[an error occurred while processing this directive]
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.
Go to Franklin John
Brown Page
Return to Augusta
Politics Page
Return to List of Topics
Return to Newspaper
Transcriptions: Introduction