Narrative of the Tragical Scene

1831

Samuel Warner recounts the rebellion as an eye witness.

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.