CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — On December 1, 1859, abolitionist John Brown, having been convicted and sentenced to death for planning and executing an uprising in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, delivered a final statement to his jailer that he wished to be shared with the public:
The final hours of abolitionist John Brown
“I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood. I had, as I now think, vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed it might be done.”
The following day, John Brown was publicly executed by hanging in Charles Town. Due to fears that there might be an attempt to save him from this fate, the state of Virginia ordered troops to the town to ensure that his sentence would be carried out.
A young Stonewall Jackson witnesses John Brown’s hanging
Among the soldiers on duty that day was Thomas Jackson, a professor of natural history at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, who was commanding a group of young cadets.
We cannot be certain that Jackson was aware of the historical significance of the events he would witness that day, but they left a lasting impression on him, which he shared in a letter he wrote to his wife, Mary Anna Jackson.
“John Brown was hung today at about 11 1/2 a.m. He behaved with unflinching firmness,” Jackson wrote.
“Brown rode on the head of his coffin, from his prison to the place of execution. He was dressed in carpet slippers of predominating red, white socks, black pants, black frock coat, black vest & black slouch hat. Nothing around his neck beside his shirt collar. The open wagon in which he rode was strongly guarded on all sides.”
Faith, slavery, and the moral divide between Brown and Jackson
The Clarksburg-born Jackson was a graduate of West Point and a veteran of the Mexican American War. He was also a slaveholder and a man of deep faith, and he believed that the Bible sanctioned the institution of slavery. John Brown was also a man of great faith, but he believed that slavery was the nation’s greatest sin.
Brown’s demeanor that day was evidence that he was at peace with his fate, prepared to ascend to heaven, and that he felt no remorse for leading a violent insurrection designed to accelerate the death of slavery.
In his letter to Anna, Thomas Jackson continued:
“Brown had his arms tied behind him & ascended the scaffold with apparent cheerfulness. After reaching the top of the platform, he shook hands with several who were standing around him. The sheriff placed the rope around his neck, then threw a white cap over his head & asked him if he wished a signal when all should be ready—to which he replied that it made no difference, provided he was not kept waiting too long.
"In this condition, he stood on the trap door, which was supported on one side by hinges and on the other (south side) by a rope for about 10 minutes. When the rope was cut by a single blow, and Brown fell through about 25 inches... With the fall, his arms below the elbow flew up, hands clenched, & his arms gradually fell by spasmodic motions—there was very little motion of his person for several minutes, after which the wind blew his lifeless body to & fro... altogether it was an imposing but very solemn scene.”
Reflecting on what he had witnessed, Jackson wrote, “I was much impressed with the thought that before me stood a man, in the full vigor of health, who must in a few minutes be in eternity. I sent up a petition that he might be saved. Awful was the thought that he might in a few minutes receive the sentence ‘Depart ye wicked into everlasting fire.’ I hope that he was prepared to die, but I am very doubtful—he wouldn't have a minister with him.”
Within a year of these events, Abraham Lincoln was victorious in the presidential election, and many slaveholding states began to secede from the Union. When Virginia voted to secede in April 1861, Jackson supported this decision and offered his service to the new Confederate state.
For his bold action at the Battle of First Manassas, Jackson earned the nickname “Stonewall” Jackson. By the time he passed away from wounds received at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863, Stonewall Jackson was a revered icon of the Confederacy.
Lincoln’s reflection on the conflict: God, slavery, and Civil War
When Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address in March 1864, he addressed the puzzling contradiction that two groups of Americans would wage such a bloody war against each other, each believing God to be on their side.
Lincoln noted that “Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not that we be not judged.”
Lincoln concluded that “The prayers of both could not be answered ~ that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes.”
Visit the site of John Brown’s execution in Charles Town
You can visit the site of John Brown’s execution at 515 South Samuel Street in Charles Town in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. An interpretive marker identifies the location where the gallows stood.
