Radical abolitionist John Brown raided the Harpers Ferry arsenal in October 1859

John Brown, who is well known for assassinating slaveowners in "Bleeding Kansas," decided in 1859 that he would free the slaves in Virginia by starting a rebellion that would sweep throughout the slaveholding state. Brown intended to seize the Harpers Ferry armory and utilize its supply of weapons to arm his followers in order to launch his slave uprising. Brown and a company of 21 men, which included his sons, occupied the arsenal that evening on October 16, 1859.

But Brown's raid was doomed from the beginning. Brown and his men were stuck in the armory while troops from Virginia and Maryland surrounded their "fort" because they lacked the required ammunition for their weapons and were unable to enlist any slaves to join their rebellion. When President James Buchanan learned that the notorious "Osawatomie" Brown had intentions to incite a slave uprising in Virginia, he sent Col. Robert E. Lee and Captain J.E.B. Stuart orders to lead a company of 90 Marines in putting down the rebellion. When Lee got to Harpers Ferry, he gave the marines orders to storm the fort, free the few captives Brown had kidnapped earlier that night - among them was a Washington family member - and then seize Brown and his men. Brown, who had sustained serious injuries during the struggle, was hanged on the morning of December 2, sparking outrage across the nation. Brown served as a martyr for abolition in the North, but to Southerners, he represented northern aggression and their desire to overthrow their way of life.