What happened at the Battle of Harper`s Ferry??
Nope, not even close. The battle of Harper’s Ferry occured in Sept. 1862. Confederate General “Stonewall” Jackson captured the town and the 12,000 or so Union soldiers garrisoned there. John Brown’s raid (nothing close to a “battle”) occured in July, 1859 and was an attempt to seize the arsenal at Harper’s Ferry and arm slaves to rebel against their southern masters. He failed (ironically, the first man killed in Brown’s raid was a free black man) and was captured, charged with treason and hanged. “Jonh Brown’s Body Lies A’rotting in the Grave” is sung to the tune of “The Battle Hym of the Republic”, but the two are not the same song.
