Keywords: Telegram from A.M. Barbour, Superintendent of the Arsenal at Harpers Ferry to the Secretary of War - NARA - 300374.tif Scope and content On October 16 1859 John Brown and his army of some 20 men seized the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry Virginia now West Virginia By the morning of October 18 Marines under the command of Bvt Col Robert E Lee stormed the building and captured Brown and the survivors of his party Even after Brown was captured false rumors persisted about abolitionists and slaves hiding in the mountains preparing for a new attack on the town It was in this atmosphere of panic as the Marines prepared to withdraw that the Superintendent sent this plea for help to the Secretary of War General notes Letters Received Main Series File W-386 Exhibit History American Originals December 1996 - December 1997 National Archives Rotunda Washington DC Exhibit No 624 0054 300374 Local identifier War Department The Adjutant General's Office 03/04/1907 - 09/18/1947 Archives I Reference Section Textual Archives Services Division NWCT1R National Archives Building 7th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC 20408 1859-10-19 Record group Record Group 94 Records of the Adjutant General's Office 1762 - 1984 Record group ARC 423 Letters Received compiled 1805 - 1889 Series ARC 300368 File unit File unit ARC Variant control numbers NAIL Control Number NWCTB-94-CORRPI17E12-W386 1859 2<br /> NAIL Control Number NWDT1-94-CORR-PI17E12-W386 1859 2<br /> Other Identifier 03559<br /> This is the NARA internal exhibit tracking number yes Other versions <gallery> File Telegram_from_A M _Barbour _Superintendent_of_the_Arsenal_at_Harpers_Ferry_to_the_Secretary_of_War_-_NARA_-_300374 jpg jpg </gallery> NARA-cooperation PD-USGov Telegrams from the United States 1859 letters John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry NARA TIF images with categorized JPGs |