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John Brown Soldier of Fortune
John Brown Soldier of Fortune
A Critique BY HILL PEEBLES WILSON Mr. Vallandigham : Mr. Brown, who sent you here? John Brown : No man sent me here; it was my own prompting and that of my Maker, or that of the Devil, whichever you please to ascribe it to. I acknowledge no master in human form. Post, 313 THE CORNHILL COMPANY BOSTON Copyright, 1913 Hill Peebles Wilson Copyright, 1918 The Cornhill Company TO THE MEMORY OF MRS. SARA T. D. ROBINSON OF KANSAS...
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PREFACE
PREFACE
The writer of this book is not an iconoclast, neither has he prejudged John Brown. In 1859 the character was impressed upon his attention in a personal way. An older brother, Joseph E. Wilson, was a member of the company of marines that made the assault on the engine-house at Harper's Ferry, on the morning of October 18th; and from him he heard the story of the fight, and about Brown. In 1889 the Topeka (Kansas) Daily Capital took a poll of the members of the Kansas Legislature on the question:
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CHAPTER I
CHAPTER I
THE SUBJECT MATTER Truth, crushed to earth shall rise again; — Bryant The object of the writer, in publishing this book, is to correct a perversion of truth, whereby John Brown has acquired fame, as an altruist and a martyr, which should not be attributed to him. The book is a review of the historical data that have been collected and published by his principal biographers: Mr. James Redpath, Mr. Frank B. Sanborn and Mr. Oswald Garrison Villard. It is also a criticism of these writers, who have
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CHAPTER II
CHAPTER II
THE MAN Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter unto the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. — Matthew , 7:21 The picturesque figure which has been presented to the public as John Brown is an historical myth—a fiction. The character, as it has been exploited, is a contradiction of the laws that govern in human nature. The material for it was furnished by partisans, who were unscrupulous writers of the times of strenuous political excite
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CHAPTER III
CHAPTER III
KANSAS—A CRISIS IN OUR NATIONAL HISTORY There are no greater heroes in the history of our country than Eli Thayer of Massachusetts, and Charles Robinson of Kansas. — William H. Taft In its relation to Government, our country has completed two periods of its existence. The Colonial period ended at Yorktown. The period of State Sovereignty had its ending at Appomattox. Kansas was the herald of Appomattox; the climax in the series of political incidents which led to secession and the war between th
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CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER IV
HIS PUBLIC SERVICES Peace rules the day, where reason rules the mind. — Collins It was in the fall of 1855 that John Brown came to Kansas to try another venture with fortune, in a new field of opportunity. During the spring of 1854 his son John was seeking a new location, and had written to his father in relation thereto; who replied to him in a letter dated April 3, 1854, "I do not know of a good opening for you this way." [87] But during the fall of that year five of Brown's sons—John, Jason,
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CHAPTER V
CHAPTER V
ROBBERY AND MURDER ON THE POTTAWATOMIE From a rude home in the bleak mountains of northern New York, John Brown went to Kansas; not for the purpose of fighting, but inspired by the hope of bettering his shattered fortunes; a hope that withered in the budding, and gave place to feelings of deep disappointment and discouragement. He wrote February 1st: It is now nearly six weeks that the snow has almost constantly been driven, like dry sand, by the fierce winds of Kansas. By means of the sale of o
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CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VI
BLACK JACK There is a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the flood leads on to fortune. — Julius Caesar, act iv The tide in Free-State sentiment was soon to flow strongly in Brown's favor. He had wisely deferred the execution of his "sudden coup" on the Pottawatomie, until a time when public attention would be distracted from a close observance and inquiry into his actions. In the flames of burning Lawrence he saw the fruition of his hopes. The storm of passion awakened by the outrages th
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CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VII
OSAWATOMIE Do men gather grapes of thorn or figs of thistles? — Matthew 6:16 At Nebraska City Brown met some distinguished persons: General Lane, Colonel Samuel Walker, and Aaron D. Stevens. These men were commanders in the Free-State army; they received him into their confidence, and related to him their plans concerning the pending military operations; the object of which was to destroy the pro-slavery forces that had occupied strategic positions near Lawrence and Osawatomie, or drive them fro
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CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER VIII
HYPOCRISY John Brown "struck the trail" of "easy money" June 28, 1855, when Gerrit Smith presented his case to the Syracuse convention and collected sixty dollars to assist him in migrating to Kansas. He had followed it up with profit, while en route thereto, at Springfield, Hudson, Akron, and Cleveland. Now he was returning to the East to work the field again. It was the same graft which he had theretofore worked, but upon greatly improved plans and along broader lines. He had two schemes in vi
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CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER IX
A SOLDIER OF FORTUNE He was the mildest manner'd man that ever scuttled ship or cut a throat. — Don Juan At Collinsville, Connecticut, about March 1, 1857, John Brown gave out the first evidence that he contemplated inciting an insurrection in the Southern States. He was there making his usual appeal for money. To a group of citizens, among whom was a Mr. Charles Blair, he told the story of Black Jack; and, as was his custom in such recitals, he drew from his boot a trophy of the fight—a two-edg
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CHAPTER X
CHAPTER X
THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT Fear made the Gods; audacity, has made kings. — Crebillon Before leaving Springdale for the East, Brown forwarded the ordnance stores to his son John, at Conneaut, Ohio, who carefully concealed them. Proceeding to Rochester, New York, he stopped at the home of Mr. Douglass, where he remained until February 15th. From there he commenced his correspondence with the men whom he hoped he could induce to advance the necessary money to float, or to initiate, the revolution;
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CHAPTER XI
CHAPTER XI
THE SHUBEL MORGAN PLUNDER COMPANY The angel wings were so dim and shadowy as to be scarcely visible. — George B. Gill In company with Kagi and Tidd, Brown arrived at Lawrence on the night of June 27th, and, under the name of "Shubel Morgan" left the next day for the zone of opportunity. The political situation in Kansas, or the progress which the Free-State cause was making at that time, was no part of his concern; and to so much as mention his name in connection therewith, is to trifle with his
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CHAPTER XII
CHAPTER XII
MOBILIZING THE PROVISIONAL ARMY Confusion on thy banners wait! Though fann'd by Conquest's crimson wing .— Gray Released from further responsibility for his fugitive wards, and wearing the laurels of his recent adventures, Brown began the reorganization of his forces for the final hazard. Arriving at Cleveland March 15th, he proceeded to sell, publicly, what remained of his share of the Kansas-Missouri plunder which had been forwarded to that point from Springdale: two horses and a mule. Brown a
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CHAPTER XIII
CHAPTER XIII
THE FIASCO The best laid schemes o' mice and men Gang aft a gley. — Burns On Sunday morning, October 16th, 1859, Captain Owen Brown and Privates Coppoc and Merriam were detailed for duty at the Kennedy farm; the others were under marching orders during the day, awaiting the signal to "fall in," and move to the scene of active operations. "The night was dark, ending in rain." About eight o'clock Brown is reported to have said: "Men, get your arms, we will proceed to the Ferry." The column was soo
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CHAPTER XIV
CHAPTER XIV
A PERVERSION OF HISTORY But many a man has committed his greatest blunder when attempting to write a book. — John Brown, Jr. Concerning the things which Brown intended to do, and the plans which he made in pursuance thereof Mr. Redpath says: [396] It was the original intention of Captain Brown to seize the Arsenal at Harpers Ferry on the night of the 24th of October, and to take the arms there deposited to the neighboring mountains, with a number of the wealthier citizens of the vicinity, as hos
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CHAPTER XV
CHAPTER XV
HIS GREAT ADVENTURE Beginning with January, 1857, one thing is clearly disclosed and made conclusive by the record of Brown's subsequent activities: that he contemplated an armed invasion and conquest of the Southern States. His correspondence, and the long line of historical incidents which touch his life, during the time intervening between that date and the collapse of his fortunes at Harper's Ferry, show that his mind was preoccupied with plans for the accomplishment of that stupendous purpo
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CHAPTER XVI
CHAPTER XVI
A SOLDIER OF THE CROSS No man can produce great things who is not thoroughly sincere in dealing with himself. — Lowell The regular semi-annual term of the court of Jefferson County, Virginia, began October 20th. Brown was taken into custody on Tuesday, October 18th, and on Tuesday morning, October 25th, he was put on trial for his life. For this unseemly haste the Virginia authorities have been censured. The spectacle of an old man, physically incapacitated, and suffering because of recent wound
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CHAPTER XVII
CHAPTER XVII
"YET SHALL HE LIVE" Much ado about nothing. — Shakespeare John Brown's fame is an unearned increment. It was secured by misrepresentations put forth by himself and members of his family, and by the Disunionists—"Union-splitters"—of his time, who inspired his final actions. Through these agencies he acquired a creditable rating in history; not because of the things which he did; nor because of the things which he sought to do; but because of the things which were said about him; and because of th
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APPENDIX I
APPENDIX I
CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE LATE D. W. WILDER CONCERNING JOHN BROWN Topeka, Kansas, Dec. 18th, 1902. General D. W. Wilder, Hiawatha, Kansas. My Dear General : I would like to have you kindly tell me something valuable about John Brown. I listened to your tribute to his memory, read before the Historical Society on the 2nd inst. It recalled the admiration which I entertained for the "Old Hero" throughout the many years of my life; from young manhood up to about four years ago; when I attempted to wri
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APPENDIX II
APPENDIX II
On entering the room where John Brown was, I found him alone, lying on the floor on his left side, and with his back turned toward me. The right side of his face was smeared with blood from a sword cut on his head, causing his grim and grizzled countenance to look like that of some aboriginal savage with his war-paint on. Approaching him I began the conversation with the inquiry: "Captain Brown, are you hurt anywhere except on the head?" "Yes, in my side, here," said he, indicating the place wit
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APPENDIX III
APPENDIX III
Copy of the Constitution, adopted at Chatham, Canada, May 8, 1858. Mason Report , p. 48. Whereas, slavery throughout its entire existence in the United States, is none other than a most barbarous, unprovoked, and unjustifiable war of one portion of its citizens upon another portion, the only conditions of which are perpetual imprisonment and hopeless servitude or absolute extermination; in utter disregard of those eternal and self-evident truths set forth in our Declaration of Independence: Ther
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APPENDIX IV
APPENDIX IV
Written to Henry L. Stearns, son of George L. Stearns, and bearing date Red Rock, Iowa, July 7, 1857. [515] John was born May 9th, 1800, at Torrington, Litchfield County, Connecticut; of poor but respectable parents: a descendant on the side of his father of one of the company of the Mayflower who landed at Plymouth 1620. His mother was descended from a man who came at an early period to New England from Amsterdam, in Holland. Both his Father's & Mother's Fathers served in the war of the
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