Transcribed Newspaper Articles--Augusta County: John Brown and the Sectional Crisis

• The Spectator, October 18, 1859, p. 2, c. 1: "Rumored Insurrection." Announces that the Spectator has received telegraphed rumors of a slave insurrection at Harper's Ferry. Article provides almost no details. Spectator thinks that the rumors may be somewhat exaggerated, and that it was a rebellion at the armory, not a slave insurrection.

• The Spectator, November 1, 1859, p. 1, c. 2: "The Battle of Black Jack." Account of John Brown's Pottawotamie Raid, in Kansas in 1856, by one of the men who attempted to capture Brown. Argues that Brown is not brave, but treacherous.

• The Spectator, November 1, 1859, p. 2, c. 1: "'Old Brown.'" The Spectator apologizes for devoting so much space to John Brown and helping to contribute to his martyrdom. Calls for an impartial trial so that the North cannot martyr Brown.

• The Spectator, November 1, 1859, p. 2, c. 1: "A Piece of Assurance." Expresses anger over treatment of Harper's Ferry raid in Northern newspapers.

• The Spectator, November 1, 1859, p. 2, c. 1: "Brown's Antecedents." Refutes Northern claims that Brown went crazy as a result of his mistreatment in Kansas.

• The Spectator, November 1, 1859, p. 1, c. 1: "'The Account of the Trial . . .'" Directs the paper's readers to the account of the Brown trial.

• The Spectator, November 1, 1859, p. 2, c. 3: "Trial of the Harper's Ferry Conspirators." Lengthy account of the Harper's Ferry trial.

• The Spectator, November 1, 1859, p. 2, c. 4: "Arrest of Cook." Cook, one of Brown's co-conspirators, was captured in Chambersburg and is awaiting extradition to Virginia. Article includes biographical sketch of Cook.

• The Spectator, November 1, 1859, p. 2, c. 4: "Correspondence of the Conspirators." Describes correspondence found in Brown's headquarters, including contributions from New England and Ohio.

• The Spectator, November 1, 1859, p. 2, c. 4: "For the Spectator." Excerpt of letter sent from Charlestown to the Baltimore American describing the faithfulness of the slaves, even in the face of the insurrection.

• The Spectator, November 8, 1859, p. 2, c. 1: "Result of the Trial." Results of John Brown's trial.

• The Spectator, November 8, 1859, p. 2, c. 3: "Opposition Convention of Virginia." Harper's Ferry has increased political tensions, so Unionists, especially in the North, will be watching the opposition convention very closely.

• The Spectator, November 8, 1859, p. 2, c. 4: "Trial of the Conspirators." More about the Harper's Ferry trial.

• The Spectator, November 8, 1859, p. 2, c. 5: "Mrs. Child and the Insurgent Brown." Exchange of letters between Lydia Maria Child and Gov. Wise of Virginia. Child wants a letter given to John Brown, and asks that she be allowed to come care for him.

• The Spectator, November 8, 1859, p. 3, c. 1: "Cook and Fred Douglass." Cook blames Frederick Douglass for the failure of Brown's mission at Harper's Ferry. Douglass replies that he never promised to take part in the Harper's Ferry insurrection.

• The Spectator, November 8, 1859, p. 3, c. 1: "A Friend in Need to Old Brown." Mrs. Lydia Child, the philanthropic and popular writer, asked Gov. Wise to allow her to care for John Brown. She is a staunch abolitionist, but she promised that she would not take advantage of the situation to help Brown escape.

• The Spectator, November 8, 1859, p. 3, c. 1: "Threatening and Appealing Letters to Gov. Wise." Gov. Wise of Virginia has received a number of threatening letters from abolitionists who threaten to kill him if he does not pardon John Brown.

• The Vindicator, November 11, 1859, p. 2, c. 5: "A Warning Voice." Letter from a Staunton man who seeks a "concert of action between the Union-loving men North and South" as the only means to avoid a sectional crisis.

• The Spectator, November 22, 1859, p. 2, c. 2: "Military Movements." The West Augusta Guard was briefly summoned to Charlestown on November 19 because of fears that some of Brown's supporters might attempt to help him escape.

• The Spectator, November 22, 1859, p. 2, c. 3: "Excitement at Charlestown." Series of dispatches from Harper's Ferry and Washington about possible insurrections stemming from John Brown.

• The Spectator, November 22, 1859, p. 2, c. 4: "Arrest of a Suspected Insurgent." Details the arrest of another Harper's Ferry conspirator, Dr. William A. Palmer, in Memphis.

• The Spectator, November 22, 1859, p. 2, c. 4: "Northern Sentiment." Report on Northern opinion of John Brown and raid, claiming that the majority of people are not so sympathetic as their leaders make them out to be.

• The Spectator, November 22, 1859, p. 3, c. 1: "Excitement at Charlestown, VA." Charlestown is still in an uproar after the Harper's Ferry raid because many of its inhabitants believe that some of Brown's men are still in the vicinity.

• The Spectator, November 29, 1859, p. 1, c. 3: "Personal Portraits." Sketches of the prosecuting attorneys and judge in the John Brown trial, as written by a correspondent for the New York Tribune.

• The Spectator, November 29, 1859, p. 2, c. 1: "Execution of Brown." Criticizes an article in the Lockport Chronicle that advocated commuting Brown's death sentence.

• The Spectator, November 29, 1859, p. 2, c. 3: "Charlestown Intelligence." Letter from Charlestown describing the goings-on there, including Gov. Wise's visit, as well as various rumors and scares.

