Tag Archives: John Brown

Observing the Hanging Hour: John Brown’s Death 161 Years Ago Today

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Kevin Pawlak

When John Brown’s body dropped through the gallows’ trap door in a field outside Charlestown, Virginia, at approximately 11 a.m. on December 2, 1859, only about 1,500 Virginia militia, Virginia Military Institute Cadets, and a handful of United States soldiers … Continue reading →

Posted in Antebellum South, Personalities | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

A Soldier’s View of Harper’s Ferry

Posted on October 27, 2019 by Chris Mackowski

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 →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Primary Sources | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Arming Virginia: Henry Wise’s Attempts to Prevent Another John Brown’s Raid

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Kevin Pawlak

The word of John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry struck the Governor’s Mansion in Richmond, Virginia like a thunderbolt. Immediately, the lanky Henry Wise sprang into action. He called on the state’s militia to help suppress the uprising before journeying … Continue reading →

Posted in Antebellum South, Civilian, Personalities, Politics, Slavery | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

“But with blood” – John Brown, Violence, and Abolition in Kansas

Posted on October 23, 2019 by Kristen Pawlak

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 , , , , | 1 Comment

“But his soul goes marching on.” Brown, Douglass, and the Radicals

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Sean Michael Chick

Today abolitionism is praised with few reservations, but it was a fringe movement in the 1830s. Its followers took a lonely moral stand. William Lloyd Garrison in 1831 declared “I am in earnest. I will not equivocate – I will … Continue reading →

Posted in Slavery | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

Question of the Week: 10/21-10/27/19

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Emerging Civil War

How/when did you first learn about John Brown and the 1859 Raid? Have your perspectives on the man or event changed over the years?

Posted in Memory, Question of the Week | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

The Reason for Harpers Ferry and Why John Brown Raided It

Posted on October 19, 2019 by Kevin Pawlak

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 →

Posted in Arms & Armaments, Battlefields & Historic Places, Slavery, Weapons | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

ECW Weekender: John Brown Museum in Harpers Ferry

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Emerging Civil War

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 →

Posted in Emerging Civil War | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hiking to Harpers Ferry for the John Brown 160th

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Chris Mackowski

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 →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Book Review: Midnight Rising

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Sarah Kay Bierle

…follow him they did, swearing allegiance to his revolutionary government and marching into Virginia to found a new order. Within two years, entire armies would cross the Potomac, and this obscured the magnitude of what happened in 1859. The street … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment