Throughout the war, Harpers Ferry was a key military target. On April 18, 1861, right after Virginia seceded, state militia surrounded the 47 Union soldiers guarding the Harpers Ferry arsenal. The Union troops set fire to the buildings and escaped, but the Virginians put out the flames and saved most of the equipment, which was moved to North Carolina to make guns for the Confederacy. For a short time, Harpers Ferry was the northernmost point held by the Confederacy. The armory was never rebuilt.