Harpers Ferry’s Impact on the Civil War

The Civil War marked a defining turning point in the nation’s first century, reshaping the United States as it struggled to survive and redefine itself. The greatest threat to the nation’s continuity ended with the Union preserved and the freedom of four million enslaved people—at an immense human cost. Discover the people and events at Harpers Ferry that influenced the outcome of the Civil War through a ranger-led program and a presentation by Dr. Jennifer Murray, Director of Shepherd University’s George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War. 

• 11:00: Disaster, Struggle, Triumph.The 126th New York Infantry Regiment met with immediate disaster at the battle of Harpers Ferry, but much as the war itself evolved, the 126th NY evolved through disaster and struggle to triumph. Join a park ranger to learn how their evolution helped America evolve and led to freedom for four million enslaved people. Bolivar Heights.
• 1:00: "To Reoccupy Harpers Ferry”: Exploring the Role of Harpers Ferry in the Gettysburg Campaign. Harpers Ferry has received considerable attention for its important strategic role in the 1862 Maryland Campaign. And rightfully so. Yet Harpers Ferry also played an important role in the trajectory of the Civil War in 1863. This program explores the value of Harpers Ferry to Federal forces in 1863, focusing on the Gettysburg Campaign and the ways in which Army of the Potomac commanders General Joseph Hooker and George Meade used Federal troops at Harpers Ferry to repulse the Army of Northern Virginia’s second invasion. Mather Training Center.
  • Speaker Dr. Jennifer M. Murray is an assistant professor of history and the director of the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War at Shepherd University. She is the author of On a Great Battlefield: The Making, Management, and Memory of Gettysburg National Military Park, 1933–2013 and The Civil War Begins: Opening Clashes, 1861. Her latest publication, They Are Dead and Yet They Live (University of Nebraska Press, 2026), will be available for sale and signing before and after the program. 
• 3:00: Grand Civic & Military BBQ Fundraising Event. Finish the day at a lively BBQ sponsored by the park’s nonprofit partner, the Harpers Ferry Park Association. Celebrate America’s birthday with patriotic and Civil War-era music performed live by the Furnace Mountain Band. Enjoy a delicious meal and help to support your national park! Cost: $40 per person. Reservations required. Proceeds benefit the interpretive and educational programs at Harpers Ferry National Historical. (HFPA Supporters received 15% discount. Become a supporter at harpersferryhistory.org.) 

Reservations are recommended for most activities, and required for the HFPA BBQ. Reservations will open in the spring.

Sponsored by the Harpers Ferry Park Association and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.  

Fee Information

Most activities are included with park admission. The BBQ has an additional cost.