"Insurrection of the slaves" from the Salem Gazette

In the months following the insurrection, newspapers were filled with reports of Nat Turner and his followers. This account, reprinted from the Richmond Compiler two weeks after the rebellion, assures readers that, despite rumors, the insurrection has not spread. The report gives a particularly scathing description of Turner. “A fanatic preacher, by the name of Nat. Turner [Gen. Nat. Turner!] who had been taught to read and write and permitted to go about preaching in the country, was at the bottom of this infernal brigandage. He was artful, impudent, and vindictive, without any cause or provocation that could be assigned.” In this account, the “nefarious expedition” failed because the insurgents “drank ardent spirits” and “in consequence of their being intoxicated, or from mere fatigue” they stopped their “murderous career.” 

“Insurrection of the Slaves,” Salem Gazette. From the collection of the American Antiquarian Society.