The Civil War – When Virginia seceded from the Union, Harpers Ferry was occupied by Virginia State militia troops under the command of Colonel Thomas (later “Stonewall”) Jackson. When Virginia joined the Confederacy, the Confederate Army under General Joseph Johnston took over (Jackson stayed on and trained what became known as the “Stonewall” Brigade on Bolivar Heights just west of town). Eventually, Johnston decided (not unwisely, as things turned out) that the town was indefensible, and withdrew the Confederates to a point further south, after which Harpers Ferry became an important Union Army base for most of the war. During the war several battles were fought in and around our town, most notably in September 1862, when Jackson captured his old post for the Confederacy as part of the Antietam Campaign.