Near Bolivar in Jefferson County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)

Sheridan Dug In

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —

Sheridan Dug In Marker image. Click for full size.

March 1, 2008

1. Sheridan Dug In Marker

Inscription. In August 1864 Harpers Ferry was again a Union stronghold. Union General Philip Sheridan and his men built this redoubt—the earthwork in front of you—as fortification against the Confederates. Sheridan’s objective was to stop the Confederates from skirting undetected along the Shenandoah River (below you) into Harpers Ferry. They had done so on three previous campaigns—Maryland (1862), Gettysburg (1863), and Washington (1864). The ravine to your right separated the redoubt from the rest of Sheridan’s earthworks, which included five other redoubts connected to a two-mile-long trench that stretched from the Shenandoah River to the Potomac River north of here. Each redoubt held as many as six cannon. This fort was never attacked.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1864.

Location. 39° 18.472′ N, 77° 45.865′ W. Marker is near Bolivar, West Virginia, in Jefferson County. It can be reached from Shoreline Drive. Located on the Murphy Farm trail in the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Harpers Ferry WV 25425, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in the Eastern Panhandle.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within

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walking distance of this marker: Mountains, Men, and Maneuvers (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Murphy Farm (about 700 feet away); A Moving Symbol (about 800 feet away); Pilgrimage (about 800 feet away); Holy Ground (about 800 feet away); The Fate of Harpers Ferry was sealed. (approx. ¼ mile away); Gun Position #6 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Struggle to the Heights (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bolivar.

More about this marker. The backgound of this marker is a photograph captioned, "Armies commonly built redoubts—like this one photographed at Fair Oaks, near Richmond, Virginia—when they expected to be in fixed positions for a time. Sandbags, logs, and gabions—wicker baskets filled with earth—strengthened earthworks. The redoubts had sloped fronts to break an enemy’s assault. These small earthen structures often withstood the pounding of artillery more effectively than fortifications made of bricks and mortar."

March 1, 2008

2. Sheridan Dug In Marker

Earthwork overlooking the Shenandoah River

Another view of the earthwork image. Click for full size.

March 1, 2008

3. Another view of the earthwork

Credits. This page was last revised on July 6, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 2, 2008. This page has been viewed 1,459 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 2, 2008. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.