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Month: August 2026

  • A Tour of Harpers Ferry, WV

    My family and I went on a trip to Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, two significant Civil War sites that I’ve wanted to see for a long time. For the kids, we stopped at Adventure Park USA in Monrovia, MD, on the first day before heading to our hotel at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Charles Town, West Virginia. We went to Antietam on Day 2 for a four-hour tour of the battlefield. On Day 3, we did a 2.5-hour tour of Harpers Ferry, followed by lunch and some time wandering around to see different sites and shops. Then, on Day 4, we packed our belongings and went to Crystal Grottoes Caverns in Boonsboro, MD, where we toured the amazing caves. We then headed back to New Jersey.

    My previous blog post focused on our day touring Antietam National Battlefield, which you can read HERE. This blog post will focus on our day at Harpers Ferry.

    If you read my previous blog post, you read about my advice to book your tours through the battlefield or historic site and have a licensed guide give your tour, as opposed to going through a site like Viator. So, like we did for our Antietam tour, we booked our tour at Harpers Ferry through Harpers Ferry Park Association (https://www.harpersferryhistory.org/certified-guide-tours).

    We got a great tour guide named Andy Jackson, and he did a fantastic job throughout our 2.5-hour tour. The tour started at 9 a.m., and he first took us up to Bolivar Heights, high ground overlooking the Lower Town of Harpers Ferry with great views of the surrounding heights.

    History of Harpers Ferry

    Atop Bolivar Heights, Andy provided us with the historical background of Harpers Ferry, why it was settled, and why its strategic location at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers led President George Washington to select it as the site of a federal armory in the 1790s. By the start of the Civil War in 1861, Harpers Ferry was one of only two federal armories where weapons were produced, making it a significant location for many historic events that were discussed during the tour.

    The Battle of Harpers Ferry (1862)

    Standing atop Bolivar Heights, Andy explained the Battle of Harpers Ferry, which took place from September 12–15, 1862, ending just two days before the Battle of Antietam during the American Civil War. During the Maryland Campaign, Robert E. Lee and the Confederate army, following a string of victories in Virginia, decided to invade the Union state of Maryland. Capturing Harpers Ferry became an important strategic objective as the Confederates moved into Union territory.

    Lee divided his army and sent forces to surround the Union garrison at Harpers Ferry. General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was given overall command of the operation. Confederate forces occupied the surrounding heights, including Maryland Heights and Loudoun Heights, while Jackson’s men approached from the west. With Confederate artillery positioned on the high ground surrounding the town, the Union position became increasingly difficult to defend.

    The federal troops were attempting to hold the very heights we were standing on. On September 15th, the Union garrison surrendered to Jackson’s forces. More than 12,000 Union soldiers were captured, making it the largest surrender of U.S. forces until the fall of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II.

    What makes the Battle of Harpers Ferry even more interesting is its direct connection to the Battle of Antietam, which we had toured the previous day. After the Union surrender, Jackson quickly moved most of his forces toward Sharpsburg to rejoin Lee’s army. A.P. Hill’s division remained behind temporarily to handle the surrender and prisoners before marching approximately 17 miles to Antietam. Hill’s men arrived on the battlefield late in the afternoon on September 17 and played a critical role in stopping the final Union advance.  Visiting Harpers Ferry immediately after Antietam helped put into perspective just how closely connected these two battles were.

    Andy brought props with him that allowed my kids to learn how to load and fire a Civil War cannon, and he also discussed the use and importance of battle flags.

    Lower Town, Harpers Ferry

    After Bolivar Heights, we got back in the car and headed down to the Lower Town of Harpers Ferry. My kids were able to hold a Civil War rifle. We then made our way over to the ruins of a former cotton mill that stood along the Shenandoah River.

    From there, we walked over to “The Point,” the location where the Shenandoah River flows into the Potomac. It was quite a sight to see and demonstrated the strategic importance of Harpers Ferry’s location, as well as its surrounding terrain.

    The final half hour of the tour focused on what Harpers Ferry is most famous for: John Brown’s Raid, which began on October 16, 1859, a little less than a year and a half before the Civil War officially started.

    Who Was John Brown?

