Harpers Ferry Civil War Round Table

Harpers Ferry Civil War Round Table Harpers Ferry Civil War Round Table
History of Harpers Ferry
US Civil War 1861-1865

09/04/2026

Due to storm damage, Snavely Ford Trail and Sherrick Farm Trail are both currently closed. Our crew is out working on getting these both open ASAP. Thank you for your understanding.

09/04/2026

HALT PLANS FOR A 10,000-PERSON REGIONAL EVENT STADIUM ON THE MONOCACY RIVER FLOODPLAIN

09/03/2026

162 Years Ago Today... The Battle of Berryville

Late in the afternoon of September 3, Gen. Joseph Kershaw’s division unexpectedly encountered and attacked Union Col. Joseph Thoburn’s men while they were establishing their camp. The Confederates achieved initial success, routing Thoburn’s left flank. Fighting quickly intensified as the rest of Gen. George Crook’s corps, including Col. Isaac Duval’s division, rushed forward to stabilize the line. Union troops, including a brigade under Col. Rutherford B. Hayes counterattacked and pushed the Confederates back. Combat continued into the night with musketry and artillery fire before darkness, rain, and ammunition shortages largely ended the action.

Both sides brought up reinforcements overnight. Confederate Gen. Jubal Early concentrated much of his army, but on the morning of September 4 he found the Union position strongly entrenched and declined a full assault. That night he withdrew west behind Opequon Creek toward Wi******er.

09/02/2026

My August article for the Hampshire Review

09/01/2026

THE STORM BEFORE THE INVASION
On this day in 1862, the bloody Battle of Chantilly (Ox Hill) raged during a blinding, torrential rainstorm. Following the disaster at Second Bull Run, Union forces desperately fought to halt "Stonewall" Jackson’s flanking maneuver.

The battle was chaotic, brutal, and fought largely with bayonets due to wet gunpowder. It cost the Union two of its finest generals: Philip Kearny and Isaac Stevens.

While tactically a draw, Chantilly was a massive strategic turning point. By pushing the Union army back into the defenses of Washington, it left the road completely open for Robert E. Lee. Just three days later, the Confederates crossed the Potomac River, launching the fateful Maryland Campaign that would culminate at Antietam. (Map of the Battle of Ox Hill, ABT)
#1862

08/29/2026

162 Years Ago Today... The Battle of Smithfield Crossing Continues

After the cavalry action the day before, on the morning of August 29, Confederate Gen. Jubal Early committed infantry. Two Confederate infantry divisions crossed the Opequon at Smithfield Crossing and pushed hard against the Union cavalry. Gen. George Custer’s brigade, sent across on reconnaissance, was driven back. Gen. Wesley Merritt’s division was forced to give ground through the village and along the road toward Charlestown.

The Confederate advance was finally checked when Gen. James Ricketts’s infantry division of the VI Corps arrived and stiffened the Union line. The Confederates withdrew back across the creek. The result was inconclusive. Neither side achieved a decisive victory, but Union forces regained control of the Smithfield Crossing.

08/28/2026

The Civil War Center’s Fall Conference Speaker Spotlight: Will Greene

Will Greene is a co-founder and former president and CEO of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites (today’s American Battlefield Trust). A sixteen year veteran of the National Park Service, Greene also served as Executive Director of Pamplin Historical Park. He is also the author of the magisterial multi-volume study on Petersburg, “A Campaign of Giants.”

Register for the conference and join us for Will’s lecture on Friday, September 25, 2026, “Audacious Association’s Awful Acronym: The First Eight Years of the APCWS”

To register: https://georgetylermoorecenter.totalcamps.com/shop/EVENT

Jim Hessler will be on Panhandle Live at 9:45 on Sept 8 to promote the talk Sept 9th. You can listen in on 1010 am, WEPM...
08/27/2026

Jim Hessler will be on Panhandle Live at 9:45 on Sept 8 to promote the talk Sept 9th. You can listen in on 1010 am, WEPM online, or on PanHandle Live's Spotify page later in the day.

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25425

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