The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Harpers Ferry Raid (10/16/1859) - Sep. 4th, 2003

http://www.wvculture.org/history/jnobrown.html ^

[SAMWolf]

Hi Phil Dragoo.

Yes, the fine distinction between Harpers Ferry and Fort Sumpter is lost on me, too.

I guess it depends on whether it's you ox or someone elses that's getting gored.

[Valin]

Riiiight
Ultra-extreme sarcasm>

Nobodies is going to out sarcasm me!


But I repeat myself. :-)

[stand watie]

well said.

free dixie,sw

[stand watie]

NOPE.

it is NOT at all the same.

HFA was located on VA-owned land, guarded by VA police, VMI cadets & armed guards paid for by VA taxpayers.

HFA was NOT federal property, though the MACHINERY for producing weapons/parts MAY have been federally owned. (NOBODY living today knows the answer to that question for sure;a friend of mine from Mary Washington College has spent considerable time/$$$$$ looking for that answer;the records evidently do NOT exist.)

Ft Sumpter,otoh, was property LEASED to the government by the state of SC on a longterm basis;the property & troops were federals.

free dixie,sw

[SAMWolf]

Thanks stand waite.

The LEASED part of Fort Sumter is a fact I didn't know about. I always thought it was Federal land.

[stand watie]

the USA never had anything but proprietary rights to the fort.

the PROOF of this was that SC State Constables were routinely used to enforce the law on the island in the ante-bellum period.had it been federal property, the USMS would have been the agency charged with that responsibility.

free dixie,sw

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

For what it's worth, Johnny Cash played John Brown in one of the "North and South" miniseries (I can't recall if it was Book I or Book II). He was a competent actor. I only mention this because of his recent death, and the fact that this is my first foray into this part of FR.