Today (or technically tonight) is the 150th Anniversary of Brown’s takeover of Harper’s Ferry. I don’t think Hallmark has a card so…
There have been some really good articles on it in some history magazines, my favorite being AMERICAN HERITAGE’s account of the “Secret Six”, the New England financial and moral supporters of Brown in New England, some of whom went into hiding for a time after HF for fear they’d be arrested. (One was Julia Ward Howe’s husband, who decided the news from HF was a good time to have a second honeymoon in Canada until it was determined there was nothing incriminating in his papers [which they found out by hiring him a defense lawyer- to go through his papers; Julia later referred to this as her own personal denial of Christ before the cock crew, which I’m guessing made her husband chuckled and remark “Julia said cock” but I don’t know that).
Brown is a fascinating character if only for perceptions of him. I used to take for granted he was a crazed savage only slightly less mad than Manson. Having read more about him now, I still can’t see how anybody would call him a hero, but I don’t think he was insane except in the way that the very zealous of any persuasion are insane. That said I do believe he deserved hanging for his murders in Kansas if nothing else, but would love to hear other’s views if any.
Three pieces of trivia about Brown and the Raid:
1- Brown was the father of 20 children (7 by his first wife, 13 by his second), many of whom were of course involved with his activities.
2- When arrested by Robert E. Lee Brown was holding (and ceremoniously surrendered) a sword given by Frederick the Great to George Washington; he had stolen it from Washington’s nephew earlier that week.
3- The song John Brown’s Body wasn’t about him, not at first anyway. It was about Sergeant John Brown of the Second Battallion/Boston Light Infantry, an early Civil War casualty. Most people even then assumed it was about the abolitionist though, and today it might as well be.
I read Flashman and the Angel of the Lord not too long ago, which was about that raid. Highly entertaining and informative, like all of Fraser’s books.
Maybe I’ll go to the John Brown housetomorrow to celebrate. He spent a lot of time around these parts. His father’s house is in Hudson (scroll down to see some of his brothers’ places).
Martin Scorcese is producing a film version of CLOUDSPLITTER, a recent novel whose main character is (a very fictionalized version of) Brown’s son and lieutenant Owen. No word on casting yet; I’m trying to think of who is old enough/gaunt enough/charismatic enough to play Brown. (Everybody who met him, including those who hated him, agreed he was magnetic.)
Some names that came to mind: John Carradine, John Anderson, John Marley, Jeff Corey. . . all of whom are no longer available due to prior engagements.
“Start any Monday.” That’s one of the many great things about the Flashman series. Just jump in pretty much anywhere, like I did in the middle of the series. The sole exception to that I would say is read Flash for Freedom before Flashman and the Redskins, but even then it’s not strictly necessary.
The one mentioned above for John Brown and Harper’s Ferry, Flashman and the Angel of the Lord, has a lot of informative endnotes, like all the books. Highly recommended.
I concur; you can read them in any order (but I’d start with the first one if you can. You can certainly figure out what’s going on and who everyone is if you jump in in the middle of the series, but why not read the first one first and have it all explained to you!)
I like Victor Hugo’s comment on his execution–“It is Washington killing Spartacus.”
Another interesting fact is that Jesse Root Grant, Ulysses’s dad, lived for a time in the same house as John Brown while doing work for Brown’s father.
For me, someone here gave me his copy of Flashman at the Charge, so that was my first one. After that, it was a question of finding them in whatever order I could. There’s only two I’ve not read now, and I recently managed to obtain them – Flashman and the Dragon and Flashman and the Tiger – and I’ll be reading those soon. And then, it will be over.
For the OP, I thought since he’s interested in the John Brown raid, Flashman and the Angel of Death would be a good one to start with, since Flashman personally takes part in the raid.
While Brown’s hair when gray at a relatively early age, he was not a particularly old man (he died at the age of 59). This picture for example was taken in 1856, only three years before the Harpers Ferry raid and his death.
And for comparison, Crispin Glover (who is currently 45).
The Old Man, a book by Truman Nelson, has recently been republished and I’m very much looking forward to reading it. The world needs a few more John Browns.
I’m afraid they’ll go with Robert Duvall, who in addition to being too old for the part will probably use the same southern accent he used for The Apostle, Lonesome Dove, and every other role in which he played a southerner even though Brown wasn’t a southerner.
Actors who’ve played him include Raymond Massey (in two very different movies- one as evil and insane, another as sympathetic, and on Broadway), Johnny Cash (in the godawful miniseries North and South) and- my personal favorite- Sterling Hayden in tHE Blue and the Gray.
I can’t find a clip of Sterling as Brown online, but he gave this interviewto a French show while bearded for the part (about 1:50 in is where his part begins- he speaks English).
I can remember how excited I was after reading Flashman when I realised that there wasn’t just one book - there was a whole series of them waiting to be read.
