Description: Portrait of abolitionist John Brown, ca. 1855-1859. A handwritten note reads, "Presented to F.B. Sanborn, Esqr. of Concord, Mass, by his highly obligated and admiring Friend. Springfield, Mass, April 16th 1857. John Brown." 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 g View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC2416_002
Subjects: Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History; John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights
Places: Ohio; Harper's Ferry (Virginia);