My son, Brian, stands before the Kennedy Farm, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, about 5 miles from Harpers Ferry. John Brown leased this farm in the summer of 1859 under the name of Isaac Smith, and hid his Raiders here. They embarked on the famous raid from this point about 8pm on the evening of October 16, 1859 in 40 degree rain.
John Brown's Raiders crossed the Potomac River on this bridge to begin the assault on the Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, and it's store of over 100,000 rifles and muskets on the night of October 16, 1859.
1982 323i Baur at John Brown's Fort, Harpers Ferry on August 8, 2011 in the rain.
John Brown's Raiders holed up in this firehouse with their hostages after being driven from the Federal Arsenal by local militia. It was moved to this location and preserved, now known as John Brown's Fort. In 1859, it was located in the Arsenal grounds, a few huncred feet north of its present location.
A detachment of Marines under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee arrived on October 18. Lee sent Lt. J.E.B. Stuart to Brown's fort to negotiate a surrender. Brown refused, and the Marines attacked and captured the fort. Brown was tried, convicted of treason, and hung on December 16, 1859, an event witnessed by John Wilkes Booth, who would later assassinate President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
For more info on John Brown, read 'Patriotic Treason' by Evan Carton. there are many other sources of nfo on Brown, his famous Raid, and Harpers Ferry.
FWIW, Harpers Ferry remains one of The Roaming Baur's favorite places on the planet. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers with heights rising dramatically on all sides, it is spectacularly beautiful at any time of year, architecturally gorgeous, and historically rich and significant. The Appalachian Trail goes right through it, also. Go see it.
In September, 1862, as part of Stonewall Jackson's attack on Harpers Ferry, Major General Lafayette McLaws mounted 7 guns on the spectacular Maryland Heights you see in the background (behind the railroad bridge above), rising some 1,000 feet above the Union forces defending the Ferry. After a short battle, the 12,500 Union forces under General Miles surrendered, the largest surrender ever of American troops. The surrender allowed General A.P. Hill to join General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Antietam, just in time to prevent a significant Union advance that could have won the day completely for the Union forces.
Our tour guide for Antietam National Military Park was a Park Ranger named John Hoptak. Here he is pictured on the inside cover of the current issue of Civil War Times magazine. We had no idea who he was when he gave the tour, but he was absolutely outstanding. Highly recommended.
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