National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior

PO Box 65
Harpers Ferry WV 25425

304 535-6748 phone
304 535-6244 fax

Harpers Ferry NHP News Release

Release Date: Immediately
Contact: Marsha B. Wassel
Phone: 304 535-6748

Capture of Harpers Ferry 1862

On September 10 and 11, 2005, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park invites the public to attend Capture of Harpers Ferry 1862, a special living history program highlighting the aftermath of the 1862 Battle of Harpers Ferry. This battle resulted in the capture of the 12,500-man Union garrison by General Stonewall Jackson’s southern troops. Members of the Stonewall Brigade, a volunteer living history group, will depict Jackson’s troops throughout the weekend by demonstrating a military encampment and presenting the civilian response to the town’s surrender.

Special tours and exhibits will be offered from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Special guided walking tours will be offered on both days. Special ongoing demonstrations include a military encampment, parole of prisoners, questioning of disloyal citizens, and refugees packing their wagon to leave town. Visitors can witness the hardships endured by townspeople caught in the destruction and crossfire of war.

The surrender of Harpers Ferry was an essential component of the Maryland Campaign, the first Confederate invasion of the North. This campaign culminated in Sharpsburg, Maryland at the Battle of Antietam. As General Robert E. Lee’s troops retreated back into Virginia, an undaunted Abraham Lincoln changed the course of the war by releasing a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which became effective in January 1863. The Proclamation granted freedom to all enslaved African Americans residing in Confederate states in rebellion.

For further information, call Harpers Ferry National Historical Park at 304-535-6029.

-NPS-

Updated: Wednesday, 07-Sep-2005 10:11:29 Eastern Daylight Time
www.nps.gov /archive/hafe/new/nr-capture-hafe-1862.htm
Author: Marsha B. Wassel

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