Six Years of Hell: Harpers Ferry During the Civil War

by Chester G. Hearn

Overview

Most written accounts of Harpers Ferry, Virginia, during the Civil War era begin and end with John Brown’s raid in 1859 and his subsequent hanging. In Six Years of Hell, Chester G. Hearn recounts in colorful style the harrowing story of Harpers Ferry’s tumultuous war years-during which it changed hands more often than any town but Winchester, Virginia, and was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. Relying heavily on records left by the citizens who weathered the war and the soldiers who garrisoned the town, Hearn treats the civilian experience as fully as he does military activities. He introduces the people who attempted to stay in their homes, protect their possessions, and accommodate the soldiers during the conflict. As Hearn clearly demonstrates, for those stouthearted individuals, the Civil War was truly six years of hell.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807124406
Publisher:	Louisiana State University Press
Publication date:	08/01/1999
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Chester G. Hearn is the author of Lincoln, the Cabinet, and the Generals; When the Devil Came Down to Dixie: Ben Butler in New Orleans; The Capture of New Orleans, 1862; and Ellet’s Brigade: The Strangest Outfit of All. He lives in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Editorial Reviews

Bravo! This is how history should be told and presented to readers.

Virginia Quarterly Review

From John Brown’s raid through the valley campaigns of 1862 and 1864 to John T. Trowbridge’s visit just after war’s end, the reader feels the tragedy and destruction of war as it engulfs a small town caught in the throes of a conflict, a town that by chance had staged its beginning.

Journal of American History

A well-written, solid study on a community dramatically affected by the Civil War. . . . It belongs on the shelf of any serious scholar of the subject.

Journal of Southern History

A well-written, solid study on a community dramatically affected by the Civil War. . . . It belongs on the shelf of any serious scholar of the subject.-- "Journal of Southern History"

Bravo! This is how history should be told and presented to readers.-- "Virginia Quarterly Review"

From John Brown's raid through the valley campaigns of 1862 and 1864 to John T. Trowbridge's visit just after war's end, the reader feels the tragedy and destruction of war as it engulfs a small town caught in the throes of a conflict, a town that by chance had staged its beginning.-- "Journal of American History"

From the Publisher

A vivid rendering of the experience of the inhabitants of Harpers Ferry, after abolitionist John Brown's 1859 raid on the US armory and gun factory there hastened the coming of the Civil Way.

Prolific Civil War writer Hearn (The Capture of New Orleans, 1862, 1995, etc.) has set out to explore how the residents of Harpers Ferry, a small, thriving industrial town nestled in a beautiful scenic area, coped with six years of life spent on or near the front lines. Their story begins in 1859, when Colonel Robert E. Lee, of the United States Army, and First Lieutenant J.E.B. Stuart, with 90 US Marines and some Virginia militia, restored order after the bloodletting brought on by Brown, who was summarily tried and hanged. When war came, Confederate general Joseph E. Johnston, aided by Colonel Thomas Jackson (not yet known as "Stonewall") destroyed the town's factories, bridges, and railroad tracks. The town changed hands repeatedly during the war. Battles large and small were fought nearby. Armies poured through its streets. And even when they moved elsewhere, the townspeople were harassed by Southern mounted guerrillas led by Confederate officers Mosby and Mobley, who stole food, horses, and other property while destroying bridges and rail facilities. Friendly Union occupation troops who kept order and prevented further looting swayed many civilians to support the northern cause. As a result, West Virginia was carved out of secessionist Virginia and voted into the Union.

Hearn's lively narrative recreates this extraordinary experience from letters and memoirs, providing a powerful reminder that war is hell for civilians as well as soldiers.

Kirkus Reviews