    John Brown was a radical abolitionist who believed that slavery was a great moral evil and that violent action was justified to bring about its destruction. Born in Connecticut in 1800, Brown became increasingly involved in the abolitionist movement during the decades leading up to the Civil War. Unlike many abolitionists who sought to end slavery through speeches, publications, and political action, Brown believed that armed resistance was necessary. During the violent conflict known as “Bleeding Kansas” in the mid-1850s, Brown and his followers fought against pro-slavery forces. In 1856, Brown and several of his supporters violently massacred five pro-slavery settlers near Pottawatomie Creek, making him one of the most controversial figures in the growing conflict over slavery.

    After Andy gave us some background on John Brown, we walked over to the engine house called “John Brown’s Fort,” where Andy gave us an overview of what took place throughout the raid, as well as its aftermath, which I’ll provide below.

    John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry

    John Brown eventually developed a much larger plan to strike directly at slavery in the South. He hoped to seize the federal weapons stored at Harpers Ferry and use them to arm enslaved people, triggering an uprising that could spread throughout the region. Brown chose Harpers Ferry in part because of its large federal arsenal and its location near the Blue Ridge Mountains, where he envisioned establishing a base for an extended guerrilla campaign against slavery.

    On the night of October 16, 1859, Brown and his small force of 21 men entered Harpers Ferry and seized the United States Armory and Arsenal, along with several other important locations. Brown’s men also took hostages and attempted to encourage enslaved people in the surrounding area to join them. However, the large uprising Brown hoped for never materialized, while local militia and armed townspeople quickly began surrounding his position.

    Brown and his remaining men eventually barricaded themselves inside the Armory’s fire engine house, the small brick building that later became known as John Brown’s Fort. On October 18, U.S. Marines under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee stormed the building and captured Brown. Ten of Brown’s men were killed, including two of his sons, while Brown himself was wounded and taken prisoner. He was transported to nearby Charles Town, Virginia, where he was tried and convicted of treason against Virginia, murder, and conspiring with enslaved people to rebel. Brown was hanged on December 2, 1859.

    Although his raid failed to spark the uprising he envisioned, its impact was enormous. Many white Southerners viewed the raid as evidence that abolitionists intended to encourage violent slave rebellions, while many Northerners came to regard Brown as a martyr who had sacrificed his life in the fight against slavery. The controversy surrounding Brown and his execution further deepened the divide between North and South less than two years before the outbreak of the Civil War.

    It was fascinating to sit in the very engine house where these dramatic developments took place in October 1859.

    After providing the powerful details of the event, as well as its aftermath, Andy finished the private tour a little after 11:30. I highly recommend doing this tour if you want to become fully immersed in the site you are visiting. Doing a private tour gives you the opportunity to have conversations with your tour guide and ask questions of an expert in their field.

    Exploring Harpers Ferry

    After the tour ended, my family and I explored Harpers Ferry further. We ate lunch at The Rabbit Hole, which was great.

    We stopped in a few shops and picked up some souvenirs at the General Store. We got the kids ice cream, and we stopped at the monument marking the site where “John Brown’s Fort” was originally located. The building has been moved several times over the years, including to Chicago for the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. It was eventually moved back to Harpers Ferry and is currently located not far from its original location.

    My family and I then walked across a pedestrian bridge that stretches across the Potomac River between West Virginia and Maryland, which offered stunning views of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers.

    After traversing the river, we headed to the John Brown Museum, which offered more information about Brown and his raid, including videos about the events. We also checked out the Industry Museum and the Harpers Ferry Bookshop, where we picked up more souvenirs.

    Final Thoughts

    By that point, it was about 3:30, and we decided to head back to our hotel in Charles Town, WV. We had a great time exploring Harpers Ferry. It was fascinating to step foot in a place where such monumental events took place that helped shape the trajectory of our country.  As this was my first time there, it was also fascinating to see the local terrain and realize how Harpers Ferry’s strategic location in a mountainous area at the confluence of two major rivers made it such an important place in American history.

    It was also fascinating to visit both Antietam and Harpers Ferry one after another because of their close connection and their proximity to one another. Both sites played significant roles in the Civil War, and visiting them together gave me a greater appreciation for the events that unfolded in this region. I would highly recommend touring these two sites!

