▁African ▁Americans ▁purs uing ▁an ▁end ▁to ▁sla very ▁in ▁the ▁South . ▁En jo ying ▁a ▁cord ial ▁relationship ▁with ▁the ▁movement ' s ▁leader , ▁a ▁local ▁business man ▁and ▁pre acher ▁named ▁J ub lio , ▁he ▁non eth eless ▁rec ruits ▁an ▁inform ant ▁to ▁monitor ▁J ub lio ' s ▁activities . ▁ ▁Yet ▁Abraham ▁is ▁not ▁the ▁Confeder acy ' s ▁greatest ▁problem . ▁A ▁band ▁of ▁northern ▁abol ition ists ▁and ▁fre ed men , ▁bitter ▁at ▁the ▁way ▁the ▁war ▁ended ▁and ▁southern ▁sla very ▁continued , ▁form ▁a ▁terror ist ▁cell ▁known ▁as ▁" Am ist ad ", ▁named ▁for ▁the ▁famous ▁slave ▁ship . ▁Organ ized ▁by ▁Thomas ▁W ent worth ▁H ig gin son , ▁they ▁plot ▁to ▁in fil tr ate ▁the ▁Confeder ate ▁capital ▁of ▁Richmond ▁and ▁stage ▁an ▁incident ▁which ▁will ▁r ally ▁the ▁slaves ▁and ▁restart ▁the ▁war . ▁Though ▁the ▁cell ▁is ▁made ▁up ▁of ▁African ▁Americans , ▁the ▁leader ▁is ▁Sal mon ▁Brown , ▁the ▁surv iving ▁son ▁of ▁John ▁Brown , ▁who ▁is ▁consum ed ▁with ▁gu ilt ▁at ▁having ▁back ed ▁out ▁of ▁his ▁family ' s ▁ra id ▁on ▁Har pers ▁Fer ry ▁and ▁determined ▁to ▁re de em ▁himself . ▁Brown ▁is ▁un sett led , ▁though , ▁by ▁the ▁addition ▁of ▁an ▁o ctor oon ▁woman ▁named ▁Ver ita ▁to ▁the ▁cell , ▁while ▁the ▁group ' s ▁plans ▁are ▁je op ard ized ▁by ▁a ▁va ing lor ious ▁member