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Tag Archives: John Brown
Idealistic Uncle and Cynical Nephew: Lucius Bierce, Ambrose Bierce, and the Civil War – Part 1
Emerging Civil War welcomes back guest author Max Longley… Part One: 1859 – Lucius’ prewar influence on Ambrose? Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) was a journalist, satirist and writer of short stories about war and the supernatural who acquired literary fame over … Continue reading
The Other John Brown
ECW welcomes back guest author Max Longley… In the latter half of 1863, Republican Governor Andrew Curtin of Pennsylvania was busy with a re-election campaign against a Democrat who appealed to public war-weariness. Curtin was also campaigning to establish a … Continue reading
Observing the Hanging Hour: John Brown’s Death 161 Years Ago Today
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
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
Arming Virginia: Henry Wise’s Attempts to Prevent Another John Brown’s Raid
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 Henry Wise, John Brown, John-Browns-Raid-160, militia, Shepherdstown
3 Comments
“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
1 Comment
“But his soul goes marching on.” Brown, Douglass, and the Radicals
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 Abolition, John Brown, John Brown's Raid, John-Brown-160, John-Browns-Raid-160
22 Comments
Question of the Week: 10/21-10/27/19
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 John Brown, John-Brown-160, John-Browns-Raid-160, Memory, Question of the Week
7 Comments
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
