His body mouldering in the grave, his soul marching on.
- from a poem about John Brown, lines added over the years but one version is by William W. Patton
John Brown was an American abolitionist who believed that an armed insurrection
was the only way to overthrow slavery in the United
States. "On October 16, 1859, he led 21 men on a raid of the federal arsenal at
Harpers Ferry, Virginia. His plan to arm slaves with the weapons he and
his men seized from the arsenal was thwarted, however, by local farmers,
militiamen, and Marines led by Robert E. Lee. Within 36 hours of the
attack, most of Brown's men had been killed or captured."
He was tried for treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia, the
murder of five men and inciting a slave insurrection, found guilty on all counts, and was hanged.
If you are interesting in finding out more, try to find this PBS documentary about his war against slavery.
