Despite its strategic importance, Harpers Ferry was an indefensible military position

The town is referred described as being "easy to take and hard to hold." Although it was simple to attack Harpers Ferry, it was nearly impossible to defend, making it a strategic nightmare. Anyone who controlled the heights controlled the city because they were bordered by the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, as well as the steep rises of Bolivar Heights to the west, Loudoun Heights to the south, and Maryland Heights to the east.

The more than one thousand foot rises towering over Harpers Ferry had to be planted with artillery in order for the town to be successfully defended. These heights were Bolivar Heights, Maryland Heights, and Loudoun Heights. Located well below the mountains, Harpers Ferry was vulnerable to attack and had little hope of resistance, leading soldiers stationed there during the Civil War to refer to it as a "godforsaken, stinking pit."