Harpers Ferry Historical Association

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home > Visiting Authors

Civil War Authors at Harpers Ferry

On October 15th and 16th Harpers Ferry National Historical Park will present In the Shadow of John Brown: The 1861 Battle of Bolivar Heights. Bring your family and friends to enjoy firing demonstrations, soldier life presentations, civil war music, talks and walks. Learn more about this event »

As a part of the days’ activities, the Harpers Ferry Historical Association will host Civil War authors in the event tent on Bolivar Heights. The author presentations will be followed by book signings. The public is invited to attend.

Saturday, October 15, 1:00 p.m.
Mark A. Snell, author of West Virginia and the Civil War: Mountaineers are Always Free published as part of the Civil War Sesquicentennial Series by The History Press.

Renowned Civil War historian Mark A. Snell is the director of the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. He is a retired U.S. Army officer and a former assistant professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He has written several books about the Civil War.

West Virginia and the Civil War

Saturday, October 15, 3:00 p.m. and Sunday October 16, 3:00 p.m.
Timothy R. Snyder, author of Trembling in the Balance: The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal during the Civil War.

Long a student of C&O Canal history, Timothy Snyder grew up in Williamsport, MD about a half mile from the canal. His new book is the story of a canal company’s struggle to operate a significant business enterprise in one of the nation’s major theaters of war. Since the C&O Canal was located on Maryland’s southern border with Virginia, it experienced much of the war firsthand.

Sunday, October 16th, 1:30 p.m.
Cathy Baldau, editor of The Harpers Ferry Anthology: Civil War Stories by Park Rangers and Volunteers published by the Harpers Ferry Historical Association in memory of David L. Larsen, Interpreter.

The diaries, letters and memoirs of the civilians and soldiers who experienced the war in Harpers Ferry have provided park interpreters an invaluable tool for transporting park visitors to the past. Here are 24 stories written by 17 interpreters, volunteers, rangers and interns that recreate six harrowing years of a town under attack.

Trembling in the Balance