Brown first gained notoriety in Kansas Territory in the mid-1850s. Kansas was mired in mob violence as pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces battled for control of the territorial government. When pro-slavery forces raided the “free soil” town of Lawrence in 1856, Brown and his followers sought revenge.
In the name of defeating “Satan and his legions,” Brown and his accomplices targeted five men on the Pottawatomie Creek. They dragged the men from their homes and hacked them to death with broadswords as their families watched in horror. Now a fugitive, Brown fled Kansas and headed North to seek funding from abolitionists to conduct more campaigns of terror in the name of destroying slavery.
Planning a Slave Revolt
A group of wealthy abolitionists financed John Brown’s operations, and while they most likely did not know Brown’s ultimate plan, they most certainly knew of Brown’s character. After plotting for nearly three years, Brown revealed his grand plan to former slave and famed orator Frederick Douglass:
Brown and his men would seize the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). They would then steal the 100,000 arms stored in the armory and arm the local slaves, who would join Brown’s force and move south to arm more slaves until all of Virginia was liberated. Brown hoped the movement would then spread throughout the South, devastating the Southern economy and ending slavery.
From any perspective, Brown’s plan was a fanatical act of treason. Douglass refused Brown’s offer to join him and discouraged other blacks from joining Brown on a mission Douglass believed to be suicidal.
Raid on Harpers Ferry
On the night of October 16, 1859, John Brown and 19 followers invaded Harpers Ferry and seized the federal arsenal complex. They rounded up hostages from nearby farms, but then the plan quickly unraveled.
The first man that Brown’s forces killed was a railroad baggage master, a free black man. Nearby slaves did not rise up to join Brown; instead local farmers, shopkeepers, and state militia soon descended from the bluffs to oppose the raid. The raiders withdrew to the arsenal’s engine house and holed up while furious citizens began picking them off. Ten of Brown’s men were killed, including his two sons.
Within 36 hours, the engine house was completely surrounded as U.S. Marines commanded by Colonel Robert E. Lee arrived on the scene. After their demand to surrender was refused, the Marines stormed the engine house. Three raiders managed to escape but Brown and his six remaining followers were apprehended.
Brown and his men were tried for treason against Virginia, murder, and conspiracy to incite slave insurrection. Their guilt was undeniable and the jury quickly convicted them. On the morning of December 2, Brown was brought to the gallows for execution. He gave no last words but instead handed his guard a note: “I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood.” He was hanged at 11:15 a.m. in the presence of nearly 2,000 state troops.
John Brown’s Legacy
After Brown’s execution, many famous figures in the North praised him and some abolitionists even compared him to Christ by sacrificing himself for the sin of slavery. Others condemned Brown’s acts but praised his intentions. Responding to suspicions that Republicans approved of Brown’s actions, presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln declared that Brown was a fanatic who was justly hanged.
Conversely, many Southerners believed that Brown was a treasonous fanatic who set an example that could destroy the country. Most in the South were shocked to see so much Northern sympathy for Brown. Fear and suspicion that Northerners condoned this type of terrorism ultimately helped lead to South Carolina’s secession in 1860.
While many historians consider Brown a heroic martyr for trying to abolish slavery, Brown’s tactics made him what Ken Chowder called “the father of American terrorism.” Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry was a seminal event in American history that further sectionalized the country between North and South, and helped to spark a war that cost over 600,000 American lives.
Sources:
Woods Jr., Thomas E.: The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History (Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing Inc., 2004)
Ward, Geoffrey C.: The Civil War (New York: Alfred P. Knopf, 1990)
 |
 |
