John Brown's treason is a fascinating one -- some people wanted to try him for treason against the US (Harpers Ferry armory being a federal installation), others wanted him committed as a madman and not tried at all (I think Governor Henry Wise hoped to defuse the situation this way, but eventually decided Brown was not insane and was chargeable under Virginia's treason statute) and of course, some wanted him to be tried as a traitor against the state. That Brown was not Virginian, and so should not be expected to owe Virginia allegiance was offered as a defence against the charge of treason. Presumably Brown still would have been charged with murder or incitement to servile insurrection or some other capital charge -- but some people still insisted on the treason charge. As an observation here, one could note that Brown was simply hanged and never exposed to the old traditional punishments. His body was returned to the family and taken back to New York for burial. During the Civil War, though, rumors circulated among federal troops (at least in the Valley campaigns) that Brown's corpse had been turned over to a medical school for anatomy lessons. >We think of treason as rebellion against your own government, which interpretation is derived from the old law of treason as David has accurately described it. Slaves in rebellion were committing treason against their government and their governors (or owners). Inciting slaves to rebel could be covered by the same interpretation of the law of treason. In 1859, Virginia tried, convicted, and executed John Brown for treason. Brown never lived in Virginia except for a short time in a jail, but his attempt to lead an insurrection was covered by a Virginia treason statute. Brent Tarter The Library of Virginia [log in to unmask] David Kiracofe College of Charleston Department of History 66 George Street Charleston, SC 29424 To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html