John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry

[Mitch86]

Today, October 16, is the anniversary of John Brown's raid on the Harper Ferry Armory in 1859. That raid set off the US Civil War between the slave holding states and the abolitionist states. Over one million folks died in that civil war.

 

[Been There]

When I lived in. Virginia, I made a point to visit Harpers Ferry and study how the war began with John Brown raiding the federal arsenal.
I also went to New Market, Virginia and if you ever get there ask someone who has lived there a long time about how General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson got this nickname.

If you stand in New Market and look directly up onto the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains, that’s where Jackson camped for 2 days while his brigade was holding their own. One soldier saw Jackson standing staunched straight up and said to the other soldiers, “Look at General Jackson. Standing there like a Stonewall.”

Maybe that’s just a legend or part of their folklore, but that’s the story I was told.

 

[Irishdude]

When I lived in. Virginia, I made a point to visit Harpers Ferry and study how the war began with John Brown raiding the federal arsenal.
I also went to New Market, Virginia and if you ever get there ask someone who has lived there a long time about how General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson got this nickname.

If you stand in New Market and look directly up onto the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains, that’s where Jackson camped for 3 days while planning his strategy. One morning, he came out of his tent and stood staunched on top of the ridge looking through his telescope. As the men were coming out of their tents, they began to gather and one soldier made the remark to the other soldiers, “Look over there at General Jackson. He’s standing there like a stonewall.”

Maybe that’s just a legend or part of their folklore, but that’s the story I was told.

The John Brown raid predated the start of the Civil War by more than a year. It did stoke Southern fears about the abolitionists. The war started officially with the bombardment of Fort Sumter and unofficially with the election of Abraham Lincoln as president.

The most common "Stonewall" story took place at the first battle of Bull Run, when a Confederate general named Bernard Bee said, in the midst of battle, "Yonder stands Jackson like a stone wall, let us rally around the Virginians." Who knows what is true and what is legend.

 

[Ted01]

The John Brown raid predated the start of the Civil War by more than a year. It did stoke Southern fears about the abolitionists. The war started officially with the bombardment of Fort Sumter and unofficially with the election of Abraham Lincoln as president.

The most common "Stonewall" story took place at the first battle of Bull Run, when a Confederate general named Bernard Bee said, in the midst of battle, "Yonder stands Jackson like a stone wall, let us rally around the Virginians." Who knows what is true and what is legend.

I grew up in that area... not too far from Manassas, Va... and that's the way that I heard and read it, too.