Log in | Register | Get Home Delivery | Advertise | Mobile
Preferred text size: Small | Default | Large
February 9, 2010

NFA lecture looks at Harper's Ferry raid

By Claire Bessette

Publication: The Day

Published 11/29/2009 12:00 AM
Updated 11/29/2009 07:48 AM

Norwich - It won't be a 350th anniversary on display Wednesday at Norwich Free Academy but the 150th anniversary of an event that shook the nation, with a Norwich man as part of the cast.

Dec. 2 marks the 150th anniversary of radical abolitionist John Brown's failed raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Va., an event that sent shockwaves through a country already bitterly divided over the issue of slavery.

On Wednesday, the Norwich Historical Society will sponsor "John Brown, the Connecticut Roots of an American Legend" by William Hosley, who has done extensive research on Brown.

Hosley, of Enfield, said the program will be "Ken Burns without the budget," referring to the famed public television documentary director. The presentation will include historic photos, illustrations and other images of Brown and the 1859 raid that helped turn the slavery debate into a violent national crisis.

In his research, Hosley came across a quote to define the times.

After the raid, he said, "the only congressmen who did not go to the floor of Congress without a gun or a sword were the ones who carried two guns."

While Brown didn't come from Connecticut, his surroundings were pretty close, Hosley said. Brown lived in an Ohio town settled by westward-bound Connecticut residents, and Brown made frequent trips to Connecticut throughout his adult life.

One Norwich man eventually joined Brown on his raids in Kansas and at Harpers Ferry.

Aaron S. Stephens, a military bugler, was wounded at Harpers Ferry and nursed back to health by local officials because they wanted to execute him as a healthy man. Hosley said his presentation includes a photograph of Stephens.

In her one-phrase reference to Stephens, 19th-century Norwich historian Frances Manwaring Caulkins called Stephens "the unfortunate participator in the measures of John Brown."

c.bessette@theday.com

MORE

If you go:

What: John Brown, the Connecticut Roots of an American Legend
When: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 7 p.m.
Where: Ensemble Room, Sidney Frank building, Norwich Free Academy.
Admission: Free.

We want your wildlife photos

We know that when that coyote, turkey, fox, black bear or deer wanders through your backyard that you run for the camera. Or when you are out and about, you snap that lovely bird photo. We want those...

Most Recent Poll
How are you paying for your holiday purchases?
Cash
69%
Credit card
17%
Layaway
11%
Christmas Club account
3%
Number of votes: 35

Toyota haiku

On Tuesday, Toyota recalled about 437,000 Prius and other hybrids worldwide to fix brake problems, the latest blow to the company, which is in the midst of recalling more than 7 million vehicles...

Chat with nutritionist Mary Ann Nash

Mary Ann Nash, the nutritionist with Lawrence & Memorial Hospital's Cancer Center, took questions in a live chat from noon to 2 p.m., Tuesday. Read the transcript.