Description: Illustration depicting the Battle of Fort Wagner, a Union attack on the Confederate fort in Charleston, West Virginia, from "The Black Phalanx: A History of the Negro Soldiers of the United States in the Wars of 1775-1812, 1861-'65" by Joseph T. Wilson. Caption reads: "Desperate charge of the 54th Mass., Vols., in assault on Fort Wagner, July 18th, 1863." ALTERNATE TEXT: A group of soldiers rush towards the horizon in an empty field. Some of the men climb up a small cliff at the bottom right of the scene. The men carry weapons while they run. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: blackphalanx_18
Subjects: African American soldiers; Civil War 1861-1865; Battlefields
Places: Charleston (West Virginia)
 

Description: Postcard depicting John Brown being arraigned before Judge Richard Parker in 1859. Brown was famously arrested for his unsuccessful raid on the armory in Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1859. He was found guilty of treason and was hung for his crime. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04102
Subjects: Abolitionists -- Ohio; John Brown's Raid, 1859; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History;
Places: Charleston (West Virginia)
 

Description: This image shows the front facade of the West Virginia State Capitol. This building is the state’s third state capitol and was dedicated in 1932. It has statues of Abraham Lincoln and Stonewall Jackson, and, along with the Holly Grove Mansion and the Governor’s Mansion, comprise the Capitol complex. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV101_B01F07_548
Subjects: Capitols--West Virginia; National Register of Historic Places; Colonial Revival; Architecture
Places: Charleston (West Virginia); 1900 Kanawha Blvd. E.
 

Description: This flag in this photograph is a United States flag made of wool and dates from 1870-1890. The flag features thirteen stars and an illegible maker's mark on the halyard edge. The colors are red, white and blue. The dimensions are 92 cm by 175 cm and the dimensions are 92 cm by 175 cm. Mrs. J. M. Neeman of Charleston, West Virginia, donated this flag to the Ohio History Connection (formerly known as the Ohio Historical Society) in 1958. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: H65523_001
Subjects: National Flag--United States; Stars and Stripes; textile (wool);
 

Description: Broadside for the funeral of Edwin Coppock held in Salem, Ohio, on December 30, 1859. Coppock was executed in Charleston, Virginia, for being a member of John Brown's Raiders at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. The names of 24 men are listed under the funeral announcement, presumably his fellow raiders. John Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). A federal arsenal was in the town, and Brown hoped to capture the buildings and the weapons stored inside. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, creating an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slaveholders to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A detachment of U.S. Marines arrived and stormed the arsenal on October 18, capturing seven men, including Brown. He was charged with treason by the state of Virginia, found guilty and sentenced to death. On December 2, 1859, Brown was hanged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04685
Subjects: Columbiana County (Ohio); Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Funeral rites and ceremonies; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History; John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio
Places: Salem (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image shows the Edwin Coppock Memorial, errected by Daniel Howell Hise in Salem, Ohio. The engraving reads "Edwin Coppock 'A martyr to the cause of liberty' Born in Butler Township near Salem, Ohio. June 30, 1835. Was one of John Brown's Company in his attempt to liberate the slaves at Harpers Ferry, VA. October 1859. Was executed at Charleston, VA. December 16, 1859." John Brown was an abolitionists whose obsession with ending slavery led him to violence and his eventual death. Under the influence of his father, Brown decided to dedicate his life to destroying the institution of slavery, and he spent time serving as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Brown gained national attention in 1859 when he led a group of twenty-one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). A federal arsenal was in the town, and Brown hoped to capture the buildings and the weapons stored inside of them. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, hoping to create an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slave-owners to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A detachment of United States Marines arrived and stormed the arsenal on October 18, capturing seven men, including Brown. The court found Brown guilty and sentenced him to death, along with his comrades. John Brown's Harper's Ferry raid raised issues for the presidential election of 1860. It was also one of the events that led to the eventual dissolution of the United States and the Civil War that followed. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06500
Subjects: Slavery; Abolition movement--1850-1860; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History John Brown's Raid, 1859; Memorials--Ohio
Places: Salem (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)
 

Description: Memorial to Edwin Coppock, who was executed in Charleston, Virginia, in 1859 for being a member of John Brown's Raiders at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. The memorial is in Salem, Columbiana County, Ohio. This photograph was taken ca. 1940-1949. John Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). A federal arsenal was in the town, and Brown hoped to capture the buildings and the weapons stored inside. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, creating an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slaveholders to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A detachment of U.S. Marines arrived and stormed the arsenal on October 18, capturing seven men, including Brown. He was charged with treason by the state of Virginia, found guilty and sentenced to death. On December 2, 1859, Brown was hanged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00326
Subjects: Memorials -- Ohio; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History; John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio
Places: Salem (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)