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Tag Archives: Harpers Ferry
“The First Blood Spilt to Freedom”: Dangerfield Newby, the Boston Massacre, and Crispus Attucks 250 Years Later
Every quest for liberty has its first martyr. Two-hundred and fifty years ago this evening, the cause of American liberty gained its first five when British soldiers fired on a crowd of Bostonians in an event immortalized as the Boston … Continue reading
A Soldier’s View of Harper’s Ferry
Following the battle of Antietam, as the Army of the Potomac made its slow way northward, the Union II Corps found itself, on September 21, 1862, encamped atop Bolivar Heights near Harper’s Ferry. Lt. Josiah Favill of the 57th New … Continue reading
“But with blood” – John Brown, Violence, and Abolition in Kansas
On a cold December morning in 1859 in a jail cell in Charles Town, Virginia, John Brown reflected on his role in the desperate fight for abolition. Less than two months prior, he had led a small army of 21 … Continue reading
Posted in Personalities, Slavery
Tagged Abolition, Bleeding Kansas, Harpers Ferry, John Brown, Pottawatomie
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The Reason for Harpers Ferry and Why John Brown Raided It
While working as a ranger at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, I often began my tours about the United States Armory with this simple question to visitors: “Why are you here today?” Common answers included vacation, an interest in history, … Continue reading
ECW Weekender: John Brown Museum in Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park offers a plethora of historical narratives through the old buildings, markers, and interpretive tools. From Colonial and Federalist Eras to Lewis and Clark to Civil War and beyond, this historic town offers a lot to … Continue reading
Hiking to Harpers Ferry for the John Brown 160th
Bill Bryson did for the Appalachian Trail what Tony Horowitz did for the Civil War. In his 1998 book A Walk in the Woods, Bryson recounted his adventures hiking portions of the AT with his woefully under-prepared friend Stephen Katz, … Continue reading
October The Sixteenth – “Alive With Ghosts Today”
Perhaps You will remember John Brown. John Brown Who took his gun, Took twenty-one companions, White and black, Went to shoot your way to freedom Where two rivers meet And the hills of the North And the hills of the … Continue reading
Dangerfield Newby and John Brown’s Raid
John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry was planned to be a small beginning to a large outcome. Twenty-one men–twenty-two counting Brown himself–planned to seize the Federal armory and arsenal in the town and ignite a war against slavery that, they … Continue reading
An Eyewitness Account of John Brown’s Raid
Reverend Michael Costello was the pastor of St. Peter Catholic Church at Harpers Ferry, [West] Virginia during John Brown’s Raid. A native of County Galway, Ireland, Costello studied at All Hallows College in Dublin for the Diocese of Richmond. On … Continue reading
Lew Wallace Secures the B&O– For the First Time (Pt. 1)
Lew Wallace, the Hoosier lawyer-turned soldier, readied his command for its move. His objective was a vital connection of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad whose trains were badly needed to transport material and manpower. Wallace wrote later, “The need of … Continue reading
Posted in Armies, Artillery, Battles, Campaigns
Tagged 11th Indiana Zouaves, 33rd Virginia Infantry, A.P. Hill, Andrew Curtin, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Cumberland, Harpers Ferry, Joseph Johnston, Lew Wallace, Maryland, Moses Grooms, New Creek, Pennsylvania Bucktails, pennsylvania reserves, Robert Patterson, Robert S. Foster, Romney, Winchester, Winfield Scott
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