Get documents about "The Raiders
Document Sample
Harpers Ferry National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
John Brown’s Raiders
Twenty-one men followed John Brown to Harpers Ferry. Twenty-one individuals with different
backgrounds and occupations, rich, poor, black, white, some born free and others born into
bondage; men with many differences joined in one common goal - - to end slavery. Knowing the
risks, they joined Brown’s Provisional Army and sixteen gave their lives with the hope that four
million slaves would one day be free.
“Iam dying for freedom. I could not die for a better cause. I
had rather die than be a slave.”
Raider John A. Copeland, Jr.,
John Brown,
circa 1859 December 16,1859, the day of his execution
Jeremiah Osborne Perry Oliver Brown
Anderson Anderson
March 9, 1838 -
April 17, 183 3 - July 27, 1830 - October 18, 1859
October 18, 1859 December 13, 1872
Oliver was the
A grandson of a A free African American youngest of
Virginia slave - living in Canada, Brown’s sons to
holder, Anderson Anderson worked for join the raid. He
lived in Illinois and the Provincial Freeman fought with his
Iowa before moving to Kansas in 1857. He newspaper in Chatham when he met Brown at father and brothers in Kansas. Oliver and
fought with the Free State forces and joined the Chatham Convention. He escaped after the his 17-year- old wife, Martha, traveled to the
Brown on a raid to free slaves in Missouri in raid by walking through the mountains into Kennedy Farm in Maryland to help prepare
1858. Trapped with Brown, he was bayo - Pennsylvania and taking trains to Canada. He for the raid on Harpers Ferry. He was
neted by a Marine during the final assault on penned A Voice From Harpers Ferry in 1861 and mortally wounded on October 17 and died
the Armory engine house. He died a few was recruited for the Union army in 1864. on the 18th.
hours later. Osborne Anderson died of tuberculosis in
Washington, D.C.
Owen Brown Watson Brown John E. Cook
November 4, 1824 - October 7, 1835 - May 12, 1829 -
January 9, 1889 October 19, 1859 December 16, 1859
Named for his During the “Bleeding Cook came from a
grandfather, Owen Kansas” years, Watson well-to-do family
fought with his worked the family farm and studied law in
father in Kansas in North Elba, New New York before
and at Harpers York, while his father joining Brown in
Ferry. Appointed Captain in Brown’s and brothers fought against the spread of slavery Kansas to fight against slavery. An advance
Provisional Army, he guarded rifles and in Kansas. Four years later he decided to join his man for Brown, Cook moved to Harpers
pikes, waiting to arm others who came to father at Harpers Ferry. Leaving a wife and baby Ferry more than a year before the raid. He
join the fight at “the ferry.” His determina- he traveled to Virginia. Watson was mortally taught school and married Mary Virginia
tion and great physical strength helped four wounded on October 17 while carrying a white Kennedy, a local girl. Gathering supplies
raiders escape from Harpers Ferry. After flag. He died on October 19 after the raid had during the raid, Cook was stranded on the
several years in Ohio, he moved to California ended. Maryland shore. He traveled north with
with other family members and died there. other raiders, but was captured in Pennsyl -
vania and tried and hanged in Charles Town
on December 16.
John Anthony Barclay Coppoc Edwin Coppoc
Copeland, Jr.
January 4, 1839 - June 30, 1835 -
August 15, 1834 - September 3, 1861 December 16, 1859
December 16, 1859
Brother of Raider Edwin Brother of Raider
Copeland, a free Coppoc, Barclay gave up Barclay Coppoc,
African American, his mother’s Quaker Edwin shot and
was a student at beliefs and used violence killed Harpers Ferry
Oberlin College in to end slavery. As a rear Mayor Fontaine
Ohio and a nephew of Raider Lewis Leary. guard he never entered Harpers Ferry and was Beckham. He was captured in the engine
Captured during the raid, his conduct at his able to escape. He became a first lieutenant in house, tried and sentenced to hang. The
trial impressed Judge Richard Parker and the Third Kansas Infantry on July 24, 1861. He night before their execution, he and John
Prosecutor Andrew Hunter to the extent that was mortally injured on September 2, when his Cook nearly escaped from the Charles Town
they would have pardoned him, had it been troop train plunged into the Platte River, after jail. He was hanged on December 16, 1859, in
an option. Copeland was tried and hanged Confederates had burned the trestle supports. Charles Town.
in Charles Town. He died the next day.
Shields Green Albert Hazlett John Henry
Kagi
circa 1836 - Decem- September 21, 1837 -
ber 16, 1859 March 16, 1860 March 15, 1835 -
October 17, 1859
Born a slave in Hazlett fought in Kansas
South Carolina, with the Free State Kagi was a self-
Green escaped, forces and joined Brown educated, intelligent
finding freedom in there in 1858. He and man who developed
Canada. In Roche s - Osborne Anderson held a hatred of slavery
ter, NY, he worked as a servant and clothes the U.S. Arsenal during the raid, escaping when while teaching in Virginia. Brown’s most
cleaner and met Frederick Douglass. their situation seemed hopeless. He was caught trusted lieutenant, he tried to convince
Douglass introduced Green to Brown and he near Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on October 22, 1859. Brown to take the battle to the surrounding
decided to “go with the old man.” He was He was tried and later hanged on March 16, 1860, hills. Brown refused. Kagi was in charge of
captured in the Armory engine house, tried in Charles Town. the U.S. Rifle Factory during the raid.
and hanged on December 16 in Charles Grossly outnumbered, he was shot and
Town. killed while trying to escape across the
Shenandoah River.
Lewis Leary William Leeman Francis Jackson
Meriam
March 17, 1835 - March 20, 1839 -
October 18, 1859 October 17, 1859 November 17, 1837 -
November 28, 1865
Leary, a free African At age 17, Leeman left a
American, left a wife job in a shoe factory in Despite his frailty
and baby to fight Massachusetts and and blindness in
against slavery. He moved to Kansas with a one eye, Meriam’s
and his nephew, group of anti-slavery hatred of slavery
John Copeland, joined Brown on October 12. settlers. There he became a member of Brown’s made him determined to join Brown. He
After rounding up hostages, he was ordered “Volunteer Regulars.” During the raid on served as Brown’s rear guard in Maryland
to hold the U.S. Rifle Factory. He was Harpers Ferry, he was shot and killed while and escaped Harpers Ferry. During the Civil
mortally wounded while retreating across the attempting to escape across the Potomac River. War he served as a captain in the Third
Shenandoah River on October 17 and died South Carolina Colored Infantry.
ten hours later.
Dangerfield Aaron Stevens Stewart Taylor
Newby
circa 1833 - March 16, October 29, 1836 -
circa 1820/25 - 1860 October 17, 1859
October 17, 1859
Stevens, a soldier in the Born at Uxbridge,
Born a slave, Newby Mexican War, had Canada, Taylor
escaped from Fort discovered a
moved to Ohio with
Leavenworth after common bond with
his mother, Elsey, attacking an officer. He Brown in their
siblings and white father, Henry Newby. joined Brown in Kansas and followed him to hatred of slavery. Brown’s daughter, Annie,
Their owner had given his permission and Virginia. Wounded while carrying a flag of described Taylor in this way, “He considered
intention to manumit them. In Ohio they truce, he was carried by Joseph Brua, one of it his duty to go to Harpers Ferry and he did,
would be free. Newby tried to buy his wife, Brown’s prisoners, to a nearby hotel. He was although he knew he was going to his end.”
Harriet, and children, but their owner later tried and hanged on March 16, 1860, in Taylor was killed defending the engine house
refused to sell. Hoping to free them, he Charles Town. on October 17.
joined Brown and was the first of Brown’s
men to be killed. Following the raid, his
family was sold to a Louisiana slave owner.
Dauphin William Thompson Charles
Thompson Plummer Tidd
August, 1833 - October
April 17, 1838 - 17, 1859 circa 1834 - February
October 18, 1859 8, 1862
The Thompson brothers
Dauphin was the were neighbors of the Tidd, a veteran of
youngest of 18 Brown family in North the Kansas Wars,
children and the Elba, NY. An angry had been with
younger brother of mob seized William Brown since 1857.
Raider William Thompson. On October 18 while he was carrying a flag of truce and held After the raid began, Tidd went back to
Thompson was trapped in the Armory him captive in a nearby hotel. On October 17, Maryland for weapons and supplies. He
engine house after the Marines stormed the after Mayor Fontaine Beckham was killed, the joined four other raiders and escaped. He
building. He died from a bayonet thrust. mob dragged William out to the railroad bridge enlisted in the Twent y -first Massachusetts
and shot him in the head. They threw his body volunteers on July 19, 1861. He died of fever
into the river and used it for target practice. on a troop ship February 8, 1862.
EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA
mbw 3/09
Related docs
