Existing comment:
Civil War:
From the edge of the rivers to the top of the heights, no corner of Harpers Ferry escaped the effects of the Civil War. Virginia's first military operation after secession started in Lower Town Harpers Ferry when militia seized the US Armory and Arsenal. The battles and the defenses involving the surrounding hillsides began immediately and continued till war's end. Almost every structure in Lower Town, on Camp Hill and on Virginius Island was occupied, damaged or destroyed by soldiers. In the words of local historian Joseph Barry, "No spot in the United States experienced more of the horrors of war." |