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On October 16, 1859, John Brown (1800-1859) and his 21 manned "army of liberation" attacked the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. The siege lasted 36 hours and most of the men were killed. Brown was captured, tried and found guilty of treason, conspiring with slaves to rebel and murder, and was hanged on December 2, 1859. This newspaper account greatly exaggerates the number of insurgents, claiming 250 white men and a gang of Negroes, when in fact there were only five Negroes and 16 white men. The song, "John Brown's Body" was a favorite of northern soldiers during the Civil War.

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