretched from the Shenandoah River to the Potomac River north of here. Each redoubt held as many as six cannon. This fort was never attacked. Armies commonly built redoubts -- like this one photographed at Fair Oaks, near Richmond, Virginia -- when they expected to be in fixed positions for a time. Sandbags, logs, and gabions -- wicker baskets filled with earth -- strengthened earthworks. The redoubts had sloped fronts to break an enemy's assault. These small earthen structures often withstood the pounding of artillery more effectively than fortifications made of bricks and mortar.
7. HARPMF_150228_121.JPG: Mountains, Men and Maneuvers: Confederate Major General "Stonewall" Jackson could not see this view. His lower vantage on Schoolhouse Ridge, 1000 yards upriver, blocked his sight of this strategic position. Yet Jackson remembered this farm from his time as Confederate commander at Harpers Ferry during the first days of the war. He knew if he seized this ground he would threaten the rear of the Union army atop Bolivar Heights. Despite overwhelming odds, Jackson's men secured the Chambers (Murphy) Farm and the plateau on Loudoun Heights, overcoming rivers, cliffs, ravines, poor roads, and narrow shorelines. They forced the surrender of Harpers Ferry. With cannon now in close firing range from these surprise positions, Jackson was ready to launch his final attack on the Union forces. (Captions from the map) Crutchfield's soldiers worked feverishly through the night following a road up the mountainside and dragging 10 cannon into position on Loudoun Heights. Hill's troops moved down the Shenandoah River and struggled with their 20 cannon until they reached the high ground of Chambers (Murphy) Farm.
8. HARPMF_150228_181.JPG: Murphy Farm Established 1869 Alexander Murphy 1840-1931 Mollie M. Murphy 1869-1945 Mary Murphy 1834-1908 William J. Murphy 1872-1931 Historical events on the Farm: Battle of Harpers Ferry, September 13-15, 1862 General Philip Sheridan's Fortification, August 1864 to April 1865 Site of John Brown Fort, 1895-1910 Pilgrimage of the Colored Women's League of Washington, D.C., July 1896 The Second Niagara Movement John Brown Day Pilgrimage to John Brown's Fort, August 17, 1906 In memory of Alexander and Mary Murphy, who were instrumental in the preservation of John Brown's Fort, and to each generation of their descendents, who have recognized the importance of conserving Murphy Farm. Successive generations of the Murphy family have welcomed citizens from across the nation to the farm to reflect upon the historical events that have figured so prominently in our nation's history
9. HARPMF_150228_200.JPG: Holy Ground: "Here on the scene of John Brown's martyrdom we reconsecrate ourselves, our honor, our property to the final emancipation of the race which John Brown died to make free… Thank God for John Brown!... and all the hallowed dead who died for freedom!" -- W.E.B. Du Bois, Niagara Movement general secretary and NAACP founding member On August 17, 1906, members of the Niagara Movement walked silently past where you are standing. One of the first modern civil rights organizations in America, the Niagara Movement fought for racial equality and political representation at all social levels. Its members' efforts laid the foundation for creating the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. Niagara participants came here to the site of John Brown's Fort to honor Brown, who died to end slavery. Black scholar Dr. Benjamin Quarles described their arrival: "As they neared their destination they formed a procession, single file, led by Owen M. Waller, a physician from Brooklyn. Defying stone and stubble, Waller took off his shoes and socks and walked barefoot as if treading on holy ground." Other members followed suit and together they walked barefoot to the fort. As they circled the fort they sang verses of John Brown's Body and The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
10. HARPMF_150228_207.JPG: Pilgrimage: In July 1896, members of the National League of Colored Women traveled here from Washington, D.C. and posed for their picture in front of John Brown's Fort. The women came to pay homage to Brown and his raiders, establishing a pilgrimage tradition for other civil rights organizations. Mary Church Terrell, the League's first president, helped lead its fight against lynchings and racial segregation. She described the organization's mission as: "lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go…we knock at the bar of justice asking an equal chance." Mary Leary Langston (third woman seated from the left) was the widow of Lewis Leary, one of John Brown's men mortally wounded during Brown's raid. With this journey she returned to the town where her husband died fighting for the freedom of American slaves. In the upper left is a portrait of Mary Church Terrell.
11. HARPMF_150228_219.JPG: A Moving Symbol: "In it really began the Civil War. Here was lighted the torch of liberty for all America... For you this is the most hallowed shrine in this country." -- Henry McDonald, Storer College president The foundations in front of you mark a temporary site of John Brown's Fort, from 1895 to 1909. Originally located in Harpers Ferry, the fort was moved four times in 75 years. Entrepreneurs dismantled it and then rebuilt it on location at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. After the exhibition, journalist Kate Field saved the fort from demolition by raising the funds to move it here to Murphy Farm. In 1901 Storer College President Henry McDonald brought the fort to the college's Harpers Ferry campus. After the closing of Storer College the National Park Service returned the fort near its original location in Harpers Ferry (lower town), where it stands today. In 1859, abolitionist John Brown led his famous raid against slavery on the U.S. Armory and was captured in the fire engine house -- now known as John Brown's Fort. Original location of fort in Harpers Ferry (lower town 1865). Moved to Storer College Campus, Harpers Ferry (Camp Hill) in 1909. Returned to Harpers Ferry (lower town) in 1968. Alexander Murphy, for the sum of one dollar, donated five acres of his farm to Kate Field (left) to reconstruct and preserve the John Brown Fort in 1895. It stood here at the farm (main photo) until 1910. Murphy permitted the public to visit the fort without charge.
12. HARPMF_150228_259.JPG: Struggle to the Heights: Consider dragging 2,000-pound cannon up this ravine -- at night. General A.P. Hill's Confederates faced that task during the second night of battle. The assignment was essential to "Stonewall" Jackson's plan to flank the Union army on the crest of Bolivar Heights. Hill's men dragged artillery up this and other nearby ravines before rolling the cannon into position in the open field behind you. The names of these soldiers are not recorded in military reports about the event, but their labors soon changed the course of the battle. Confederate troops struggle to pull cannon from the Shenandoah River shoreline up this rugged ravine.
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Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [(NPS) Harpers Ferry Natl Historic Park] [Display ALL (NPS) Harpers Ferry Natl Historic Park photos] [Civil War] [Park (National Park Service)]
2015 photos: Equipment this year: I mostly used my Fuji XS-1 camera but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000. I retired from the US Census Bureau in god-forsaken Suitland, Maryland on my 58th birthday in May. Yee ha! Trips this year: a quick trip to Florida. two Civil War Trust conferences (Raleigh, NC and Richmond, VA), and my 10th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including Los Angeles). Ego Strokes: Carolyn Cerbin used a Kevin Costner photo in her USA Today article. Miss DC pictures were used a few times in the Washington Post. Number of photos taken this year: just over 550,000.
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