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VIDEO: Doug Perks – A Tit for Tat Battle in Shepherdstown 1861 TRT: 2:59

Well everyone’s familiar with the the the song that came out of the Civil War “All Quiet Along The Potomac,” but that certainly was never the case here in Jefferson County, virtually from the start.

Because of its strategic importance. there was a always Union interest in being here and a huge Union presence and the Confederate army, of course, was trying to get rid of it. So, with that constant struggle, a lot of push-and-pull, a lot of activity and very disruptive. So there was nothing “All Quiet Along Our Potomac.”

It starts right away.

There’s the 12th Indiana regiment that parks right across the river from Shepherdstown and, of course, it becomes particularly in the evening, with its campfires, it becomes an attractive target for locals and some of whom may have had a gun that might have reached across the river. So imagine being the mayor of Shepherdstown – Mayor John Reynolds – one day, an army courier knocks on your door and delivers a message. It says:

“Either get them under control or we’re going to take care of Shepherdstown.”

So, you know, put yourself in his shoes. The letter that he wrote back, there’s one sentence in there in particular and of course uh he’s saying: ‘listen it we certainly don’t think that it’s our citizenry. . .

‘We don’t think that it’s anybody who is part of Shepherdstown. We certainly hope that we can bring this under control. We’re going to have someone patrolling the streets. We’ve limited the sale of alcoholic beverages,’ but almost in the last sentence he said: ‘We are a town of widows and children. . .’ so even as early as December of 1861, the war had left its mark and and that was setting the stage for for the next four years.

Doug Perks is a Jefferson County native, a graduate of Charles Town High School, received a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University, and a master’s degree from James Madison University. After 30 years service he retired from Jefferson County Schools. He is currently the Historian of the Jefferson County Museum, a Harpers Ferry Certified Park Guide, Vice Chair of the Charles Town Historic Landmarks Commission, serves on the museum committee of the Historic Shepherdstown Commission, is a director of the Harpers Ferry Historical Association, and Historian of the Elmwood Cemetery Association, Incorporated. Doug is a frequent lecturer on the History of Mr. Jefferson’s County, a contributing author to The Magazine of the Jefferson County Historical Society, writes the column “Mr. Jefferson’s County” in the Jefferson County Historical Society newsletter The Guardian, and contributes the weekly column “This Week in History” to the Spirit of Jefferson newspaper.