The Battle of Harpers Ferry took place September 12-15, 1862, during the American Civil War. As Confederate General Robert E. Lee invaded Maryland, he also hoped to capture the Union garrison stationed in Harpers Ferry, then part of Virginia. To achieve this, he divided his force and sent General Thomas Stonewall Jackson to deal with the garrison while his main force continued in Maryland. Jackson's successful capture of Harpers Ferry allowed the Confederates to gain strategic ground and access to supplies. It resulted in the largest United States surrender in the Civil War, with over 12,000 Union soldiers taken prisoner. The battlefield is now protected by the National Park Service and Civil War Trust.
Harpers Ferry was an important landmark during the American Civil War. With its strategic location in western Virginia, transportation routes, and hefty armory, both Union and Confederate forces seized Harpers Ferry in the early years of the war. The town itself was devastated by these conflicts, with only around 100 of the original 3,000 citizens remaining. By late February 1862, Union troops held Harpers Ferry, first under General Nathaniel P. Banks and then under Colonel Dixon S. Miles, but it remained under close watch of Confederate generals Thomas Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee.1 There were four main reasons Harpers Ferry was a strategic target for the Confederate military: