Nat Turner: The Rebellion They Don't Teach On August 21, 1831, enslaved preacher Nat Turner led the deadliest slave rebellion in U.S. history in Southampton County, Virginia. Born October 2, 1800, Turner taught himself to read, became a Baptist preacher, and believed God called him to lead his people to freedom. After a solar eclipse in February 1831—which Turner saw as a Black hand over the sun—he gathered four trusted men: Henry, Hark, Nelson, and Sam. They originally planned the revolt for Ju