Unspent cartridge from John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

An unspent .52 caliber Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company cartridge from the 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. The cartridge consists of a Minié ball and a cartridge case made from paper and thread. The cartridge was kept at the Kennedy Farmhouse that served as the headquarters for the raid. When the raid failed, the three men guarding the headquarters and its store of weapons and ammunition fled. This cartridge was carried by Francis Jackson Meriam. The cartridge was stored in a tobacco tin (NMAAHC 2023.84.2).

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