By — Tom LeGro Tom LeGro Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/tuesday-on-the-newshour-midnight-rising Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Tuesday on the NewsHour: ‘Midnight Rising’ Arts Nov 15, 2011 3:39 PM EDT It was in Harpers Ferry, W. Va., at the confluence of two rivers — the Potomac and Shenandoah — that George Washington decided to build a federal armory in 1794. In was then Virginia, the largest slave-holding state in the young country. And it was there, on Oct. 16, 1859, that John Brown made his famous raid seeking to end slavery forever. The story is told in a new book, “Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War.” Author Tony Horwitz joined me at Harpers Ferry recently to talk about a man and event that continue to resonate, fascinate and confound down to our own time. You can watch Horwitz read an excerpt from his book below: You can read the transcript here. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Tom LeGro Tom LeGro
It was in Harpers Ferry, W. Va., at the confluence of two rivers — the Potomac and Shenandoah — that George Washington decided to build a federal armory in 1794. In was then Virginia, the largest slave-holding state in the young country. And it was there, on Oct. 16, 1859, that John Brown made his famous raid seeking to end slavery forever. The story is told in a new book, “Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War.” Author Tony Horwitz joined me at Harpers Ferry recently to talk about a man and event that continue to resonate, fascinate and confound down to our own time. You can watch Horwitz read an excerpt from his book below: You can read the transcript here. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now