Information Panel: A Land Divided

You are standing near what was once an international border.

NPS/ Claire Hassler

Quick Facts

Amenities

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

The struggle of today is not altogether for today -- it is for a vast future. - Abraham Lincoln.

You are standing near what was once an international border. During the Civil War, the peak to your left lay within the Union state of Maryland. Loudoun Heights to the right was claimed by the Confederate state of Virginia. Slavery divided the nation, and here at Harpers Ferry the two sides clashed over the meaning of freedom.

The noise of army camp life once disturbed the quiet field before you. Both the Union and Confederate armies used this clearing as a campground and training field at different times throughout the course of the war.

Refugees from slavery flocked to the Union encampments in Harpers Ferry. Thousands of formerly enslaved people sought the protection of the Union army. Classified by the army as contraband, they faced an uncertain future.