Narrative of the Tragical Scene

1831

In this eyewitness account, author Samuel Warner details the events of Nat Turner’s rebellion, describing them as “inhumane barbarity,” “melancholly [sic] and bloody.” Warner also implies that Turner took on the role of a preacher to enable his “nefarious designs.”

The pamphlet includes a list of white individuals who were killed and African Americans who were sentenced to death. It also quotes articles on slave revolts in North Carolina and St. Domingo and offers a detailed description of the Dismal Swamp, where many of Turner’s rebels took cover. Warner closes with an abolitionist plea for ridding the country of the “foul stain” of slavery.