about 4 am on the morning of the 17th, brown and his men arrived at harpers ferry. they cut the telegraph lines then captured the federal armory. next they captured hall's rifle works, a weapons supplier to the federal government. then brown and his men took 60 prominent citizens as hostages. brown hoped slaves would join the fight but none came. later that morning the local militia arrived and kept brown and his men pinned down in the arsenal's engine house. later in the afternoon, us marines arrived commanded by colonel robert e. lee. the marines stormed the engine house killing several of brown's men. they captured brown. he was quickly put on trial for treason against the state of virginia, murder and slave insurrection. brown was sentenced to death and was hanged on december 2, 1859.