Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 2.djvu/352

 PROMINENT PERSONS

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(list church in 1845, ^"^ attached himself to the Protestant Episcopal church, hut re- turned to his former connection in 1850. J le was the author of "Inquiry into the History of S^rvery in the United States," a reply t. :ho anti-slavery arguments of William E. Charning. He died in Mississippi, March -?3, t36o.

Turner, Nat, born in Southampton county, Virginia, October 2, 1800, was a negro, the property of Mr. Benjamin Turner, of pure African type and consider- able mental ability. He had been taught ti) read and write, and had been highly favored by white people. In 1831 he was living in the family of Mr. Joseph Travis, who, ac- cording to his own statement, was a kind and indulgent master. Reading of the Bible and about the prophets aroused in hini a spirit of enthusiasm and after a time he be- gan to regard himself as a kind of prophet sent to his people. This was the time when the abolitionists were beginning t9 flood the south with incendiary documents teaching slaughter and rebellion, and Turner's mind influenced by what he read was finally turned to thoughts of mastery and libera- tion. He got together a band of negroes and on August 21, 183 1, began an indis- criminate massacre of white people, not even sparing his master's family and bab). In forty-eight hours fifty-five white persons men, women and children were surprised ?nd killed, and the insurgents, increased to sixty, and flushed with blood and brandy, inarched to Jerusalem, the county-seat, to which place many families had fled in terror. hxxt before reaching there they were con- fronted by a small body of county militia who attacked them and the negroes dis-

persed. Turner escaped to the woods and after spending nearly two months in hiding, was captured, taken to Jerusalem, brought to trial and hanged. The suddenness and ferocity of the attack naturally spread alarm throughout the south, and militia under command of Gen. William H. Brodnax, as- sembled under arms to the number of 3,000. This outbreak known as the •*Southampton Insurrection'* was the most serious that ever occurred in the south and was really contemptible in its dimensions, though much was made out of it by the abolitionists. It resulted in the trial of fifty-three negroes, ot whom seventeen were hanged, and some others suspected of complicity were shot. As might be expected at such a time some of the guilty escaped and some of the inno- cent were destroyed. He died in Jerusalem, Virginia, November 11, 1831.

Turner, Charles Coche, born in Virginia, about 1805 ; entered the United States navy a.*- a midshipman, May 10, 1820; was com- missioned lieutenant. May 17, 1828, and st-rved in the sloop Vandalia, suppressing piracy, and in the Seminole war in 1834-35. He was in the sloop Peacock, in the East Indies, 1836-38, and had a narrow escape on a reef in the Persian gulf, making it neces- sary, to throw the guns overboard to save the ship. He commanded the store-ship Eric, 1844-47, visited the Mediterranean, African, and Pacific squadrons, and assisted in operations for the conquest of California during the Mexican war. He was promoted if, master-commandant, March 22, 1847; served on ordnance duty in Washington in 1849-51; was fleet-captain in the Mediter- ranean squadron, 1852-53: and commanded the sloop Levant, on the coast of Africa,

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