Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Conditions Governing Access

No special access restriction applies.

Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], "Personal Reminiscence of John Brown" by Edward White, A&M 4582, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift from Griffiths, Diane M., 2023 January 23

Biographical / Historical

Edward White was a Confederate soldier of the American Civil War. During the war, Edward served as a Captain under Brigadier General Thomas L. Clingman as a participant of the Wilderness Campaign. He was also an eyewitness at John Brown's Raid at Harper's Ferry, WV. After the war in 1866, Edward was admitted to the bar in Virginia. At this time he married Gertrude Douglas, native of Charles Town, WV. They had six children together and later moved to St. Louis to continue his law practice. Edward White died on March 31, 1888 of tuberculosis.

Information sourced from American Heritage. Printed page present in donor file.

Scope and Contents

Handwritten personal account of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, [West] Virginia in 1859, dictated by Edward White to his daughter Margaret White Longley. Edward White would later serve for the Confederate army and his viewpoints on enslavement and abolitionists are apparent in this account.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War - West Virginia.
• Civil War -- Harpers Ferry
• Griffiths, Diane M.
• Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) -- History -- John Brown's Raid, 1859
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
• West Virginia -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865