** STANDARD EDITION ** - - - Oddly enough, the United States Marines' role during the capture of John Brown at Harper's Ferry, October 1859, has been wholly overlooked and virtually forgotten- even by the Marines themselves. - - - Why were the Marines sent? Who were they? How were they organized? How did they prepare for the journey to Harper's Ferry? (Harpers Ferry is our modern spelling of the town's name. What happened to the apostrophe in "Harper's" after our Civil War is an unsolved mystery.) - - - What credibly took place after the Marines arrived? What kind of a wooden ladder could do what three heavy sledgehammers could not? How and why did the sword that struck down John Brown bend? As one studies the Marines' involvement in this bygone confrontation, more and more questions present themselves and demand explanation. - - - Now, one hundred and sixty-one years after the event, this historical novel offers an in-depth look at the actions of those heroic, but forgotten, Marines. Although fictional dialogue has been incorporated to give "life" to the story, historical accuracy has been preserved as correctly as possible.