    Make sure that you stay tuned to my Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube accounts, as I will be posting reels of our time at both sites.

  • A Tour of Antietam National Battlefield

    My family and I went on a trip to Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland, and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, two significant Civil War sites that I’ve wanted to see for a long time. For the kids, we stopped at Adventure Park USA in Monrovia, MD, on the first day before heading to our hotel at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Charles Town, West Virginia. We went to Antietam on Day 2 for a four-hour tour of the battlefield. On Day 3, we did a 2.5-hour tour in Harpers Ferry, followed by lunch and some time wandering around to see different sites and shops. Then on Day 4, we packed our belongings and went to Crystal Grottoes Caverns in Boonsboro, MD, where we toured the amazing caves there. We then headed back to New Jersey.

    This blog post will focus entirely on our time at Antietam Battlefield. The Civil War is one of my favorite topics to teach because I find the causes of the war and the battles themselves so fascinating. It’s hard to fathom the sheer devastation of the war and the permanent impact that the conflict had on our country. The first time I visited a Civil War battlefield was in 2023 at Gettysburg, which you can read about in two parts here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).

    Antietam was another site that I had wanted to visit. Living in New Jersey, Gettysburg and Antietam are two of the major Civil War battlefields closest to me. The ride out from New Jersey was about four hours. Antietam was one of the most significant battles of the Civil War and had an enormous impact on the trajectory of the war, the goals of the Union, and the direction of the country.

    Significance of the Battle

    In September 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee led his Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac River into Maryland, launching the Confederacy’s first major invasion of the North. Lee hoped that a successful campaign on Northern soil could weaken Northern support for the war and potentially encourage European powers such as Great Britain and France to recognize the Confederacy. Union forces under General George B. McClellan pursued Lee into Maryland, and the two armies met near Sharpsburg along Antietam Creek on September 17, 1862. The resulting Battle of Antietam became the bloodiest single day in American history, with approximately 23,000 soldiers killed, wounded, or missing in just twelve hours of fighting.

    Although neither army won a decisive tactical victory on the battlefield, Antietam was an important strategic victory for the Union. Lee was forced to abandon his invasion and retreat across the Potomac River into Virginia. More importantly, the Confederate withdrawal gave President Abraham Lincoln the military success he had been waiting for to announce the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Five days after the battle, on September 22, Lincoln declared that enslaved people in states still in rebellion on January 1, 1863, would be declared free. Until this point, Lincoln had publicly emphasized preserving the Union as the primary purpose of the war. The Emancipation Proclamation fundamentally changed the conflict by making the destruction of slavery an official Union war aim as well.

    This change also had major international consequences. Great Britain and France had considered recognizing or assisting the Confederacy, but Antietam and the Emancipation Proclamation made that possibility far less likely. European governments would now have to openly support a slaveholding Confederacy against a Union fighting not only to preserve the nation, but also against slavery. Neither Britain nor France ultimately recognized the Confederacy. For this reason, Antietam was far more than an incredibly bloody battle—it helped stop Lee’s first invasion of the North, discouraged foreign recognition of the Confederacy, and transformed the Civil War into a struggle that would ultimately determine the fate of slavery in the United States.

    The Battle of Antietam was also significant because it brought the brutal reality of the Civil War directly to the American public. In the days following the battle, photographer Alexander Gardner and his assistant James Gibson, working for the studio of famed photographer Mathew Brady, traveled to Antietam and photographed the battlefield, including shocking images of dead soldiers lying where they had fallen. Brady later displayed the photographs at his New York City gallery in an exhibition titled The Dead of Antietam. Although Americans had read newspaper accounts describing the enormous casualties of the war, these photographs allowed civilians to actually see its destruction and human cost. For many Americans far from the battlefields, the images provided an unprecedented and disturbing view of the realities of war and helped transform how the public experienced the Civil War.

    Our Day

    I booked a private tour through Antietam Battlefield Guides (https://antietamguides.com/) for just my family and me. As I have gone on many tours over the last few years, I have some words of wisdom: book tours through the battlefield organization so that you get an expert guide who knows the battlefield. Do not book tours through a site like Viator for something like this. The tour guide you get through the battlefield organization will likely be much more knowledgeable, which will provide you with a much more immersive experience. The tour guide has a huge impact on your experience. I’ve learned this lesson.

