Categories: Civil War 150th

Harper’s Ferry Abandoned

The burned bridge with Harper’s Ferry in the background

150 years ago yesterday Joseph E. Johnston of the Confederacy evacuated Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, retreating before Robert’s Patterson’s Army of the Shenandoah. In this theater of the war, there were four main armies. The Union had one army under Gen. McDowell stationed near Washington, and another under Gen. Patterson at the head of the Shenandoah Valley. Their plan was to invade Virginia. Gen. Johnston commanded the Confederate army facing Patterson, and Gen. Beuregard commanded the other army facing McDowell.

The same bridge pillars today

Harper’s Ferry was a very strategic point in the Civil War. It was at the junction of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, and it is at the head of the Shenadoah Valley. It changed hands eight times during the Civil War. It was abandoned by the Union troops and occupied by Johnston, and now he was retreating in the face of Patterson’s superior forces.

civilwar150th

Share
Published by
civilwar150th

Recent Posts

Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence: Real or Fake?

250 years ago the representatives of the citizens of Mecklenburg County, NC declared independence from…

24 hours ago

Alaska History Cruise Tour

We'd like to announce that we are organizing a Washington and Alaska tour from September 10-23, 2025. It…

3 days ago

Frances Havergal: Ever, Only, All for Thee

Take my life, and let it beConsecrated, Lord, to thee.Take my moments, and my days;Let…

2 weeks ago

On Bradford’s Trail: Delftshaven

Bradford and the Pilgrims left the Netherlands from Delftshaven. Today it a quaint street with…

3 weeks ago

On Bradford’s Trail: Home in Leiden

One interesting place that we visited during our trip to Leiden was the American Pilgrim…

4 weeks ago

An Update on My William Bradford Biography

Since I announced several years ago that I was writing a new biography of William…

1 month ago