On a dreary, drizzling night in mid-October 1859, fanatical abolitionist John Brown and his party of eighteen loyalists descended on the sleepy little village of Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Furtively, the raiders slipped into town, overpowered the lone guard, and seized the United States Arsenal there. Some followers then cut telegraph lines and barricaded the wagon and railroad bridges across the Potomac River against any approaching militia men, while a handful of others slipped out to nearby farms, alerting slaves that salvation was at hand and taking hostages back to the arsenal for security.

Yet it did not take long for the bizarre scheme to unravel. Months before, Brown had crafted a fanciful plan to wrest control of the prized arsenal from federal authorities and use the weapons to create a military force from slaves flocking to his banner. With the Appalachian Mountains as an auxiliary shield, he would drive deep into the South, disrupting plantations and gathering more “soldiers” for his army of freedom. Success would build upon success, Brown believed, and soon the dreaded institution of slavery would crumble beneath the weight of his mighty ranks. Unfortunately, no one thought it necessary to notify slaves in advance; thus, none rallied to their self-appointed savior. Nor could Brown and his party keep their enterprise a secret for very long. Shortly after securing the arsenal, Brown s henchmen fired on a relief watchman and then on two workers from an eastbound train that halted to clear the obstruction on the railroad bridge.