Setting the Trap

Confederate Major General "Stonewall" Jackson faced three enemies at Harpers Ferry: the Union garrison, its formidable position on Bolivar Heights, and time. On the second day of the battle, although pummeled by a Confederate bombardment, the Federals still stood firm, so Jackson devised a three-point plan to force the issue. To turn the Union flank, he ordered Major General A.P. Hill to march 3,500 men and 20 cannon under cover of night to a position behind the Federal lines. At the same time, one mile to the north, Jackson staged a fake attack against Bolivar Heights to distract the Federals from Hill's maneuver. He also ordered 10 cannon moved from Schoolhouse Ridge across the Shenandoah River to a plateau on Loudoun Heights. By Monday morning, September 15, all was accomplished, and the trap was set.

West Virginia · United States