Harpers Ferry

Today I took a drive out to Harpers Ferry. It's had an interesting history, especially during and immediately after the Civil War. It's also interesting that one of the major factors why Harpers Ferry has all this history is due to its geological and geographical setting. The reason why John Brown attempted his revolution here is because it was a US armory, but the armory was there solely because of geography (it was at a natural transportation hub and it was defensible). It was hotly contested during the Civil War because it was necessary for supply lines for both Union and Confederate armies (river access and a gap through the Blue Ridge). And everything else seems to follow from there.

My friend Will is a professional historian of Science, and he's always talking about 20th century science in terms of institutions and collaborative groups rather than isolated case studies (if I understand him correctly). In that vein, I'm always more interested in the history of a place in terms of environment rather than people and events, since I tend to think that geology and geography strongly influence said people and events.

Anyway, after Harpers Ferry, I took a short detour up to nearby Sharpsburg, where the Antietam Civil War battlefield is located. This was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, and part of the reason why the Confederates lost is because Harpers Ferry existed so close nearby. General Robert E. Lee needed to secure his supply lines and keep the Union garrison there from attacking his rear, so he had to send off a large part of his army to take the town. While I was at Antietam, I kept wondering to myself "just why was the battle so bloody?" Part of it is due to relative inexperience (it was early on in the conflict) and poor planning (the Union army really should have just routed the Confederates), but there are several geographical reasons as well. From what I could tell, the Confederates either had high ground or sunken depressions to give them light protection, but no trenches or real fortifications. Hence they had the tactical advantage to hold their positions but no real protection from bullets and cannon fire. That's a surefire recipe for heavy casualties.