John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry

John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
Part of pre-Civil War conflicts
Harper's Weekly illustration of U.S. Marines attacking John Brown's "Fort" Teresa Baine
Date October 16–18, 1859 Location Harpers Ferry, (West) Virginia Result U.S. victory
Belligerents
United States	Abolitionist Insurgents
Commanders and leaders
Robert E. Lee Israel Greene	John Brown
Strength
88 U.S. Marines Unknown number of Virginia Militia and Maryland Militia	8 white men 12 free black men 1 freed slave 1 fugitive slave[1]
Casualties and losses
U.S. Marines: 1 killed 1 wounded Virginia and Maryland Militia: Unknown	10 killed 7 captured 5 escaped
Civilians: 6 killed 9 wounded

John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry (also known as John Brown's raid or The raid on Harpers Ferry) was an effort by white abolitionist John Brown to start an armed slave revolt in 1859. He attacked and captured the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia.^[a] Brown's raid, accompanied by 21 men in his party,^[1] was defeated by a platoon of U.S. Marines led by Colonel Robert E. Lee. John Brown had originally asked Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, both of whom he had met in Springfield, Massachusetts, to join him in his raid. Tubman was prevented by illness. Douglass declined because he believed Brown's plan would fail.^[3]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry". History.com. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} "West Virginia". History. A&E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
3. ↑ Marian Taylor; Heather Lehr Wagner,Harriet Tubman: Antislavery Activist (Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2004), pp. 68–69