Battle of Harpers Ferry / Jack

<i>(Upper Panel):</i> <b>Battle of Harpers Ferry</b><br>Invasion rocked the United States during the second year of the American Civil War. In September 1862 Confederate General Robert E. Lee launched his army into Maryland - the North. Lee's first target became Harpers Ferry. He ordered "Stonewall" Jackson to make the attack.<br><br>Here Jackson overcame the great obstacles, defeating the Union during a three-day battle and forcing the largest surrender of U.S. troops during the Civil War. His victory at Harpers Ferry enabled Lee to make his stand at nearby Antietam.<br><br><i>At first their missiles of death fell far short of our camp; but each succeeding shell came nearer and nearer, until the earth was plowed up at our feet and our tents torn to tatters.</i><br>Lieutenant James H. Clark, 115th New York Infantry<br><br><i>(Lower Panel):</i> <b>Jackson Arrives</b><br>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.<br><br><i>(Sidebar):</i> <b>Major General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson</b> 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.