Five for Freedom

On the evening of October 16, 1859, John Brown and his 18 followers launched a daring raid on Harpers Ferry with the aim of inciting a slave uprising, seizing the federal arsenal, and taking hostages. The raid ended in failure, with most raiders captured or killed, including five African Americans whose stories are often overlooked. Only one raider, Osborne Perry Anderson, escaped to share an insider account that contributed to the mounting tensions leading to the Civil War.