What if John Brown's Raid of Harpers Ferry had succeded in causing a slave revolt in the South?
Southern Slave Revolt
- Thread starter Historyfan 92
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Exactly. There was no way the revolt was going to be successful. And, ironically, the end result of the failed revolt would probably be a stronger and longer-lasting slavery in the South. And not only because of the retribution and draconian restrictions which would be put on the slaves afterward by the South. The spectacle of white women and children being murdered (with the white women possibly raped in the bargain), which was almost certain to occur on a large scale if Brown's plans...think the Nat Turner rebellion on a giant scale...had come to full fruition, would probably so shock and sicken the people of the North that a lot of the wind would be taken out of the sails of the anti-slavery movement, especially if the role of the "Secret Six" who funded John Brown's raid became public knowledge afterward. Given that scenario, Lincoln might not be elected in 1860, the Republican Party might collapse, and slavery goes on for decades afterward.
According to the Wiki, Brown's plan was to form an army and wander around the south fighting only in self-defense and acculmulating runaways until slavery could no longer function.
If he could keep control of his followers (that could be a problem), you might not see a lot of "dishonored white women" since the slave army would fight only defensively.
(of course, eventually they'll start running low on food and that might require them to attack something)
If he could keep control of his followers (that could be a problem), you might not see a lot of "dishonored white women" since the slave army would fight only defensively.
(of course, eventually they'll start running low on food and that might require them to attack something)
The key part here is "if he could keep control of his followers." Given that there would be no time to train them and instill any sort of military discipline...and given that pretty much EVERY slave revolt prior to this had involved wholesale slaughter of whites irregardless of age or sex...there is little reason to think that Brown will be able to keep control, especially once his force grows beyond anything more than a few dozen.
A lot of dead slaves is the only way this can go. The slaves rising up and fighting their masters is just the thing the South has been fearing since slaves came to America. So now you have poorly trained, or untrained slaves attempting to fight the South. That will end badly, over night you'd see milita's forming and wiping the people off the map.
If they can get up into the mountains, they might present a Maroon problem for years if not decades. See the history of Jamaica for a similar phenomenon.
How many locals were in Appalachia at the time? The runaways from the Jamaican plantations were on large farms too.
Hmm...say Brown is able cause a lot of chaos and get 100,000 slaves or so out of slavery. Assume that they wander around causing trouble before a large enough force can be assembled to crush them. Most are killed or re-enslaved, but 20,000 escape into what's now West Virginia or other nearby mountainous regions.
Now what?
Well in my head it is not the locals fighting the slaves and driving them off, but the locals scouting for southern militia, or the army. Plus after awhile the slaves will either make a base of operations or have to become mobile. Either way the Southerners will start defending the closest farms, so it may go on for a year or two, but I cannot see it as a long term action.
Where do they get new guns? New ammo? Gunpowder?
How did the Maroons in Jamaica do it? The British government had to negotiate with them, after efforts to exterminate them failed.
EDIT: At least at first. Here are some links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Maroons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Maroon_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Maroon_War
They could raid out of their lairs periodically to get more supplies, rescue more slaves, etc., but those would be high-risk operations.
If the locals can serve as scouts/slave-catchers, that gives the slaves fleeing into the mountains incentive to wipe out the nearest towns or farms, so nobody can help the army hunt them.
Jasen777
Donor
The slaves outnumbered the free population of Jamaica by a substantial margin. The U.S. situation is different. The only semi-seccussful maroon in U.S. history was in Florida during the Second Seminole War, which as you can tell from the name, the Seminoles and not runaway slaves were the dominant factor.
Plus if you really want to get into it, it would be the Union army hunting down slaves. So you have a lot of people to throw at the revolt. Of course you get those who say this is proof of needing abolition, and still others maybe even Northerns seeign the need to keep blacks "in check."
The fact was that the South was highly militarized. Most white men were in the militia and there were frequent slave patrols in almost all slave districts. The militia were well-trained and well armed (for the time). There is no way that the slaves could last for any length of time against such a foe especially as the militia included cavalry and sometimes artillery.
The South would crack down heavily and quickly exterminate most of the uprising. I would expect that the US Army would help too.
The South would crack down heavily and quickly exterminate most of the uprising. I would expect that the US Army would help too.
Did they have good communications? A dozen spread-out slave patrols and militia parties could be destroyed in detail by a larger slave force--a bunch of them all joined together would be a dangerous threat to the slave army, particularly if Brown (who had some experience fighting in Kansas) could not coordinate/control it.
Furthermore, Harper's Ferry was in western Virginia, which was less populated than the Tidewater. I suspect there'd be fewer slave patrols and militiamen, as well as fewer slaves to recruit.
I don't know about their communications. I think that having horses would give the militia a very big edge over the slaves. Also, most plantations had guide dogs to track runaways. The militia could use these same dogs to track down the slaves.
With what weapons? These slaves had never shot a gun and picking up a rifle does not a soldier make. I would expect some whites would die, but I reckon there would be much more dead slaves.
These were the same militias that became the backbone of the Confederate Army and beat back the Union.
Is my memory correct? Harpers Ferry was in what became West Virginia. That area had a larger white majority than most of the South.
In an area where whites were clearly in a minority I could see a well organized slave revolt having an outside chance but around Harper's Ferry.
It was a gesture.
In an area where whites were clearly in a minority I could see a well organized slave revolt having an outside chance but around Harper's Ferry.
It was a gesture.