    Our tour guide at Antietam was John Michael Priest, a retired history teacher who has written numerous books about Civil War battles, including Antietam. He was incredibly knowledgeable and loved talking about the battle so much that he did a great job explaining it over the course of four hours.

    We booked a tour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and before our tour began, we watched an introductory film that started at 9:30 and focused on the Battle of Antietam and its significance.

    For me, the four-hour tour flew by because John was so knowledgeable about every detail of the battlefield. We generally toured the battlefield by moving from sites on the northern end and working our way south. Historians often explain the battle in three phases—morning, midday, and afternoon—but as John explained, this is really an oversimplification. Fighting in different areas of the battlefield overlapped.

    What I personally enjoyed about a four-hour tour is that it allowed John to really show off his knowledge about the details of the battle. We started off the tour by walking over to a row of four cannons—two smoothbore cannons and two rifled cannons. John did an excellent job providing details about each of them.

    Miller’s Cornfield

    We then headed over to where Miller’s Cornfield was located during the morning phase of the battle. The Cornfield changed hands numerous times, and the fighting was incredibly fierce and bloody. It’s hard to fathom what the troops must have experienced with such low visibility and the violent chaos that ensued there.

    The Sunken Road

    We made our way over to the Sunken Road, or “Bloody Lane”. The Sunken Road was the site of some of the fiercest fighting at Antietam, where Confederate soldiers used the naturally sunken farm road as a defensive position. After hours of combat, Union troops broke through the Confederate line, leaving the road filled with dead and wounded soldiers and giving it its infamous nickname.

    We climbed the observation tower, which gives you a 360-degree view of the battlefield. John used this aerial view to provide details about the middle phase of the battle, including specific troop movements and the size of both armies at different points. John could point to a single area of the battlefield and explain exactly what was happening there at different times during the battle.

    Burnside’s Bridge

    We eventually made our way over to Burnside’s Bridge, which is on the southern end of the battlefield. It’s fascinating as a teacher to have taught about the Civil War and the Battle of Antietam for 12 years and finally see these sites in person. It gives me a completely different perspective on the battle when I’ve seen the landscape firsthand. Burnside’s Bridge is a landmark on the battlefield that I’ve have seen in old photographs, but to finally see it and walk across the bridge was fascinating. Standing there also gives you a much better sense of the difficult position that Union troops faced as they attempted to cross the bridge under Confederate fire.

    We made a couple of other stops on the battlefield where John explained the later phases of the battle. We also circled back closer to the visitor center, where he showed us the West Woods, the site of heavy fighting during the battle.

    The Dunker Church

    We also made a stop at the Dunker Church, which was a key landmark on the battlefield and is visible in famous photographs taken in the aftermath of the battle. The original church was damaged by rifle and artillery fire during the battle and was later repaired. In 1921, a violent storm destroyed the building. The Dunker Church that stands today was reconstructed on the original foundation in 1962, using as much of the original material as possible.

    After the Dunker Church, our private tour concluded and we headed back into the visitor center. We bought a few souvenirs, and then we headed into the museum gallery, which has exhibits, signs, and artifacts that tell the story of Antietam.

    After our time in the gallery, my family and I had to take some photos in front of the Antietam sign. We then drove the 30 minutes back to our hotel in Charles Town, WV.

    Final Thoughts

    As mentioned above, I highly recommend doing a tour through Antietam Battlefield Guides. We did a four-hour tour, which gave our tour guide a chance to provide extensive details of the different phases of the battle. If a four-hour tour seems long, there are also options for two-or three-hour tours. Personally, I felt that since I had never been to Antietam before and don’t know when I’ll be back, I really wanted to do a deep dive into the battle. My wife and kids did a great job considering the length of the tour. We were also lucky with good weather, and it wasn’t too hot despite it being August in Maryland.

    I highly recommend this tour if you are interested in the Civil War and want to learn more about one of the most significant battles in American history.

    Stay tuned because my next blog post will discuss our private tour the next day at Harpers Ferry, WV.

    Make sure to check out my Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube accounts as I will be posting reels in the coming days!

