Is there any way the Harpers Ferry Arsenal could have been located somewhere else?
Frex, would Fort Monroe have the space to accommodate it? Iirc that post remained in Union hands throughout the ACW. It would also be harder for John Brown and co to get at.
Assuming that political considerations require it to be in Virginia, might somewhere near Wheeling have been acceptable.?
Either way, any thoughts on how events in 1861 might be affected if the secessionists don't capture it?