Harper’s Ferry, in West Virginia, is a study in confluence. The town is situated on a point at the joining of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, and lies just where three states abut. The town’s history is a fascinating linkage between the American Revolution and the U.S. Civil War. Even the town today mixes government and private enterprise: There is a dividing line smack in the middle of town, one side of which is owned by the U.S. Park Service, the other by private land owners. But the most compelling story of Harper’s Ferry’s centrality to the mingling of powerful forces is its locus at the violent intersection of slavery, state’s rights, and human freedom. Donna and I made the beautiful, hour-long drive to Harper’s Ferry yesterday, out I-70 West and then Rte. 340 West. You wind along the Potomac River on Rte. 340 and in the space of five minutes you pass through Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. The road is on a bluff and you can look down at the scores of brightly covere