  • March To Yorktown Day, Westfield, NJ- 2026

    On August 16th, my family and I made it out to the 7th Annual March to Yorktown Day in Westfield, NJ. This was our third time attending the event in the past four years. Once again, it was a great event with a wonderful turnout, and the crowd has grown year after year.

    This year was particularly special. A local park in Westfield traditionally known as Triangle Park was officially dedicated as Washington-Rochambeau Trail Park to commemorate the historic 1781 march of American and French forces to Yorktown, VA. The event was well planned and organized by Julie Diddel, chair of the Washington-Rochambeau Trail Alliance of New Jersey.

    The commemoration marks August 29, 1781, when General Benjamin Lincoln’s division of the Continental Army passed through Westfield on its march to Yorktown, Virginia. At the same time, the French Army under the Comte de Rochambeau took a route slightly west of the Continentals before both forces continued south toward Yorktown.  Among the troops who passed through Westfield was the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, a notable integrated unit that included Black and Native American soldiers. 

    The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route traces the paths taken by the American and French armies during the Yorktown campaign, where their combined efforts, along with the French Navy, led to the British surrender at the Siege of Yorktown in October 1781. Today, the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail is preserved by the National Park Service. You can read more about this historic trail HERE.

    Opening Ceremony

    The program began at noon with an opening ceremony. The first remarks by Julie Diddel, chair of WRTA-NJ, highlighted the significance of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Trail and Westfield’s role in the Revolution. She also gave thanks to the many sponsors that made the event possible.

    She was followed by other outstanding and notable speakers, including Westfield Mayor Jeremy Berman; U.S. Representative for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District Thomas Kean Jr.; New Jersey State Senator John Bramnick; historian and researcher Dr. Robert Selig; President of the American Society of Le Souvenir Français Thierry Chaunu; and Director of the Sand Hill Indian Historical Association Claire Garland, along with representatives from the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution.

    General George Washington, portrayed by reenactor Sam Davis, offered an opening prayer, and the New Jersey Fifes and Drums led the crowd in the Star-Spangled Banner, while the New Jersey Regiment, Heard’s Brigade took part in the ceremony.

    Symbolic March

    After the opening ceremony, the crowd followed the reenactors, including the New Jersey Fifes and Drums and the New Jersey Regiment, Heard’s Brigade, as well as George Washington, the Comte de Rochambeau, and the Marquis de Lafayette—along with several Westfield officials—on a symbolic march to the Westfield Presbyterian Church Burial Grounds, where more than 70 Revolutionary War veterans, along with family members and other patriots, have been laid to rest.

    Muskets were fired and church bells were rung in their honor. From there, the procession turned back toward Washington-Rochambeau Trail Park, where the event continued. Make sure to stay tuned to my Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages for videos of the opening ceremony and the march.

    Washington-Rochambeau Trail Park

    When we headed back to the park, we talked to many of the vendors and organizations that had set up there, including the Princeton Battlefield Society, the Miller-Cory House Museum, the Charles Addams Heritage Trail, the Washington Association of New Jersey, and the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution, among many others. There were also historical demonstrations, including the making of hardtack, as well as sewing and weaving.

    We also sat down for a book talk by children’s author Robert J. Skead, who writes books about the American Revolution geared toward children ages 8 and up. My daughter was intrigued by the author’s stories, and we purchased two books.

    There was a food truck on site from Uncle Eddie’s Touch of Sauce, so my family and I had hot dogs for lunch. We also bought coffees and chocolate milk from The Mindful Mug before heading home.

    It was another great March to Yorktown Day in Westfield. What was particularly amazing this year was the dedication of the park. An event might last one day, but there are now permanent signs in the new Washington-Rochambeau Trail Park commemorating Westfield’s place along the trail.

    That is quite an accomplishment and shows the years of hard work and dedication that Julie has put into the organization, which is now making a lasting impression. The markers highlight the importance of Westfield along the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route—the march that led to the culminating campaign at Yorktown in 1781 that helped secure American independence.  The trail also highlights the importance of the American and French alliance in the war.

    Make sure to find out more information about the Washington-Rochambeau Trail Alliance.

    Stay tuned for the reels that I will be posting from this event on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.