Information Panel: Setting the Trap

View from the Confederate position at Bolivar Heights.

NPS / Claire Hassler

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Confederate Major General "Stonewall" Jackson faced three enemies - the Union garrison at Harpers Ferry, its formidable position on Bolivar Heights, and time. On the second day of the battle, although pummeled by a Confederate bombardment, the Federals still stood firm. Jackson knew had had to force the issue. He devised a three point plan. First, to "turn" the Union flank, he ordered Major General A.P. Hill to march 3,500 men and 20 cannon, under cover of night, to a position behind the Federal lines. Meanwhile, one mile to the north, Jackson staged a fake attack against Bolivar Heights to distract the Federals from Hill's maneuver. Finally, Jackson ordered that 10 cannon be moved from Schoolhouse Ridge across the Shenandoah River to a plateau on Loudoun Heights. By Monday morning, September 15, all was accomplished. The trap was set.