DARGAN, Md. — As many as 300 people are preparing for a cold, dark walk down a Maryland country road in commemorative event to kick off the Civil War sesquicentennial.

Friday marks the 150th anniversary of the night that abolitionist John Brown launched his ill-fated raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry from the Kennedy farmhouse near Dargan.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Chief Historian Dennis Frye says he aims to make the nearly five-mile hike a reverent and soulful experience, lit by lanterns.