The preacher-slave whose 1831 Virginia revolt killed dozens and sparked America’s harshest slave codes

Nat Turner’s Rebellion

Nat Turner could read, preach, and see visions that convinced him he was a prophet. In August 1831, his divine calling led to the deadliest slave revolt in American history.

For two days, his followers moved from farm to farm in Southampton County, killing families and recruiting others.

Here’s what happened, with artifacts you can visit at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Turner saw God’s sign in the sky

On August 13, 1831, Virginia’s sun turned bluish-green from volcanic ash drifting from Sicily. For Nat Turner, this strange sight meant God wanted him to act.

Turner had planned his revolt for July 4th but got sick and had to wait. On August 20, the enslaved preacher met with his closest followers to make final plans.

Turner believed his visions meant God had chosen him to free his people through violence. The unusual sun gave him the sign he’d been waiting for.

Six men gathered for their last meal

Sunday afternoon, August 21, Turner’s six conspirators met on a small island in a swamp near Cabin Pond. Hark, Henry, Nelson, Sam, Jack, and Will built a fire and cooked a young pig with sweet potatoes while drinking brandy.

When Turner arrived, they went over their deadly plan one more time. They would start at Turner’s master’s house, then go from farm to farm killing every white person they found while picking up weapons and more followers.

The men knew they would probably die, but Turner’s religious conviction had won them over.

The Travis family died in their beds

Around 2:00 AM on August 22, Turner and seven followers crept up to the Travis house in complete darkness. They murdered Joseph Travis and his family while they slept.

Turner killed Travis, his wife and child, plus Putnam Moore who legally owned Turner, and three others. The sleeping family had no warning and no chance to escape.

At the Travis house, the rebels also recruited Austin, an enslaved man who lived there but hadn’t been told about the plot.

House by house, the killing spread

With blood on their hands, the rebels moved through the countryside. They killed Salathiel Francis at his home, then murdered Piety Reese and her son.

At Wiley Francis’s place, they met their first fight when Francis and his loyal slaves stood up to them, forcing the rebels to back off. Between sunrise and noon, they reached Elizabeth Turner’s home and killed her, her overseer, and a neighbor.

The rebellion grew fast from Turner’s original group to over 70 enslaved and free Black people, some riding horses.

Turner killed Margaret Whitehead with his own hands

The rebel band split up, with Turner’s mounted group heading to Catharine Whitehead’s farm. Here Turner committed his only personal killing of the rebellion.

Margaret Whitehead had dodged the other rebels but Turner caught her and killed her himself. Turner had trouble with the killing because his sword was dull.

The rebels carried mostly knives, hatchets, and clubs since guns were hard to get and would draw attention. The Whitehead farm became another scene of multiple deaths.

Ten schoolchildren died at Waller’s farm

The rebellion’s worst single massacre happened at Levi Waller’s farm where he ran a school. When word of the revolt reached Waller, he tried to gather the children for safety.

But the rebels got there first and killed ten children plus Waller’s wife before he could organize any defense. By midday, Turner’s force of about sixty men reached Rebecca Vaughan’s home and killed her, her son, and her niece.

For about eighteen hours, the rebels moved through Southampton County unchecked, killing at least fifty-five white residents.

Turner aimed for the county armory

Turner decided to march toward Jerusalem, the county seat, hoping to capture the armory and get real weapons. His plan was to seize the arsenal, recruit more followers, then head east to the Dismal Swamp thirty miles away where the rough terrain would make capture almost impossible.

By Monday morning, the rebels had turned toward Jerusalem, still killing almost every white person at the farms they hit. But by Monday afternoon, several armed white groups had organized and started hunting the rebels.

White militia broke the rebellion apart

Near James Parker’s farm just outside Jerusalem, Turner’s rebels ran into their first organized white militia and traded gunfire, though nobody died in this first fight. Turner ordered his men to “halt and form” when eighteen armed white men showed up.

After a brief battle, the white militia pulled back, but when the rebels chased them, a second group of whites ambushed them. This ambush cut Turner’s army from about sixty men down to twenty as fighters scattered in all directions.

Simon Blunt’s slaves helped crush the revolt

On Tuesday morning, August 23, Turner and about twenty remaining followers made their final attack on Dr. Simon Blunt’s home. But Blunt and his loyal slaves had prepared a defense and fought off the rebels, killing at least one of Turner’s men and capturing several others.

The rebellion died at Blunt’s place on the morning of August 23. Another fight near Captain Newitt Harris’s home cost the rebels another life. After this final defeat, Turner got separated from what was left of his army and the rebellion was over.

Turner hid for two months before capture

From August 23 to October 30, Turner stayed hidden in various spots near the Travis farm where everything had started. While Turner survived in the woods for over two months, his wife Cherry was beaten and tortured to make her reveal where he was hiding.

On October 28, hunger forced Turner to approach Nathaniel Francis for food, but Francis spotted him and took a shot that missed. With his location blown, Turner’s time was up. On October 30, around noon, Benjamin Phipps finally caught him.

Gray wrote down Turner’s confession before the hanging

On October 31, Turner was brought to court and admitted leading the slave revolt, with his trial set for November 5. From November 1 through 3, lawyer Thomas Gray interviewed Turner in his jail cell, writing down what became “The Confessions of Nat Turner.”

On November 5, Turner was tried by a special court in Jerusalem, quickly found guilty, and sentenced to death. Gray had already done lots of research on the rebellion and talked to other participants before meeting Turner.

On November 11, around noon, Nat Turner was hanged from an old tree outside Jerusalem, Virginia.

Visiting Nat Turner’s Rebellion at National Museum of African American History and Culture

The National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall houses the most comprehensive collection of Nat Turner artifacts in America. You’ll find Turner’s actual Bible from the 1830s in the Slavery and Freedom exhibition on the lower level.

The museum also displays Christopher Myers’ 32-foot tapestry “The Grim Work of Death” depicting Turner’s rebellion on the Concourse Level. You need free timed entry passes reserved online in advance to visit.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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