Setting the Trap / Jackson Arrives

Setting the Trap, also, Jackson Arrives. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. (Upper Panel): Setting the Trap , Confederate Major General "Stonewall" Jackson faced three enemies - the Union garrison at Harpers Ferry, 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. Jackson knew he had to force the issue. He devised a three-point plan. First, to "turn" the Union flank, he ordered Major General A.P. Hill to march 3,500 men and 20 cannon, under the cover of night, to a position behind the Federal lines. Meanwhile, one mile to the north, Jackson staged a fake attack against Bolivar Heights to distract the Federals from Hill's maneuver. Finally, Jackson ordered that 10 cannon be moved from Schoolhouse Ridge across the Shenandoah River to a plateau on Loudoun Heights. By Monday morning, September 15, all was accomplished. The trap was set., (Lower Panel): Jackson Arrives , Confederate Major General "Stonewall" Jackson arrived here on Schoolhouse Ridge with 14,000 men to commence the Battle of Harpers Ferry. Jackson faced mountain obstacles and a determined Union army defending Bolivar Heights. But in a three-day battle, he forced the largest surrender of U.S. Troops during the Civil War., (Sidebar): Major General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson was the most successful Confederate general by the late summer of 1862. At the war's outbreak in April 1861, he began his Confederate career as a colonel in command at Harpers Ferry. Returning 17 months later, Jackson used his knowledge of the area's rugged terrain to outmaneuver the Union troops.