Description: Photograph showing "John Brown's Fort" in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). Originally built as a guardhouse and engine-house for the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, this building was used by John Brown and his raiders as a fortified defense during their failed attempt to capture the armory. Following the raid, it became known as John Brown's Fort, and the structure is now part of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry hoping to capture the armory 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: sc223_04
Subjects: John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History;
Places: Harper's Ferry (Virginia);