On the night of October 16, 1859, a contingent of John Brown’s men stormed the home of Lewis Washington, a descendant of George Washington. Brown saw symbolic power in capturing him. Led by John E. Cook—an undercover spy posing as a writer—Brown’s raiders took Washington hostage, along with four of his enslaved men and a prized pistol and sword once owned by George Washington. Brown wore the sword for the rest of the raid and gave the pistol to Shields Green.

En route to Harpers Ferry, Cook’s group seized another enslaver, John Allstadt, his son, and seven more enslaved individuals. The captives and enslaved were brought to Brown, who gave the historic weapons to his fighters and armed the enslaved with pikes.

Brown held Washington and 10 others in the Harpers Ferry armory engine house, using them as leverage when surrounded by U.S. Marines led by Robert E. Lee. Though trapped, Brown harmed no hostages—many later testified to their good treatment.

Of the 11 enslaved brought in, nine returned home; one died in jail, and another was killed near the rifle works trying to escape. Whether they joined Brown willingly or not remains debated.