Family Memories: John Brown and his heroic raid on Harpers Ferry

1. Family Memories:John Brownand his heroic raid on Harpers Ferry

2. In this book contains the written recollections of my family’s history. For generations, this story has been told from mouth to mouth in my family and I am recording it on paper.

3. On October 16 1859 my great grandfather John, two of his sons, and eighteen other men assembled on a farm in Maryland to attempt the greatest feat in the abolitionist movement. Though my great-grandfather’s original goals were not successful, the outcome of his heroics greatly changed the face of America and increased the growing sectional in order to start the Civil War and eventually abolish slavery.

4. Arm all of the slaves in Maryland; enabling them to revolt. Occupy the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry and obtain arms. Set up a headquarters in Virginia to Organize slave revolts. The group of 21 left the Maryland farm and crossed the Potomac river in order to reach Harpers Ferry, the location of their raid. While they were traveling, John Brown reflected on his goals.

5. After crossing the Potomac, John Brown and his group successfully took control of Harpers Ferry by taking the arsenal by surprise and seizing hostages.

6. Unfortunately, Harpers Ferry was surrounded by the local militia and townspeople. John Brown and his men were trapped in the fire-engine house on Harpers Ferry.

7. John’s men had no way to escape. On the morning of October 17th John Brown’s son, Watson, and another man went out with a white flag of surrender. However, the crowd was enraged, refused to accept their surrender, and brutally murdered the two men.

8. That night, Robert E. Lee and his aide J.E.B Stuart arrived with the marines in order to stop John Brown from achieving his goals and helping the innocent slaves. Robert E. Lee J.E.B. Stuart

9. On the morning of October 18th J.E.B. Stuart led the marines to break into the fire-engine house with the intent of capturing Brown and his men.

10. Stuart knocked John Brown unconscious and the raid was soon over. Brown was captured and many his men were killed while trying to escape.

11. John Brown was tried for treason and hung. Although he was killed while trying to do the right thing, his spirit lives on and his heroic act lead to the Civil War and freeing of the slaves.

12. John Brown becamea martyr for the abolitionist cause and the north united to continue his fight for freedom. As he hoped, his raid caused increased tension in the south for southerners became untrusting of the north and paranoid that their slaves would revolt.

13. Works Cited Page • http://www.historyplace.com/specials/calendar/docs-pix/john-brown.jpg • http://photos.igougo.com/images/p399089-Maryland-Maryland_Farm_Country.jpg • http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/willow/history-of-west-virginia0.gif • http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=70745&rendTypeId=4 • http://www.chezplumeau.com/images/imagesFull/457.jpg • http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/robert-e-lee-pictures/robert-e-lee.jpg • http://www.old-picture.com/civil-war/pictures/General-Stuart.jpg • http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/15/65615-004-8509FD39.jpg • http://www.cs.cornell.edu/nystrom/images/Antietam/fullsize/hf-john-brown.jpg • http://www.assassinrecords.net/images/splash_03.jpg • http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/HWFireHouseBrown.jpg/350px-HWFireHouseBrown.jpg