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Tag Archives: John Brown
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
21 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
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
Book Review: Midnight Rising
…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 Book Review, John Brown, John Brown's Raid, John-Brown-160, John-Browns-Raid-160, midnight rising, Tony Horwitz
1 Comment
