Sunday April 15th, 2012
Harpers Ferry and Antietum National Battle Field
Harpers Ferry KOA provided a wonderful free pancake breakfast. We hit the jackpot because they do it only on Sat. & Sunday. Also a very clean campground, but a tons of bugs. Can’t complain because it’s the first place that we really have experienced any bugs!!
A beautiful day – hot but not too hot.
Harpers Ferry was established in the 1790’s when the United States Armory and Arsenal transformed it from a wilderness to an industrial center. Between 1799 and the outbreak of the civil war in 1861, the armory produced over 600,000 muskets, rifles, and pistols, and had over 400 workers. The armory produced the first U.S. military rifle (the Model 1803flintlock and the first percussion rifle. By the summer of 1860 it was a vibrant, thriving community with seven combination dry goods/hardware stores, four men’s clothing stores, five shoemakers, four tailors, four taverns, and six churches lining the narrow streets and competed among the 3000 people. Farmers and butchers filled the market place with fresh cut produce and meats and trains delivered fresh seafood from the Chesapeake Bay. The major business was still the U.S. Armory musket factory and rifle factory making about 10,000 rifles and muskets a year for American soldiers to defend our growing country.
In October of 1859, John Brown attempted to seize the 100,000 rifles and muskets stared at Harpers Ferry as a first step in his revolutionary scheme to abolish slavery. His plan failed when local militia and a regimen of marines under the command of Lt. Col. Robert E. Lee, ordered by President Buchanan, seized Broun and killed or captured all of his raiders, three of which were his sons. He was later hung for tyranny, but his actions made an impact on the start of the Civil War.
On the east end of the town where the Potomac River and the Shenandoah River meet, West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland all meet together. We walked out there and stood in the area and watched the rivers come together. Running over the Potomac River was an old tresel bridge and all of a sudden a big old train came roaring by. That was awesome!!
We hurried up the road about 20 minutes so we could see Antietam National Park. It is called the “bloodiest one day battle” of the civil war because there were so many casualties within minutes of battle.. Lee marched his 40,000 Virginian troops into the battlefield on September 17, 1862. It was a beautiful piece of property and very peaceful now, but I could just imagine what it looked like them. We pulled over at the south end to make dinner and let the kids run around. We had a wonderful little picnic with our dinner sitting outside enjoying the wonderful weather. The lookout tower had a beautiful view of the fields, and the bloody trench was right along the walk way. We made the kids lay in it as if they were soldiers that were shot because that’s what this trench was full of when the battle was over. Pictures on the information plaques were heart wrenching!!
After leaving Antetem we drove to get Brandon at Harrisburg airport. This was the first time ever that he flew by himself and he made it! Yahoo. Grandma and Grandpa got him off in San Francisco and he had to make the connecting flight all by himself, and he did it!! It was so great to have him – everyone was excited to see him!!
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