CARLISLE BARRACKS, PENNSYLVANIA,
April 22, 1861.
The official report I sent you did not go into the details of the affair of Harper’s Ferry, and as they may be interesting to you, I will now mention the circumstances in the order in which they occurred.
After the arrival of the morning train of Thursday, the people at the Ferry were thrown into the wildest state of excitement by the arrival of persons from Richmond, who announced that the Governor’s Proclamation had been issued declaring the State out of the Union and that it would be published at 3 in the afternoon.
Subsequent events showed there was no truth in the announcement of these individuals, and the excitement gradually subsided during the day until about sundown, when things wore a quiet aspect—the quiet that precedes the storm.
In the morning, however, about 9—or shortly after—I received a dispatch from General Scott, saying that the evening before three trains of troops had passed over the road from Gordonsville to Manassas Junction and up the latter road, and that it was supposed they were destined for Harper’s Ferry, and telling me to be on my guard. In conjunction with Captain [Charles P.] Kingsbury of the Army, who arrived the previous evening to act as superintendent of the armory until one should be appointed, I called on the workmen of the armory to form themselves for the defense of the place. Many expressed a readiness to do so, but few, however, enrolled themselves, and I soon found I would have to depend entirely upon myself and command.
Finding this to be the case, I requested Captain Kingsbury to have the powder brought down into the armory yard from the magazine and the bridges over the canal leading into the armory destroyed; the latter was done by men.
Hardly had these precautionary steps been taken, when I received confirmatory intelligence of General Scott’s dispatch of the morning and telegraphed him of it and that I would be certainly attacked that night.
Just after sending this dispatch, I was informed that troops were collecting at a place called Halltown, three miles from the Ferry, on the road to Charlestown. Thinking this doubtful, I sent out a courier to reconnoiter, who returned shortly with a report that the information was correct.
Without further delay, I formed my company and detailed twelve men as a guard for the arsenal and directed six of them to go for their bed sacks, into each of which I put a keg of twenty-five pounds of powder. I then directed them to proceed to the two arsenal buildings, containing about 15,000 arms, and in a few minutes my arrangements were completed for firing the buildings simultaneously in half a dozen places or more.
It was now near sundown and I quietly awaited coming events, Captain Kingsbury having quietly prepared things for firing the carpenter’s shop, which was at the upper end of a long and connected series of shops in the armory proper. Advanced guards of citizens were thrown out in the direction of Charlestown, on both the railroad and turnpike, and about 10 o’clock the guard on the latter reported the troops that were at Halltown at sundown were advancing, with their numbers increased to 300.
A few minutes after this I received further positive and reliable intelligence that in two hours 2,500 or 3,000 troops from Winchester would arrive by the railroad. I then communicated this intelligence to Captain Kingsbury, and said the time had arrived to apply the torch, and, he agreeing with me, I gave the order, and in a few minutes the arsenal buildings and the carpenter’s shop were in a blaze, the latter having been fired by the Captain.
Knowing it would never do to remain until the troops arrived in accordance with my predetermined plan, I withdrew my men, and after the most arduous march I ever made, over mountains, through streams and mud, I reached Hagerstown just ten minutes after the departure of the morning train.
Knowing it would not do to tarry there until the afternoon train, I hired omnibuses and drove to Chambersburg and thence by cars to this place. The arsenal buildings I have since learned were completely destroyed with their contents, but the fire in the work shops was arrested.
Some of the papers say I did this under the directions of the Department. This is a mistake; I had no orders whatsoever. It was done on my own responsibility alone. Three of my men who were missing came up yesterday and say they swore vengeance against me, and that if they had caught me, they would undoubtedly have shot me and probably all my command would have been murdered.
R. JONES.
Sources
Hewett, Janet B., Noah Andre Trudeau, and Bryce A, Suderow, eds., Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Pt. I, Vol. 1. Wilmington: Broadfoot Publishing Company, 1994.
Spirit of '61 