On this day in 1859 the famous raid on Harpers Ferry, Va., by abolitionist John Brown to seize the arsenal there and start an armed slave revolt occurred. This raid happened in the beginnings of the push for the abolishment of slavery, and both Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, two of the most famous abolitionists, were asked to participate in the early stages of planning the raid. However, they both ended up declining as Tubman was ill at the time and Douglass believed that Brown’s plan would fail.
To begin planning his raid Brown rented a farmhouse under an alias in Maryland, which served as the barracks, arsenal, mess hall and home for the raiders during their time in Maryland. He brought with him a small group of people who were barely trained for military action. Abolitionists, believing that Brown’s cause was a worthy one, sent them weapons ranging from muskets to handheld pikes to carry out the raid. Brown did not plan for hit-and-run kind of action. He was hoping that hundreds of black slaves would escape their masters and join his cause after the armory had been seized to assist him and strike fear into Virginia slave owners. His plan was to eventually make his way deep into the heart of the South, striking fear and stealing supplies as he moved southward.
An estimated 80 people knew of Brown’s raid when it was in its planning stage, as Brown was a widely known abolitionist from Kansas who had participated in other violent actions. One man, David J. Gue of Springdale, Iowa, decided that he would warn the government of Brown’s actions to try to save his life because he knew that the plan would fail. He did so by sending an anonymous letter describing the plan Brown was going to carry out and warned that soldiers should be sent to protect the armory in Harpers Ferry. He hoped that the increased military presence would dissuade Brown from going through with his plan.
On Sunday Oct. 16, 1859, Brown took most of his men to the town of Harpers Ferry. He sent off a party under John Cook Jr. capture Col. Lewis Washington, the great-grandnephew of George Washington, and retrieve a sword given to him by Frederick the Great and two pistols given by Marquis de Lafayette. This mission ended successfully, and they continued with the raid. Brown was sure that a massive uprising would occur when he seized Harpers Ferry, but word had not spread, so it never happened. Regardless, Brown and his men captured the armory that night.
During the next three days, Brown held up in the armory with his men and the hostages he had taken and as the people in the town began to fight back. President James Buchanan sent a detachment of marines to take back the armory, who were led by Colonel of the 2nd Cavalry Robert E. Lee, to deal with the situation. On Oct. 18 the door was broken down, and the marines stormed the engine house that Brown was held out in. In the process, Lee stabbed Brown but did not kill him and within a few minutes all the raiders were either dead or captured. Brown was then put on trial and convicted of treason and put to death on Dec. 2, 1859. Although the raid was labeled as insane by most, Brown died a martyr for his cause.
Matt Blair is a junior studying history, political science and classics and a columnist for The Post. Feeling historical? Chat history with him at mb382310@ohiou.edu
