“Insurrection at Harper’s Ferry” article from the Franklin Democrat newspaper

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From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information


About this item

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.

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Details

Item typeArticle
PublisherFranklin Democrat
Date1859-08-24
PlaceWest Virginia
TopicCivil Rights, Protest, Dissent
Slavery, Indenture
EraNational Expansion and Reform, 1816–1860
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPrinting
Dimension detailsProcess Material: printed paper, ink Height: 9.75 in Width: 2.75 in
Catalog #L05.091
View this item in our curatorial database →
Franklin Democrat. “Insurrection at Harper’s Ferry.” August 24, 1859. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l05-091/. Accessed on November 9, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.