Harpers Ferry Main • Tour the Battlefield > N Schoolhouse Ridge
The Destined for Antietam wayside marker is west of Harpers Ferry on the North Schoolhouse Ridge Trail in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
From the marker:
Destined for Antietam
September 10, 1862 from Frederick, Maryland
Confederate commander Lee sends part of his army to capture Harpers Ferry, while he waits in Maryland to advance on Pennsylvania.
Jackson
September 13
Maryland Heights, MD
Confederates force Union soldiers off Maryland Heights.
September 13
Jackson arrives here on Schoolhouse Ridge, surrounding the Union garrison.
September 14
Jackson’s forces bombard Harpers Ferry and outflank the Federals on Bolivar Heights.
September 15
Union garrison surrenders, and Jackson advances on Sharpsburg to help Lee, leaving General A.P. Hill behind to deal with the captured prisoners and spoils of war.
Lee
September 14
South Mountain, MD
Lee’s troops clash with the Union army and delay its counter attack.
September 15
Sharpsburg, MD
Lee withdraws toward Sharpsburg, north of Showman’s Knoll. He awaits news from Jackson at Harpers Ferry.
Antietam
September 17, 1862
Union and Confederate soldiers fight in the bloodiest day of the Civil War. Lee’s invasion ends, President Lincoln issues the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
Caption from the photo inset at the bottom left:
Louisiana soldiers lie dead near the Cornfield at Antietam. Two days earlier these same men stood where you now stand.
Location of the Destined for Antietam wayside marker
The marker is west of Harpers Ferry on the North Schoolhouse Ridge Trail about 0.65 mile southwest of the trailhead on Bakerton Road. (39°19’15.6″N 77°46’43.0″W)