Identifier: historyofamerica00vict (find matches)
Title: History of American conspiracies: a record of treason, insurrection, rebellion & c., in the United States of America, from 1760 to 1860
Year: 1863 (1860s)
Authors: Victor, Orville J. (Orville James), 1827-1910
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, J. D. Torrey
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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oric, depicting the wretchedness of the negroes lot, andproving by Scripture that he was called to disenthrall. Allconceded the truth of his assumption and declared themselvesready for the work. For many hours the conference continued,and the Conspirators discussed the details of their movements.One can imagine, says the writer in the Atlantic MonVihj, those terrible dusky faces, beneath the funereal woods, andamid the flickering of pine knot torches, preparing that sternrevenge whose shuddering echoes should ring through the landso long. Night was well advanced when at length the lastwords were spoken, and the seven proceeded on their missionof murder. It was agreed, said Turner in his confession, that we should commence at home on that night, and, untilwe had armed and equipped ourselves and gained sufficientforce, neither age nor sex was to be spared: which was invari-ably adhered to. The general design was to conquer South-ampton County, as the white men did in the Eevolution, and
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THE MASSACRE OF WHITES. S99 then retreat, if necessary, to the Dismal Swamp, wliichi wasabout twenty-five miles away, and in whose fastnesses theblacks supposed they could find security. They counted, how-ever, upon success, by the flocking of slaves to their stand-ard. Turner also had vague ideas of a Black Eepublic to beformed in that vicinity, where the negroes would dwell inpeace, and whose country should become the refuge of allrunaway slaves. It was a wild, inconsiderate, illy-defined plan,showing but little of judgment or just apprehension of results.Surrounded upon all sides by considerable towns, whose in-habitants would turn out to a man to meet the insurrectionists—with Fortress Monroe at calling distance, ready with menand artillery to sweep away whole ranks of half armed and nothalf led slaves—what hope of success could any sane mindhave entertained ? Turner was a religious fanatic—he wasnot sane; his plans were those of a dreamer, and, like all cre-ations of frenzy

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