John Brown's Raid

John Brown was an abolitionist, from New York, that vehemently opposed slavery. He hated slavery so much, that he led one of the most deadly raids in U.S. History. Before his infamous raid, he commanded troops in Kansas. His goal while in Kansas was to prevent the spread of slavery by any means possible. As a result of his actions in Kansas, his homestead was destroyed, and his sons were killed. Brown later returned to New England, where he worked for two years gathering troops, and raising funds. The Massachusetts Committee provided Brown and his men with 200 Sharps Rifles. Charles Blair of Connecticut provided them with 1,000 pikes. The target of this raid was Harper's Ferry, Virginia. They wanted to raid the armory there, confiscate guns, and then give those guns to slaves to use against their masters. Harriet Tubman actually helped Brown out with some of his scouting. Brown asked her to gather up slaves that would be willing to help him in this raid. When Brown and his men reached Harper's Ferry the first thing they did was cut telegraph wires. When they got to the armory, they found it easily conquerable. They then gathered up hostages, and went around telling slaves that they were about to be liberated. Brown and his raiders did not think about the possibility of getting stuck in the armory, and needless to say they did. By the next morning the raiders were trapped in the fort, by local farmers, shopkeepers, and militia. The militia barged into the engine house, engaging the raiders in fighting. Brown eventually sent out his sons Watson, and Oliver, to wave the white flag. They were met with gunfire and shot dead. The back and forth fighting lasted throughout the day. By the next morning (October 18th), U.S. Marines surrounded the engine house. The engine house later became known as John Brown's fort. Future Civil War commander J.E.B. Stuart told the raider that their lives would be spared if they surrendered. Brown refused, so the door of the armory was broken down. Brown was wounded in the head during the brief fighting and was cornered. He was taken prisoner, tried, and later hanged. Brown and his men managed to kill four people, they also suffered ten casualties. Along with Brown, seven were captured, and five escaped. The John Brown Raid on Harper's Ferry has gone down as one of the deadliest and most brutal raids in U.S. history. Most historians believe that the raid was the breaking point that eventually led to the Civil War. What do you think?

John Brown, the mastermind behind the raid on Harper's Ferry.

The inside of the armory right before the walls were broken down.

John Brown being led to the gallows.

Stay tuned for more blog posts about tales from Tennessee and beyond. Be sure to contact Moore Historical Consulting for all your historical research needs.