HARPER'S FERRY. 



HARVEY BIRCH. 



363 



were in a complete blaze. Lieut. Jones then 

 withdrew his small force, and inarching all 

 night, arrived at Carlisle barracks at half-past 

 2 o'clock the next afternoon. This was done 

 by orders of the Government. The place was 

 then taken possession of by the Virginian 

 troops. Most of the machinery which was not 

 destroyed was removed to Richmond. About 

 six hundred arms were recovered. The official 

 report of Lieutenant Jones to the War Depart- 

 ment was as follows : 



CARLISLE BARRACKS, PEXXSYLVASIA, I 

 April 20, 1S61. J 

 Assistant Adjutant-General, d-c. : 



SIR : Immediately after finishing my despatch of 

 the l^th instant, I received positive and reliable infor- 

 mation that 2,500 or 3,000 State troops would reach 

 Harpers Ferry in two hours, from Winchester, and 

 that the troops from Hulltown, increased to 300, were 

 advancing, and even at that time a few minutes after 

 10 o'clock within twenty minutes' march of the ferry. 

 Under these circumstances I decided the time had ar- 

 rived to carry out my determination, aa expressed in 

 the despatch "above referred to, and accordingly gave 

 the order to apply the torch. In three minutes or less, 

 both of the arsenal buildings, containing nearly 15,000 

 stand of arms, together with the carpenters' shop, which 

 was at the upper end of a long and connected series of 

 workshops of the armory proper, were in a blaze. 



There is every reason for believing the destruction 

 was complete. 



After firing the buildings I withdrew my com- 

 mand, marching all night, and arrived here at 2i p. M. 

 yesterday, where I shall await orders. Four men were 

 missing on leaving the armory and two deserted dur- 

 ing the night. I am, sir, very respecfully, 



Your obedient servant, R. JOXE3, 



First Lieutenant R. M. Rifles. 



WAE DEPARTMENT. WASHINGTON, | 

 April 22, 1861. f 

 Lieutenant R. Jones : 



Mr DEAH SIR: I take pleasure in apprising you that, 

 in consideration of your very skilful and gallant con- 

 duct at Harper's Ferry, I have ordered a commission 

 to be issued to you as assistant quartermaster-general, 

 with the rank o'f captain. SIMON CAMERON, 



Secretary of War. 



WAR DEPARTMENT. "WASHINGTON, ) 

 April 22, 1S61. f 

 Lieutenant R. Jones : 



MY DEAR SIR : I am directed by the President of the 

 United States to communicate to you, and through you 

 to the officers and men under your command at Har- 

 per's Ferry armory, the approbation of the Govern- 

 ment of your and their judicious conduct there, and to 

 tender you and them the thanks of the Government 

 for the same. I am, sir, very respectfullv, 



SIMOX CAMERON, 

 Secretary of War. 



Southern troops marched for the ferry im- 

 mediately, and on the 20th of May, there "were 

 on the spot 8,000, made up from Kentucky, 

 Alabama, South Carolina, and Virginia. They 

 occupied all the neighboring heights on both 

 sides of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, and 

 claimed to hold an impregnable position against 

 40,000 men, so eligible were the points of de- 

 fence. They expected accessions to their num- 

 ber, under the belief that the United States Gov- 

 ernment intended to make an effort to replant 

 the national flag wherever it had been displaced. 



A small force was thrown over the river to 

 the heights on the Maryland shore, thus occu- 

 pying a position important to the security of 



Harper's Ferry. The invasion of Maryland by 

 Virginia caused a remonstrance from Governor 

 Hicks, addressed to Governor Letcher, of Vir- 

 ginia. The latter replied that the movement 

 was unauthorized and should be countermand- 

 ed. On the 14th of June the ferry was evacu- 

 ated by the Confederate troops. Their total 

 force on that day in and around the place was 

 about 10,000. 



The population of Harper's Ferry, previous 

 to its occupation, and the adjacent towns of 

 Bolivar and Virginius, consisted of abont 5,000 

 people. Abont 350 armorers and laborers were 

 employed in the arsenal, and the whole popu- 

 lation depended for their support upon the Gov- 

 ernment's annual expenditure in the fabrication 

 of arms. Besides, the place afforded a market to 

 the neighboring farmers of London and Jeffer- 

 son counties in Virginia, and of Washington 

 in Maryland, for wood and produce of field 

 and garden. The workmen and others who 

 were not forced into the army, have been scat- 

 tered, and their families mostly left in a state 

 of destitution. 



The region had once been called "the garden 

 spot of Virginia." On the day the evacuation 

 commenced, the bridge over the Potomac was 

 destroyed, having been partly blown up and 

 then set on fire by the retiring force. It was 

 a long and costly structure. This retreat arose 

 in consequence of the movement of Union 

 troops up the Potomac, from Washington, and 

 from Chambersburg, in Pennsylvania, towards 

 Harper's Ferry. At a later day, a small force 

 of Confederate troops returned and burned the 

 bridge over the Shenandoah and other prop- 

 erty. After the passage of the Union troops 

 across the Potomac at Williamsport, under Gen. 

 Patterson, the Confederate force retired, and 

 the ferry remained in possession of the former 

 until the 29th of July. Subsequently the entire 

 Union force under Gen. Banks, who had suc- 

 ceeded to the command in place of Gen. Patter- 

 son, recrossed the Potomac to the Maryland 

 side, except one regiment left as a guard. This 

 movement was in consequence of the indefen- 

 sible nature of the place from the south. The 

 army stores and provisions were removed to the 

 Maryland side, about three miles from Sandy 

 Hook, and five miles from the ferry. The con- 

 struction of the bridge was also stopped. Pre- 

 vious to the close of the year, however, the 

 bridge was rebuilt, and the town relieved of all 

 apprehensions of an approach of the Confed- 

 erate troops. 



HARRISOXVILLE, a village in Cass County, 

 Missouri, 115 miles in a direct line west from 

 Jefferson City. On the 13th of July, a body of 

 Home Guards, in the United States service as a 

 reserve, were attacked about three miles north 

 of this place by a considerable Confederate force. 

 The fight continued for four hours, when the 

 latter retreated, having had fourteen killed. 



HARVEY BIRCH, SHIP. This ship, owned 

 and registered in the city of New York, sailed 

 for Havre on the 20th of September, with a 



