On October 16, 1859, John Brown led 21 men on a raid of the federal arsenal at Harper"s Ferry, Virginia. His plan was to seize arms and supply them to slaves with the hope of starting a war against slavery. After a life of failed enterprises and anti-slavery activities he emerged at age 55 with the intent of finding a way to start his anti-slavery war. His raid failed and he was arrested by the future Southern general, Robert E. Lee, who was in charge of the Marine contingent.

Illustrated in: The life, trial, and execution of Captain John Brown, known as "Old Brown of Ossawatomie," New York : R. M. DeWitt, (c1859)

Published in : Slavery in the courtroom : an annotated bibliography of American cases / Paul Finkelman. Washington: Library of Congress, 1985, p. 156.

Housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress

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Product #: cph3b37073