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Confederate Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson captured the federal garrison at Harpers Ferry two days before the Battle of Antietam. His plan (and that of army commander, Gen. Robert E. Lee) was to rejoin the Army of Northern Virginia along the ridges of Sharpsburg, Maryland. This page contains a small collection of Harpers Ferry photos. But also, the National Park Service has an official site that includes photos and a hiking page that currently lists nine relatively short trails.
Downtown Harpers Ferry
Riding on the C&O Canal Towpath
The following four Harpers Ferry photos that show how a bicyclist would ride south on the C&O Canal Towpath (from Sharpsburg), and then carry one’s bicycle up a steep stairway. The foot bridge connects Maryland Heights to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Once on the foot bridge, walk your bike into Harpers Ferry. (Civil War Cycling’s Antietam base page contains links to NPS Alerts & Conditions).
In October 1859, an abolitionist named John Brown orchestrated a raid on Harpers Ferry. Specifically, he and his contingent of eighteen men targeted the federal arsenal with the intent of triggering a revolt by enslaved Americans. He arrived by train from Baltimore to Frederick and then Harpers Ferry. The plot failed. Brown was executed by hanging on December 2, 1859. See “John Brown’s Raid,” an article by the NPS.
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