• The Spectator, November 29, 1859, p. 2, c. 4: "County Meeting." Report of a meeting of Augusta County citizens held on November 28. The meeting adopted resolutions regarding Harper's Ferry and decried the "spilling of Virginia blood upon Virginia soil."

• The Spectator, November 29, 1859, p. 2, c. 6: "Governor Wise Criticised by a Fellow-Democrat." The Albany Argus criticized Gov. Wise for his handling of the Harper's Ferry raiders, arguing that he helped make them heroes.

• The Spectator, November 29, 1859, p. 2, c. 6: " Visiters [sic] to the Execution." A number of Northerners are expected to travel to Charlestown to see John Brown's execution. The Spectator urges Virginians to stay away.

• The Spectator, November 29, 1859, p. 2, c. 6: "More Fanaticism." The New York Observer deplored the reward offered for Giddings, one of Brown's men who escaped, that ran in the Richmond Whig. The paper argued that another manhunt would help "create a deeper hostility at the North against the South."

• The Vindicator, December 2, 1859, p. 2, c. 3: "Meeting of Citizens." Analyzes the meetings of both Staunton citizens and county residents that took place at the courthouse on Saturday night and on Monday, respectively. In these meetings, the citizens expressed their support for the actions of Gov. Wise in the Harper's Ferry crisis and promised to uphold the governor in any actions that he may think necessary "for the protection of Virginia's soil and Virginia's honor." These professions of support are "doubly significant" according to the Vindicator because they show that "the people of Virginia are divided by no party lines in reference to the late outrage against its sovereignty."

• The Vindicator, December 2, 1859, p. 2, c. 3: "Capt. Harper's Speech." The Vindicator editor was "peculiarly struck and interested" by Capt. Kenton Harper's speech, in which he acknowledged that the recent occurrences had shaken his confidence in the Union. "When such men and patriots as Kenton Harper express such views, the emergency must indeed be imminent."

• The Vindicator, December 2, 1859, p. 2, c. 5: "Town Meeting." Reports on the meeting of Staunton residents held on November 26 in response to the Harper's Ferry crisis. In the meeting, the citizens of Staunton resolved to continue to support the governor in his actions to protect the state and agreed to organize volunteer military companies. "[W]e are yet prepared to say to the non-slaveholding States, with the determination of freemen, thus far you have gone, but you shall go no farther!"

• The Spectator, December 6, 1859, p. 2, c. 1: "John Brown's Sympathizers." Article about meetings of John Brown sympathizers in the North who emphasized his martyrdom.

• The Spectator, December 6, 1859, p. 2, c. 2: "What South Carolina Says." Excerpt from a Charleston Mercury article complaining about the deification of Brown, but praising the rise of sectionalism and disunion sentiment in Virginia.

• The Spectator, December 6, 1859, p. 2, c. 5: "Visit of Mrs. Brown to Charlestown." Lengthy description of Mrs. Brown's visit with her imprisoned husband.

• The Spectator, December 6, 1859, p. 2, c. 3: "Execution of John Brown." Official dispatch from Charleston describing the execution of John Brown.

• The Spectator, December 6, 1859, p. 2, c. 4: "To the Opposition Party of Virginia." Report of a meeting of the state Opposition party, which hopes to find a basis for all "Union loving men" to form a conservative, pro-Union party. However, the meeting recommended postponing the party convention until February, as people might be unwilling to travel because of the upheaval surrounding Harper's Ferry.

• The Spectator, December 6, 1859, p. 2, c. 5: "The Northern Pulpit on the Harper's Ferry Invasion." Remarks on how few Northern ministers have been preaching in support of John Brown.

• The Spectator, December 13, 1859, p. 2, c. 3: "The Slavery Debates." Report on congressional debates over slavery, inspired by both Harper's Ferry and Hinton Helper's Impending Crisis.

• The Spectator, December 20, 1859, p. 2, c. 1: "What Shall Virginia Do?" Discusses Virginia's options in the wake of Harper's Ferry and obvious growing Northern abolitionism. Also questions what the Southern Opposition should do. The Spectator argues that, "In view of this state of affairs there seems to be but one course left for the South, and that is to adopt every peaceable measure of defense and protection within the Union and the Constitution, and when all these fail, to go out of the Union and fight for her rights."

• The Spectator, December 20, 1859, p. 2, c. 3: "Execution at Charlestown." Account of executions at Charlestown of Harper's Ferry conspirators.

• The Vindicator, January 6, 1860, p. 2, c. 4: "For the Vindicator." The citizens of Mt. Solon agreed to form a volunteer company in reaction to the outrages at Harper's Ferry.

• The Vindicator, February 3, 1860, p. 1, c. 7: "For the Vindicator. What Should be the Policy of the South towards Free Negroes?" Argues that free blacks should not be poorly treated, since they are often loyal to the South. For instance, after the John Brown raid, free blacks in Staunton reportedly donated money to the volunteer militias.

• The Spectator, February 7, 1860, p. 2, c. 1: "Democracy and Slavery." Editorial argues that it is not surprising that John Brown believed many white Virginians would rally to his cause at Harper's Ferry. The Spectator blames the Democrats for accusing those who do not agree with them entirely as being disloyal to slavery and to the South. This gives the impression that Virginians are not united in their devotion to slavery and the South, and thus contributed to the fanaticism of John Brown and to the impression among other fanatics of the North that there is sympathy for the anti-slavery cause in Virginia.

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