Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-10-16
IFI EE -
FiftylFive Years Ago Today John
I Brown Convulsed Virginia by APP
pearing at Harper's Ferry.
j / T 7hg 'II::,,.if

to aforementioned in Alexandria and
throughout Virginia. John Brown
with q corporal's guard of fanatic:
made a descent upon Harper's Ferry
in an attempt to liberate the slaves
in the commonwealth. His caree,
was shortlived, as he and his fellow
conspirators were soon captured
! tried and hanged.
! The following account Of the al
fair is from a history of AleNan-
dria, written by the late George w.
! Rock and F. L. Brockett in 1888:
! On Monday, October 16, 1859, the
country was startled by Geographic
announcements, that an instruction
had occurred at Harper's Ferry, in
Jefferson county, Virginia, and that
certain persons had taken possession
of the United States Arsenal, located
there; that they had committed many
outrages by selling citizens. firing
into passing trains, killing several
persons, and Selling vehicles, which
they loaded with arms, taken from
!, the Government arsenal, which they
removed. cutting also the telegraph
wires to prevent early information of
their operations being known. Not
withstanding this precaution on the
part of these assassins, the news was
speedily communicated to the coun-
try. His Excelency. Henry A.
Wise, Governor Of Virginia, took i'm
mediate steps to suppress the insur-
rection, and for this purpose sum-
moned the troops Of the Common
: wealth, residing adjacent to Harper's
Ferry, and those within easy COM
munication by rail, to repair at once
to Harper's Ferry IT is needless to
say that the call CT Governor Wise
was promptly responded &c, and
among the earliest to arrive was the
Alexandria Riflemen, Capt Morton
Marye, which escorted the Governor
to the scene of operations The in
surrection was brief but sharp af-
fair. On the evening of the 18th Of
October, General Robert Edward
Lee, then Colonel in the u. S. army,
arrived with a company Of marines.
and On the following morning, Col
onel Shut, bearing q flag Of truce,
demanded the surrender Of the in
surgents, which, being refused. the
marines by order of Colonel Lee adj
Sanced, charged and endeavored to
break down the door of the Armory,
which building the conspirators occu-
pied, and where they held as priso-
ners, several citizens and government
employees. A large ladder, used as
a battering ram, forced the door, un-
der brisk fire from the insurgents.
In the melee three marines and sew
eral citizens. held by them, were
killed; and among the latter :; son of
Brown, the ringleader. Brown him
self being badly wounded. The Vir- !
GINA troops, adjacent to Harper'S ;
Ferry, were on the ground, when Col
Gnel Lees command arrived and
shortly after the capture Of Brown.
Cook, Coppie, Green and Copeland, the
latter two negroes. and the other in
surgents, Governor Wise arrived with
the Alexandria Riflemen and other
Virginia troops. Shortly thereafter,
there also arrived the 10th regiment
Virginia Militia. commanded by Col
onel Chas. E. Stuart, Of Alexan-
dria, the 10th regiment, command
ed by Lieut.. Colonel L. l.. Brockett
of Petersburg, the first regiment;
! Colonel Thomas z. August. OF Rich
mond, the Alexandria Artillery. Capt.
Duffey and the Mount Vernon Guards,
! Capt. S. H. DeVaughan, Of Alexan-
dria. By appointment Of Colonel
Stuart, orderly Sergeant William W.
Rock was put in charge Of regi-
mental Headquarters. After the
capture Of Brown and his party, the
people would have made short work
! of them, but for the presence Of Col
onel Lee and Governor Wise, who ha'
just arrived, and who said the con-
spirators should be tried according to
the law of land, and that no harm
should befall them meanwhile. Brown
and his confederates we're removed to
Charlestown, Jefferson county, for
trial for "insurrection and murder.
Brown was executed on the I'd of
December, 1859, and John E Cook,
Edwin Coppie, Shields Green and
John Copeland or the 10th of the
same month. This Brown, a North
ern fanatic, was a disturbing eIe-