Few American towns suffered the “great tragedy” of the Civil War as did Harpers Ferry. When abolitionist John Brown brought his war to end slavery here in 1859, he seized the Federal Armory and Arsenal and injected constant fear in the minds of its citizens. Eighteen months later, the small industrial hamlet found itself on the border between North and South, once again a military target, its residents now at the mercy of two warring armies. The story of Harpers Ferry is not about one raid or battle, but six harrowing years of destruction, desolation, and courage.

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The diaries, letters, and memoirs of the civilians and soldiers who experienced the war here have provided Harpers Ferry National Historical Park rangers an invaluable tool for transporting Park visitors to the past to sense what war was like, and understand the value and symbolism of this historic site. These stories have captivated visitors for decades. Now, in The Harpers Ferry Anthology, interpreters, rangers, interns, and volunteers have gone from story tellers to story writers, inviting a new audience of readers to take that experiential journey to the past.

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