Harpers Ferry Main • Tour the Battlefield > S Schoolhouse Ridge
(on South Schoolhouse Ridge)
A Battle of Harpers Ferry – Jackson Arrives double panel wayside marker is west of Harpers Ferry at the foot of South Schoolhouse Ridge in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Both panels are duplicated in other locations in the park, with the “You Are Here” indicator in the top panel the only difference.
From the top panel:
Battle of Harpers Ferry
Invasion rocked the United States during the second year of the American Civil War. In September 1862 Confederate General Robert E. Lee launched his army into Maryland – the North. Lee’s first target became Harpers Ferry. He ordered “Stonewall” Jackson to make the attack.
Here Jackson overcame the great obstacles, defeating the Union during a three-day battle and forcing the largest surrender of U.S. troops during the Civil War. His victory at Harpers Ferry enabled Lee to make his stand at nearby Antietam.
At first their missiles of death fell far short of our camp; but each succeeding shell came nearer and nearer, until the earth was plowed up at our feet and our tents torn to tatters.
Lieutenant James H. Clark,
115th New York Infantry
The Battle of Harpers Ferry wayside is a schematic map of the military situation as “Stonewall” Jackson surrounded the Harpers Ferry garrison
From the bottom panel:
Jackson Arrives
Confederate Major General “Stonewall” Jackson arrived here on Schoolhouse Ridge with 14,000 men to commence the Battle of Harpers Ferry. Jackson faced mountain obstacles and a determined Union army defending Bolivar Heights. But in a three-day battle, he forced the largest surrender of U.S. Troops during the Civil War.
From the sidebar:
Major General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson was the most successful Confederate general by the late summer of 1862. At the war’s outbreak in April 1861, he began his Confederate career as a colonel in command at Harpers Ferry. Returning 17 months later, Jackson used his knowledge of the area’s rugged terrain to outmaneuver the Union troops.
Location of the trailhead and markers
The South Schoolhouse Ridge trailhead and the Battle of Harpers Ferry and Jackson Arrives wayside markers are about 0.7 mile south of U.S. 340 on Millville Road. (39°18’27.4″N 77°46’40.1″W)