The National tribune., 1907-12-12

taken it with the force at his command
whenever he chose.
"On the same day Gen. Walker, with
Eorce of the enemy estimated at 5000,
had taken possession of Loudoun
Hights, and Gen. Jackson, with a much
larger force, had reached position in
front of Bolivar Hights, thus complet-
ing the investment of Harpers Ferry.
1T has generally been considered
that Col. Miles should have tried to
hold Maryland Hights Con the north
side of the Potomac) even if it became
necessary to mass his whole force there
The reasons given by him to the writer
Tor not doing SO were: ID That his or
ders required him to hold Harper's
Ferry and this would be a violation of
such orders; (2) that water would be
, inaccessible. Moreover, it was manifest
that if the town of Harper's Ferry and
the defensive line of Bolivar Hights
were evacuated the entire forces of
the enemy on the Virginia side of the
Potomac would recross to the north
side, enveloping our small force, and
at the same time concentrating Lees
entire army in front of Mcclellan, while
we should have given UP the river
crossing which, as the contending
armies were then placed, constituted
the only strategic value of Harper 5
| Ferry"
Picturesque Harper's Ferry.
Harper's Ferry is one of the most
picturesque places in the world JEFF
| ferson declared that the view from
Maryland Hights was well worth cross
| ing the Atlantic to see. In some far-off
geological period there has been long,
| deep rupture of the earth's surface
ABOUT 60 miles wide, making what is
called in Virginia the Shenandoah VAL
ley, with local names for the same
Valley in New York, Pennsylvania and
Tennessee, across which States it ex-
tends. This Valley, which, as before
stated, is about 60 miles wide, has on
either side the great high central bridge
of tn Appalachian system On the east
Is the Blue Ridge and on the west the
Alleghanies AT some later geological
period the waters which collected in
this Valley burst thru at different places
10 make their way 10 the ocean. AT
Harper's Ferry the waters which had
come down the Potomac for hundreds
of miles united with those the Shenan-
ldnah River had gathered up for more
than 100 miles, and their force cut a
narrow outlet thru the granite of the
Blue Ridge with almost abrupt abut-
ments on either side. Northeast of this
junction of the Potomac and the Shen-
andoah rise the lofty Maryland Hights,
a sheer ascent of nearly 1900 feet
fIoIi lHe summit Oh Maryland HIghts
the country for endless miles seems
spread out before one like a map. with
the mountains rising in pillows, be-
tween which lie narrow and fertile val
leys. Across the Potomac and forming
the Virginia abutments to this gateway
were the LOudoun flights, much lower
than those of Maryland, but still lofty
and precipitous eminence At the foot
of Loudoun Hights the Shenandoah
which has skirted their base for scores
of miles, unites its silvery waters with
the clear flood of the lordlier stream
Across the Shenandoah and running
taround toward the Potomac again are
the Bolivar Hights, much lower ye
than those of Loudoun. In the earlier
Years of the century man named Har
per had maintained a ferry across the
) Potomac at this point, which was nee
essarily A great gateway for communi-
cation between the people of Maryland
! and Virginia. Later a wagon bridge
was constructed and then a railroad
bridge in the form of a Y, so as tc
cross both rivers, and this bridge is
! one of the three Y bridges in the world
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in pur.
suing its tortuous course down the Po-
tomac, crosses the river frequently but
runs for many miles on the Virginia
; side before reaching Harper's Ferry
/. where it crosses the Potomac into Mary.
land, and thence runs thru that State
TO Washington. At this crossing was
the little village officially known as
! Bolivar, but everywhere spoken of as
Harper's Ferry. The Government had
| at that point, where were made about