Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War

Tony Horwitz

Oct 2011 · Sold by Henry Holt and Company

About this ebook

A New York Times Notable Book for 2011
A Library Journal Top Ten Best Books of 2011
A Boston Globe Best Nonfiction Book of 2011

Bestselling author Tony Horwitz tells the electrifying tale of the daring insurrection that put America on the path to bloody war

Plotted in secret, launched in the dark, John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was a pivotal moment in U.S. history. But few Americans know the true story of the men and women who launched a desperate strike at the slaveholding South. Now, Midnight Rising portrays Brown's uprising in vivid color, revealing a country on the brink of explosive conflict.

Brown, the descendant of New England Puritans, saw slavery as a sin against America's founding principles. Unlike most abolitionists, he was willing to take up arms, and in 1859 he prepared for battle at a hideout in Maryland, joined by his teenage daughter, three of his sons, and a guerrilla band that included former slaves and a dashing spy. On October 17, the raiders seized Harpers Ferry, stunning the nation and prompting a counterattack led by Robert E. Lee. After Brown's capture, his defiant eloquence galvanized the North and appalled the South, which considered Brown a terrorist. The raid also helped elect Abraham Lincoln, who later began to fulfill Brown's dream with the Emancipation Proclamation, a measure he called "a John Brown raid, on a gigantic scale."

Tony Horwitz's riveting book travels antebellum America to deliver both a taut historical drama and a telling portrait of a nation divided—a time that still resonates in ours.

Ratings and reviews

Disappointing. More junk history than insightful facts. John Brown was brutal and bigoted, torturing animals as a child, and torturing and murdering family members and especially Catholics as an adult. The book's spin renders it a waste.

comprehensive historical study of John Brown, the abolitionist, and his comrades. I was expecting to enjoy some of Tony Horwitz's infectious humor, as displayed in "Codenfederates in the Attic," however, I do understand the need to adopt a reverential tone in discussing this topic. A lot of research went into this. The level of detail was, sometimes, a bit too much! Mr. Horwitz explained the significance of this insurrection as it relates to radicalizing many Northerners re: emancipation, and the role it had in leading to the Civil War. I certainly recommend this to fellow Civil War buffs.

As someone that is not a history person, I had to read a biography for class and stumbled upon this. I enjoyed learning about this great man and controversial time in history. Very easy and enjoyable reading!

About the author

Tony Horwitz is the bestselling author of Midnight Rising, A Voyage Long and Strange, Blue Latitudes, Confederates in the Attic, and Baghdad Without a Map. He is also a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has worked for The Wall Street Journal and The New Yorker. He lives in Martha's Vineyard with his wife, Geraldine Brooks, and their two sons.