10 birdwatchers joined me for a nice walk on this cold fresh morning through fields covered in hoary frost. By the time we finished a couple hours later, the sun was emerging and temperatures rising enough to thaw the grass green. We saw some nice variety – 33 species in all – and everyone got to see just how beautiful this place is and how they might like to return again. Its fields and woods and creek offer differing habitats. We had the place to ourselves the whole time. Scroll to the bottom of this post to find out more about South Schoolhouse Ridge battlefield in Harper’s Ferry.
Species seen (some numbers are guess-timates):
Mallard 1 flying over
Great Blue Heron 1 flying over
Black Vulture 10
Turkey Vulture 15
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 heard then finally seen taking off from the ground into woods.
Red-tailed Hawk 1 – perched through trees – white V on scapulars, red tail seen when he moved.
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 12
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3
Downy Woodpecker 6
Northern Flicker 5
American Kestrel 1
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 20
Common Raven 2 one very vocal – saw 2 flying over near the creek
Carolina Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Brown Creeper 3
Carolina Wren 6
Golden-crowned Kinglet 5
Eastern Bluebird 20 approx. count – there was one larger flock and a few here & there around the battlefield
Hermit Thrush 1
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 25
Cedar Waxwing 7
Yellow-rumped Warbler 8
Song Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 12
Dark-eyed Junco 20
American Goldfinch 8
More about the battlefield:
Map: http://www.nps.gov/hafe/planyourvisit/upload/SHRSouth-2.pdf
Allstadt Farm Trail: Moderate, 2.5 miles round trip, 1½ hours. Courtney’s Battery Trail: Moderate, 1.2 miles, 30-40 minutes. Wayside exhibits.
Hikers see expansive views of Bolivar Heights, Maryland and Loudoun heights all along this ridgeline. The two trails start at the parking lot on Millville Road. The Allstadt Farm Trail to the left passes through fields, forest and along a stream. Hikers can start across the field, or take the farm lane straight up to the ruins of the 19th-century farmhouse and turn left to intersect the main trail. The trail eventually loops down to Flowing Springs Run, and then climbs back up to the top of the ridge. From the overlook on the far end of the ridge South Mountain fills in the gap between Maryland and Loudoun heights. The shorter, Courtney’s Battery Trail to the right from the parking lot, leads to a battery of cannon and another view of the surrounding heights illustrating Confederate tactics in 1862.
The ridge is named for a one-story stone school house that stood near the Harper’s Ferry-Charles Town Turnpike. This school house proved a popular rendezvous point for prowling Confederate cavalry. The ridge also became a popular target for the Union long-range cannon on Maryland Heights. The school house was destroyed during the war, reportedly by shots from the Naval Battery and the 100-pounder Battery on Maryland Heights, which is nearly 2 miles distant! Cannon from Bolivar Heights also had easy range to School House Ridge, hampering Confederate movements anytime they reached this point.
School House Ridge was a witness to the Battle of Harper’s Ferry, September 12-15, 1862. Confederate Commander Stonewall Jackson occupied the position on School House Ridge, along with three divisions comprising nearly 15,000 men, during the Battle of Harper’s Ferry. During the night of September 14, Jackson staged a feign movement, starting on the north side of School House Ridge, and directed toward the Union lines on Bolivar Heights. Jackson planned this as a diversion and then sent Confederate Commander A.P. Hill’s men to the far southern edge of School House Ridge and Hill launched a successful flanking maneuver along the Shenandoah River which forced the Union surrender. The informal surrender of the Union occurred on School House Ridge when Jackson met Union commander Brig. Gen. Julius White to discuss terms.
In recent history, School House Ridge became the focus of battlefield preservationists from 1988-2004. The reason for this preservation movement was because it was being threatened by high density residential and commercial development in the fastest growing county in West Virginia, at this time. Most of the battlefield was protected through the efforts of the Civil War Trust, the Trust for Public Lands, and the Federal Government. The late Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) guaranteed the protection of School House Ridge when he and the Congress expanded the park boundary in 2004.
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