Existing comment:
Charles Blair
"John Brown" Pike, 1857-59
Abolitionist John Brown's (1800-1859) messianic quest to ignite a liberation movement among enslaved blacks ended in bloodshed following his daring raid of the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, in 1959. Believing slaves lacked the skills needed to fight with firearms, Brown commissioned a blacksmith to forge archaic pikes to arm those he aimed to free following the raid. This example is number 101 of 950. |