Days 71 & 72, April 5 & 6 - Harper's Ferry, WV

Our return via Amtrak from NYC to DC to retrieve our bicycles and then train again from DC to Cumberland went smoothly enough as did the drive from Cumberland back to our precious Bambi awaiting in Brunswick.  Took all the live-long day to return, but ahh...it was good to get back home.



  

Now on to the incredible town and National Park Historic Site that is Harper's Ferry, WV.   Words escape me in attempting to describe Harper's Ferry.  This bucolic and historic town sits on the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, where also converges the B&O Railway, the C&O Canal, and centuries of history.  George Washington choose this gorgeous gap in the Blue Ridge for the installation of the second armory of the United States because of its rich minerals and resources and because of its capacity for transporting those resources.  Later, it became the place where John Brown sparked the beginnings of the Civil War with his armed rebellion against the institution of slavery. A few years later, it became the dividing line between Union and Confederate forces.  Eight times did the town switch possession between these opposing armies, and everything in and around the strategic town was annihilated over the next four years.  Hillsides were denuded of all trees for fuel, homes and businesses were riddled by bullets and cannon fire or burned to the ground, and the population of 3000 folks dwindled to less than 100.  Little was left of the town in the end; the armory and mills were destroyed, farms burned, and when the C&O Canal failed and ceased to operate, well, the town never returned.  The National Park Service, however, has done a yeoman's job of restoring several of the towns historic sites and interpreting the past and the significant stories that played out here.  We drove to sites where the Confederates routed the Union boys and took more POW's than were taken in any battle before or since until Iwo Jima.  It's difficult to portray the emotions we experienced when we read of such tragic times from our past.  This restored historic town, this site, this confluence of rivers is indescribably beautiful, and the day was stunning.  












Three amazing things:  1- John Brown and his dedication to the eradication of slavery at the cost of his life and the lives of several of his children surely is astounding.  Sure, he's a controversial figure; in the passion of his righteous quest he murdered some men in retaliation for past wrongs, but the man was passionately driven to scourge his country of a heinous practice, and one has to marvel at his zeal for good.  2- The entire small town of Harper's Ferry with its hundreds-years old brick buildings, its slate streets, and rustic bucolic charm all made me reticent to leave.  Aaron napped in the truck while I continued exploring; I just couldn't pull myself away.  3- It's quite impossible for me to adequately comprehend the deprivations, hunger, misery, and fear of those men who battled in the Civil War.  The numbers of dead, injured, and missing are staggering, and I wonder as I walk over battlefields where tens of thousands of men fought and died if I'm not treading on truly hallowed ground.  















Good deeds:  I got nothin' for ya.  I've been a slacker.  But I have a plan for tomorrow, so stay tuned.

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