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Example research essay topic: Nat Turner Armed Men - 1,622 words

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... t the first blow to the two masters. They were mobbed before they could even fully wake up. Then the rest of the whites in the household were killed, even a tiny infant.

They took some rifles, muskets and gunpowder from the house. This was the first stop of a ten-mile journey to Jerusalem, the seat of Southampton County, which Nat planned to conquer. Next was the farm of Salathial Travis, brother of Sally Turner. The owners were finished off in a minute. Nat picked up a light sword at this household, which became the symbol of his command.

They continued, killing a woman and her son. At the next house, however, the owner barricaded himself indoors. Nat decided to continue attacking, because a battle would startle the neighbors. Instead, they moved on, picking up support from slaves at every stop. The first shots came near dawn, when nobody was in bed.

Ironically, they took place at the old Turner household. The army had become fifteen members of armed men, nine of them on horses. They split up to different farms and soon met. At every household, more slaves joined the team, along with firearms, ammunition, food, clothing, money, horses and mules. There was no petty looting, and no torture or rape, just killing. Only a few whites were spared, most of whom ones who owned no slaves.

The only real mistake Turner made was allowing his men to drink the apple brandy found at each homestead. Slowly, the men became drunk, and in the end, it played a big part. Soon they reached the Porter household. The house was empty. The word was out and the rebels had lost the element of surprise, as they knew they would at some time. There were five miles to Jerusalem and an army of forty slaves fighting for freedom.

Many were armed with rifles or muskets. Win or lose, Nat thought, we have shown America that we could fight for freedom! Soon after, some of the men began to get drunk; Nat ordered them to stop drinking the brandy. One man, a slave named Aaron, challenged his authority, warning that if they didn't stop now, they would have no chance against the militias of Virginia and the United States. Nat realized that they would be outnumbered, but he knew that there was no turning back. "Aaron, " he replied, "would you not rather die free than live in slavery?" Until the whites banded together, the raids went smoothly. He put the fastest, fiercest-looking troops at the front to terrorize the whites.

At every household the pattern was the same-a charge, a shooting, screaming and then silence. More recruits joined at every farm. By noon, Nat had rebel army 60 men strong. Church bells in Jerusalem were tolling the warning of a slave rebellion.

White refugees poured into the town to take cover. Rumors spread like wildfire: The British had landed and were on their way; an army of 500 slaves was riding to town. Judge James Trezevant of the Southampton County Court wrote a message to the governor: "Terrible insurrection; several families obliterated. Send arms and men at once; a large force may be needed. A fast rider took the note to Richmond. Riders scattered through the area, alerting all militants.

The bridge over Nottoway River was barricaded. By noon, the army was three miles from Jerusalem. The buzzards circled for seven miles behind them. At the Waller plantation, where there was a school, ten children were killed. Unfortunately, the rebels who had been drunk and left behind were tortured and killed. Two bands of militia were in the area.

William C. Parker, a lawyer, led one of 30 or 40. Another group of 20 was led by Captain Arthur Middleton of the Southampton Militia. Middleton's group found a few drunken rebels and cut the tendons in their heels, leaving them unable to walk or stand. The whites were now retaliating. A bit after noon, Nat saw the smoke from the town and heard the bells ringing.

He organized his men and then started at full speed toward Jerusalem. He knew that he was outnumbered in the town, but he was determined that he could take it. He knew that there was ammunition, food and arms. It was at the Parker farm that the rebels would fight the militia in what was to be known as the Battle of Parker's Field. Some men went to the slave cabins to recruit more slaves-and show off their guns and horses. Nat was furious when he saw his men showing off.

Then, the militia of 20, with its modern military rifles, gained on eight men standing guard near the house. Nat had his other men attack the advancing whites. The surprised militia backed off and Nat thought he had won the battle. By pure chance, the other militia happened to be traveling on the road and reinforced the fleeing whites. It was too much. Five of Nat's best men fell.

Nat and Hark led what rebels they could into the thick forest along the Nottoway River. A few stragglers joined them, bringing the force back to twenty. Many were still fleeing. Nat still wanted to take Jerusalem. He knew that the main road was guarded, but in his years of preparation, he had made backup plans to cross at the Cypress Bridge, three miles south of town. He led his men down a little-known back road, but he found the bridge covered by militiamen.

It was late afternoon, and Nat came up with another plan. He led the men quickly south, and then turned to the north across the main road again to elude all pursuers. He headed to the Ridley plantation, which was one of the largest in the county with 145 slaves, to make up for the losses of rebels. By the time they reached the plantation, it was dusk, and the militia had barricaded the house and was guarding the slaves. Out of sight of the militia, Nat and Hark led the troops into the nearby woods, set up camp and made a lookout shift. Some slaves had managed to sneak away from the Ridley place and the squad was up to 40.

They slept well that night. At midnight, a warning call was given by a lookout. Everybody scrambled for his or her weapons. Nat suspected that it was a false alarm, but he sent scouts out to check up. The militia was safely inside. When the scouts returned, they were mistaken for attackers and fired upon.

Half of the troops deserted in the following confusion. Nat convinced the weary remaining soldiers to go to the nearby blunt plantation, where there were 60 slaves. In the dark, the place looked deserted. The men carefully searched around. They shouted.

No reply. Then Hark fired his gun into the air, and the hidden militia let loose a thunderous volley of gunfire. Men fell fast and morale went down faster. Worst of all, some of Blunt's slaves were fighting against them! They retreated once again into the woods. At 10 in the morning, they reached the Harris farm, which they had attacked only 24 hours before.

It, too, was crawling with fresh whites. They fired upon the rebels and three fell, including Will. In response, the rebels aimed, fired, and ran away into the woods, with the militia pursuing. Most were captured, except Nat and four others, who eventually met up. They hid while patrols almost stepped on their heads.

When night fell, Nat had two of the men, Curtis and Stephen, ride south and round up as many men as possible. They were not seen again. At daybreak, he instructed the remaining two to bring anyone they could back to Cabin Pond, where Nat had planned the insurrection with his "chosen four. " They weren't seen again. Although Nat didn't know, half of his men had been killed and half captured. Billy Artis committed suicide as a militia spotted him. Stephen and Curtis were captured less than a mile into their journey.

They were taken to Cross Keys and locked in a hut with other suspected rebels. By Tuesday, the entire state of Virginia was armed. Rumors said that the rebellion was widespread all over the South. Over 2, 000 militiamen were dispatched through the whole fiasco. In nearby Murfreesboro, North Carolina, one man died of a heart attack after hearing of the uprising.

By Tuesday afternoon, 3, 000 -armed men were on the march toward Southampton County, from the U. S. Army to local lynch mobs. In North Carolina, 40 innocent blacks were decapitated. In the next four days, 120 blacks were killed. 49 rebels had been captured by August 31. 15 to 20 were hanged, and many more sold back to slavery in even more brutal conditions.

Still, nobody was satisfied, because Nat Turner was nowhere to be found. There was a $ 1, 100 reward for Nat's head. By late September, posters were all over the South. On October 30, he was finally caught by a poor white named Benjamin Phipps. In the county jail, Nat freely expressed his life story to Thomas Clay, a local lawyer. The story was read in court and later published as Confessions of Nat Turner.

When asked his plea, he cried not guilty, even though he had confessed all. Why? "I feel no guilt at all for what I've done. " He was hanged on November 11, 1831, with his head held high, just as Denmark Vesey's men. The insurrection of Nat Turner was inspiration for all slaves, even if just 60 whites were killed to the 140 blacks. I am impressed by his courage.


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