Battle of Harpers Ferry The Battle of Harpers Ferry was fought September 12 – 15 , 1862 , as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War . As Gen . Robert E . Lee ' s Confederate army invaded Maryland , a portion of his army under Maj . Gen . Thomas J . " Stonewall " Jackson surrounded , bombarded , and captured the Union garrison at Harpers Ferry , Virginia ( now West Virginia ) , a major victory at relatively minor cost . As Lee ' s Army of Northern Virginia advanced down the Shenandoah Valley into Maryland , he planned to capture the garrison and arsenal at Harpers Ferry , not only to seize its supplies of rifles and ammunition , but to secure his line of supply back to Virginia . Although he was being pursued at a leisurely pace by Maj . Gen . George B . McClellan ' s Army of the Potomac , outnumbering him more than two to one , Lee chose the risky strategy of dividing his army and sent one portion to converge and attack Harpers Ferry from three directions . Col . Dixon S . Miles , Union commander at Harpers Ferry , insisted on keeping most of the troops near the town instead of taking up commanding positions on the surrounding heights . The slim defenses of the most important position , Maryland Heights , first encountered the approaching Confederate on September 12 , but only brief skirmishing ensued . Strong attacks by two Confederate brigades on September 13 drove the Union troops from the heights . During the fighting on Maryland Heights , the other Confederate columns arrived and were astonished to see that critical positions to the west and south of town were not defended . Jackson methodically positioned his artillery around Harpers Ferry and ordered Maj . Gen . A . P . Hill to move down the west bank of the Shenandoah River in preparation for a flank attack on the Federal left the next morning . By the morning of September 15 , Jackson had positioned nearly 50 guns on Maryland Heights and at the base of Loudoun Heights . He began a fierce artillery barrage from all sides and ordered an infantry assault . Miles realized that the situation was hopeless and agreed with his subordinates to raise the white flag of surrender . Before he could surrender personally , he was mortally wounded by an artillery shell and died the next day . After processing more than 12 , 000 Union prisoners , Jackson ' s men then rushed to Sharpsburg , Maryland , to rejoin Lee for the Battle of Antietam . Background . Harpers Ferry ( originally Harper ' s Ferry ) is a small town at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Shenandoah River , the site of a historic Federal arsenal ( founded by President George Washington in 1799 ) and a bridge for the critical Baltimore and Ohio Railroad across the Potomac . It was earlier the site of the abolitionist John Brown ' s attack on the Federal arsenal there in 1859 . The town was virtually indefensible , dominated on all sides by higher ground . To the west , the ground rose gradually for about a mile and a half to Bolivar Heights , a plateau high , that stretches from the Potomac to the Shenandoah . To the south , across the Shenandoah , Loudoun Heights overlooks from . And to the northeast , across the Potomac , the southernmost extremity of Elk Ridge forms the 1 , 476 - foot - high crest of Maryland Heights . A Federal soldier wrote that if these three heights could not be held , Harpers Ferry would be " no more defensible than a well bottom . " As Gen . Robert E . Lee ' s Army of Northern Virginia advanced into Maryland , Lee expected that the Union garrisons that potentially blocked his supply line in the Shenandoah Valley , at Winchester , Martinsburg , and Harpers Ferry , would be cut off and abandoned without firing a shot ( and , in fact , both Winchester and Martinsburg were evacuated ) . But the Harpers Ferry garrison had not retreated . Lee planned to capture the garrison and the arsenal , not only to seize its supplies of rifles and ammunition , but to secure his line of supply back to Virginia . Although he was being pursued at a leisurely pace by Maj . Gen . George B . McClellan and the Union Army of the Potomac , outnumbering him more than two to one , Lee chose the risky strategy of dividing his army to seize the prize of Harpers Ferry . While the corps of Maj . Gen . James Longstreet drove north in the direction of Hagerstown , Lee sent columns of troops to converge and attack Harpers Ferry from three directions . The largest column , 11 , 500 men under Jackson , was to recross the Potomac and circle around to the west of Harpers Ferry and attack it from Bolivar Heights , while the other two columns , under Maj . Gen . Lafayette McLaws ( 8 , 000 men ) and Brig . Gen . John G . Walker ( 3 , 400 ) , were to capture Maryland Heights and Loudoun Heights , commanding the town from the east and south . McClellan had wanted to add the Harpers Ferry garrison to his field army , but general - in - chief Henry W . Halleck had refused , saying that the movement would be too difficult and that the garrison had to defend itself " until the latest moment , " or until McClellan could relieve it . Halleck had probably expected its commander , Col . Dixon S . Miles , to show some military knowledge and courage . Miles was a 38 - year veteran of the U . S . Army and the Mexican - American War , but who had been disgraced after the First Battle of Bull Run when a court of inquiry held that he had been drunk during the battle . Miles swore off liquor and was sent to the supposedly quiet post at Harpers Ferry . His garrison comprised 14 , 000 men , many inexperienced , including 2 , 500 who had been forced out of Martinsburg by the approach of Jackson ' s men on September 11 . On the night of September 11 , McLaws arrived at Brownsville , 6 miles northeast of Harpers Ferry . He left 3 , 000 men near Brownsville Gap to protect his rear and moved 3 , 000 others toward the Potomac River to seal off any eastern escape route from Harpers Ferry . He dispatched the veteran brigades of Brig . Gens . Joseph B . Kershaw and William Barksdale to seize Maryland Heights on September 12 . The other Confederate columns were making slow progress and were behind schedule . Jackson ' s men were delayed at Martinsburg . Walker ' s men were ordered to destroy the aqueduct carrying the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal across the Monocacy River where it empties into the Potomac , but his engineers had difficulty demolishing the stone structure and the attempt was eventually abandoned . Walker reentered Virginia , in Loudoun County on the 9th , across from Point of Rocks . Walker was escorted by Col . E . V . White , Loudoun native , and his 35th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry . White was unhappy with the assignment and preferred to be with the rest of the army . Unfortunately White had gotten into an altercation with Maj . Gen . J . E . B . Stuart in Frederick and was subsequently ordered back to Virginia by Lee . Whether or not his disposition was to blame , White led Walker on a meandering route around the Short Hill Mountain to reach the base of Loudoun Heights four days later on September 13 . So the attack on Harpers Ferry that had been planned for September 11 was delayed , increasing the risk that McClellan might engage and destroy a portion of Lee ' s army while it was divided . Battle . September 12 . Miles insisted on keeping most of the troops near the town instead of taking up commanding positions on the surrounding heights . He apparently was interpreting literally his orders to hold the town . The defenses of the most important position , Maryland Heights , were designed to fight off raiders , but not to hold the heights themselves . There was a powerful artillery battery halfway up the heights : two naval Dahlgren rifles , one 50 - pounder Parrott rifle , and four 12 - pounder smoothbore s . On the crest , Miles assigned Col . Thomas H . Ford of the 32nd Ohio Infantry to command parts of four regiments , 1 , 600 men . Some of these men , including those of the 126th New York , had been in the Army only 21 days and lacked basic combat skills . They erected primitive breastworks and sent skirmishers a quarter - mile in the direction of the Confederates . On September 12 they encountered the approaching men from Kershaw ' s South Carolina brigade , who had been moving slowly through the very difficult terrain on Elk Ridge . Rifle volleys from behind abatis caused the Confederates to stop for the night . September 13 . Kershaw began his attack at about 6 : 30 a . m . , September 13 . He planned to push his own brigade directly against the Union breastworks while Barksdale ' s Mississippians flanked the Federal right . Kershaw ' s men charged into the abatis twice and were driven back with heavy losses . The inexperienced New York troops were holding their own . Their commander , Col . Ford , felt ill that morning and stayed back two miles ( 3 km ) behind the lines , leaving the fighting to Col . Eliakim Sherrill , the second - ranking officer . Sherrill was wounded by a bullet through the cheek and tongue while rallying his men and had to be carried from the field , making the green troops grow panicky . As Barksdale ' s Mississippians approached on the flank , the New Yorkers broke and fled rearward . Although Maj . Sylvester Hewitt ordered the remaining units to reform farther along the ridge , orders came at 3 : 30 p . m . from Col . Ford to retreat . ( In doing so , he apparently neglected to send for the 900 men of the 115th New York , waiting in reserve midway up the slope . ) His men destroyed their artillery pieces and crossed a pontoon bridge back to Harpers Ferry . Ford later insisted he had the authority from Miles to order the withdrawal , but a court of inquiry concluded that he had " abandoned his position without sufficient cause , " and recommended his dismissal from the Army . During the fighting on Maryland Heights , the other Confederate columns arrived — Walker to the base of Loudoun Heights at 10 a . m . and Jackson ' s three divisions ( Brig . Gen . John R . Jones to the north , Brig . Gen . Alexander R . Lawton in the center , and Maj . Gen . A . P . Hill to the south ) to the west of Bolivar Heights at 11 a . m . — and were astonished to see that these positions were not defended . Inside the town , the Union officers realized they were surrounded and pleaded with Miles to attempt to recapture Maryland Heights , but he refused , insisting that his forces on Bolivar Heights would defend the town from the west . He exclaimed , " I am ordered to hold this place and God damn my soul to hell if I don ' t . " In fact , Jackson ' s and Miles ' s forces to the west of town were roughly equal , but Miles was ignoring the threat from the artillery massing to his northeast and south . Late that night , Miles sent Capt . Charles Russell of the 1st Maryland Cavalry with nine troopers to slip through the enemy lines and take a message to McClellan , or any other general he could find , informing them that the besieged town could hold out only for 48 hours . Otherwise , he would be forced to surrender . Russell ' s men slipped across South Mountain and reached McClellan ' s headquarters at Frederick . The general was surprised and dismayed to receive the news . He wrote a message to Miles that a relief force was on the way and told him , " Hold out to the last extremity . If it is possible , re - occupy the Maryland Heights with your whole force . " McClellan ordered Maj . Gen . William B . Franklin and his VI Corps to march from Crampton ' s Gap to relieve Miles . Although three couriers were sent with this information on different routes , none of them reached Harpers Ferry in time . September 14 . While battles raged at the passes on South Mountain , Jackson had methodically positioned his artillery around Harpers Ferry . This included four Parrott rifles to the summit of Maryland Heights , a task that required 200 men wrestling the ropes of each gun . Although Jackson wanted all of his guns to open fire simultaneously , Walker on Loudoun Heights grew impatient and began an ineffectual bombardment with five guns shortly after 1 p . m . Jackson ordered A . P . Hill to move down the west bank of the Shenandoah in preparation for a flank attack on the Federal left the next morning . That night , the Union officers realized they had less than 24 hours left , but they made no attempt to recapture Maryland Heights . Unbeknownst to Miles , only a single Confederate regiment now occupied the crest , after McLaws had withdrawn the remainder to meet the Union assault at Crampton ' s Gap . Col . Benjamin F . " Grimes " Davis proposed to Miles that his troopers of the 12th Illinois Cavalry , the Loudoun Rangers , and some smaller units from Maryland and Rhode Island , attempt to break out . Cavalry forces were essentially useless in the defense of the town . Miles dismissed the idea as " wild and impractical , " but Davis was adamant and Miles relented when he saw that the fiery Mississippian intended to break out , with or without permission . Davis and Col . Amos Voss led their 1 , 400 cavalrymen out of Harpers Ferry on a pontoon bridge across the Potomac , turning left onto a narrow road that wound to the west around the base of Maryland Heights in the north toward Sharpsburg . Despite a number of close calls with returning Confederates from South Mountain , the cavalry column encountered a wagon train approaching from Hagerstown with James Longstreet ' s reserve supply of ammunition . They were able to trick the wagoneers into following them in another direction and they repulsed the Confederate cavalry escort in the rear of the column . Capturing more than 40 enemy ordnance wagons , Davis had lost not a single man in combat , the first great cavalry exploit of the war for the Army of the Potomac . September 15 . By the morning of September 15 , Jackson had positioned nearly 50 guns on Maryland Heights and at the base of Loudoun Heights , prepared to enfilade the rear of the Federal line on Bolivar Heights . Jackson began a fierce artillery barrage from all sides and ordered an infantry assault for 8 a . m . Miles realized that the situation was hopeless . He had no expectation that relief would arrive from McClellan in time and his artillery ammunition was in short supply . At a council of war with his brigade commanders , he agreed to raise the white flag of surrender . But he would not be personally present at any ceremony . He was confronted by a captain of the 126th New York Infantry , who said , " For — — ' s sake , Colonel , don ' t surrender us . Don ' t you hear the signal guns ? Our forces are near us . Let us cut our way out and join them . " But Miles replied , " Impossible . They will blow us out of this place in half an hour . " As the captain turned away in disdain , a shell exploded , shattering Miles ' s left leg . So disgusted were the men of the garrison with Miles ' s behavior , which some claimed involved being drunk again , it was difficult to find a man who would take him to the hospital . He was mortally wounded and died the next day . Some historians have speculated that Miles was struck deliberately by fire from his own men . Aftermath . Jackson had won a great victory at minor expense . The Confederate Army sustained 286 casualties ( 39 killed , 247 wounded ) , mostly from the fighting on Maryland Heights , while the Union Army sustained 217 ( 44 killed , 173 wounded ) . The Union garrison also surrendered 12 , 419 men , 13 , 000 small arms , 200 wagons , and 73 artillery pieces . It was the largest surrender of Federal forces during the Civil War . Confederate soldiers feasted on Union food supplies and helped themselves to fresh blue Federal uniforms , which would cause some confusion in the coming days . About the only unhappy men in Jackson ' s force were the cavalrymen , who had hoped to replenish their exhausted mounts . Jackson sent off a courier to Lee with the news . " Through God ' s blessing , Harper ' s Ferry and its garrison are to be surrendered . " As he rode into town to supervise his men , Union soldiers lined the roadside , eager for a look at the famous Stonewall . One of them observed Jackson ' s dirty , seedy uniform and remarked , " Boys , he isn ' t much for looks , but if we ' d had him we wouldn ' t have been caught in this trap . " By early afternoon , Jackson received an urgent message from General Lee : Get your troops to Sharpsburg as quickly as possible . Jackson left A . P . Hill at Harpers Ferry to manage the parole of Federal prisoners and began marching to join the Battle of Antietam .