September Surrender

By: Creighton Waters

(NPS Photo)

The largest surrender of Union troops in the American Civil War happened in Harpers Ferry. 

Was the Union commander incompetent? 

Were the troops cowards?

You decide.....

Col. Dixon S. Miles (Civil war photographs, 1861-1865,
LOC Prints & Photographs Division)

In March 1862, perhaps the most controversial Civil War commander in the history of Harpers Ferry arrived—Col. Dixon S. Miles (USA). He arrived under a cloud of suspicion that followed him to the grave.

Where did suspicion around Miles begin? Before Harpers Ferry, Miles had over 40 years of US Army service. He commanded a reserve division at the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) on July 21, 1861. Following the battle, another federal officer accused Miles of intoxication during the battle. A court of inquiry convened. Colorful testimony stated that Miles was wearing two hats and fell from his horse. Miles, and those who defended him, claimed he had been ill at the time. The court rendered an opinion that evidence was not sufficient to convict Colonel Miles of drunkenness if the case were to be brought before a court-martial. Miles was given eight months leave of absence.

When Miles returned to service, the army assigned him to Harpers Ferry; a backwater of war. Department commanders did not expect a major campaign to arise at Harpers Ferry. This assignment was suitable for Miles where a fighting officer was not needed. Harpers Ferry contained thousands of U.S. troops known as the “Railroad Brigade.” Many of these men were green troops not experienced in warfare. The Railroad Brigade’s purpose was to protect the vital rail lines of the Union Army. These rail lines went from Baltimore, Maryland to the western limits of the Department of the Potomac. Throughout his time at the Harpers Ferry, Miles expressed his dissatisfaction with undisciplined recruits. He called Harpers Ferry nothing more than a “fortified camp of instruction.”

In the summer and early fall of 1862, Miles clashed with his department commanders in Washington, D.C. They argued over several issues, including the number of soldiers and the location of the outer defenses around Harpers Ferry. These disagreements came back to haunt Miles on September 13, 1862. On that day, General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson led Confederate troops in an assault on Harpers Ferry. The enemy outnumbered and outmaneuvered Miles. The Confederates lined the higher elevations around Harpers Ferry with light artillery and fired at will on the blue-coats for a day and a half.

Col. Dixon S. Miles at Harper's Ferry, W. Va. (Image source: Civil war photographs, 1861-1865, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

On the morning of September 15, 1862, Miles gave the order to surrender. A short time later, an artillery shell exploded behind him near Bolivar Heights. A fragment ripped into his left calf mortally wounding him. Soldiers carried Miles to his headquarters at the Master Armorer’s House in downtown Harpers Ferry, where he later died. Over 12,500 Union soldiers surrendered later in the day—marking the largest surrender of United States troops in the American Civil War. The surrendered and paroled troops were labeled the “cowards of Harpers Ferry.”

A couple of months later, the Union Army formed a military commission to investigate. Almost all commission members found Miles at fault. This final verdict served as a tragic ending for the maligned and complicated Col. Miles.

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Author Bio: Creighton Waters is a native of Martinsburg, West Virginia. He is a graduate of Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, where he earned B.A. degrees in Park Administration and History. He has been employed at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park as an interpretive park ranger since 1990.   

Editor's Note: This guest blog by Ranger Creighton Waters was first posted on Facebook on September 15, 2020--the 158th anniversary of the surrender.