John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry (formerly spelled Harper's Ferry) was an effort by abolitionist John Brown, from October 16 to 18, 1859, to initiate a slave revolt in Southern states by taking over the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (Formerly Virginia). It has been called the dress rehearsal for, or Tragic Prelude to, the Civil War.