On October 16, 1859, John Brown (1800-1859) and his 21 manned “army of liberation” attacked the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. The siege lasted 36 hours and most of the men were killed. Brown was captured, tried, and found guilty of treason, conspiring with enslaved people to rebel and murder, and was hanged on December 2, 1859. This newspaper account greatly exaggerates the number of insurgents, claiming there were 250 White men and a gang of African Americans, when there were only five African Americans and 16 White men. The song, “John Brown’s Body” was a favorite of northern soldiers during the Civil War.
Franklin Democrat. “Insurrection at Harper’s Ferry.” August 24, 1859. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l05-091/. Accessed on December 22, 2024.
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