Map showing site of John Brown's Hanging
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A very well written and interesting account.
Thank you! I am glad you found it worth reading. I have a longer excerpt from Stonewall's letter to his wife in my book *West Virginia's War.*
I volunteered as a living historian and as a member of the USMC Historical Company at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park portraying a private of Marines attired in the 1852 fatigue uniform (worn from 1839 to 1859) and am armed with an authentic M1842 Springfield .69 caliber smoothbore musket and 18" bayonet used by the Corps at the time. I am a native of nearby Charles Town, Jefferson County, WV (where Brown was tried and then executed). I also served our Corps from 1967-1971 with a tour in South Vietnam and Iwakuni, Japan from July 1969 to July 1970 with Headquarters & Maintenance Squadron - 12 (H&MS-12), Marine Air Group – 12 (MAG-12), 1st Marine Air Wing (1st MAW). Semper Fi!
Once a Marine ALWAYS a Marine!
The United Staes Marine Corps – Historical Company regularly publishes articles, written by members of the Historical Company’s staff, on various actions and incidents in the Corps’ past. Attached to this post is one of those articles. It is intended for educational purposes and is not to be reproduced for commercial use without specific written permission from the Director.
The USMC - Historical Company's account of “At All Times Ready":
Thank you for sharing this! I will check out the USMC account. My father was also a Marine in the Korean War.
This is an excellent and timely article. However, there is one modification is warranted. Jackson was opposed to slavery. Despite it being illegal, Jackson taught slaves how to read. He did so specifically so that slaves could read the Bible by themselves. Did he and his wife ever own a slave? Yes; two. But how and why? A woman and her daughter, who were slaves, but whose owners had died, feared they would be separated at the estate sale. Knowing that Jackson was a kind man, the mother approached Jackson and begged him to purchase her daughter and her so that they could remain together. Jackson and his wife, who lived a humble and pious life, had little money and were not in need of servants or slaves. Nevertheless, in response to the mother's earnest request, they purchased the two women so that they could remain together; and by all accounts treated them very well.
Thanks for your kind words about the piece. Regarding Stonewall Jackson's views on slavery, they were complicated. But it is not accurate to say that he opposed slavery. He held to a particular strand of proslavery Christianity that argued that slaveowners was biblically sanctioned but slaveowners had a moral duty to be kind to their slaves, and he was by all accounts kind to his. You are also correct that in teaching slaves to read, he was violating Virginia law. But he did not teach them to read so that they might use that skill to free themselves from slavery. There's a nice summary on the American Civil War Museum website regarding Stonewall Jackson's views on slavery. The comments feature does not permit links. But if you google "Myths & Misunderstandings Stonewall Jackson’s Sunday School" and American Civil War Museum, you should be able to find it. Thanks again for writing.
I enjoyed reading your article. I remember learning about John Brown and Harper’s Ferry in elementary school in Huntington, West Virginia. West Virginians have a lot to be proud of, including our opposition to slavery. I also am thankful that Abraham Lincoln was President at the pivotal time in our country’s history. He had the brilliance to win a war he never wanted, and the compassion and flexibility to bring our nation back together. He understood how important each individual is in a country, but also that no single man is above the sanctity of our union. Again, congratulations on a story well told about the men who risked their lives for the liberty they believed in.
Michael F. Weisberg, M. D.
Author of ‘A Second Shot:The Pursuit of Justice in Maryland’s Oldest Cold Case Murder’
I read the article with great interest as a WV History Buff myself I had a understanding of the story but I did not realize Stonewall Jackson was involved. I like when he wrote his wife of the event timing 11 1/2 am. Jackson was always of great interest to me.
I like the writers style of almost having the reader right at the event.
I read the article with great interest as a WV History Buff myself I had a understanding of the story but I did not realize Stonewall Jackson was involved. I like when he wrote his wife of the event timing 11 1/2 am. Jackson was always of great interest to me.