es, at intervals of thirty years, has a wave of
unutterable terror swept across the Old Dominion, bringing
thoughts of agony to every Virginian master, and of vague hope to
every Virginian slave. Each time has one man's name become a
spell of dismay and a symbol of deliverance. Each time has that
name eclipsed its predecessor, while recalling it for a moment to
fresher memory; John Brown revived the story of Nat. Turner, as
in his day Nat. Turner recalled the vaster schemes of
Gabriel."[29]

Mention has been made of the insurrection of slaves in South Carolina
in the last century. Upon the very threshold of the nineteenth
century, "General Gabriel" made the master-class of Virginia quail
with mortal dread. He was a man of more than ordinary intelligence;
and his plans were worthy of greater success. The following newspaper
paragraph reveals the condition of the minds of Virginians respecting
the Negroes:

"For the week past, we have been under momentary expectation of a
rising among the negroes, who have assembled to the number of
nine hundred or a thousand, and threatened to massacre all the
whites. They are armed with desperate weapons, and secrete
themselves in the woods. God only knows our fate; we have strong
guards every night under arms."

The above was communicated to the "United States Gazette," printed in
Philadelphia, under date of September 8, 1800, by a Virginia
correspondent. The people felt that they were sleeping over a
magazine. The movement of Gabriel was to have taken place on Saturday,
September 1st. The rendezvous of the Negro troops was a brook, about
six miles from Richmond. The force was to comprise eleven hundred men,
divided into three divisions. Richmond--then a town of eight thousand
inhabitants--was the point of attack, which was to be effected under
cover of night. The right wing was to fall suddenly upon the
penitentiary, lately improvised into an arsenal; the left wing was to
seize the powder-house; and, thus equipped and supplied with the
munitions of war, the two columns were to assign the hard fighting to
the third column. This column was to have possession of all the guns,
swords, knives, and other weapons of modern warfare. It was to strike
a sharp blow by entering the town from both ends, while the other two
columns, armed with shovels, picks, clubs, etc., were to act as a
reserve. The white troops were scarce