Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-10-21

: which snapped. He thea drew his bowie knisp a.
cut all his heavy accOutrements off and plunged iai
the river, one of the soldiers about ten feet b
hind, when the man turRed round, threw up h
hands, and cried Don't shoot!H . The soldier fire
and the man fell into the water with his face blow
} away His coat skirts was cut from his person an
J IN the pockets was found Captains commission
Capt +. H. Leeman, from the Provisional Govern
ment of the United States. The commission wa
dated October IS, 1853, and was signed bv A. "
Brown, Commander-in-Chef of the Army of tn
Provisional Government Of the United States
party of five of the insurgents armed wit
Minnie rI1es and posted in the rifle armory wer
! expelled By the Charleston Guards. They then al
ran for the river, and one who was unable to swim
was drowned The other four swan out TO tn,
rocks in the middle of the river Shenandoah anf
fired upon the citizens and troops assembled up0r
both banks This drew upon them the muskets ~
between 200 and 300 men, and not less than 400 shot
were fired at them from Harpers Ferry, about tyyr
hundred yards distance. One was shot dsad ths
! second, a negro, attempted to jump over the dam
but fell short and was not seen afterwards the third
was badly wounded, and the remaining enc was
taken unharmed. The white insurgent, wounded
and captured died in a few moments in the arms Of
our informant; he shot through the breast arm,
and stomach. He declared that there were only I'd
whites engaged in this insurrection.
| For nearly an hour running fire was kept IN bv
the troops against the rioters Several were shot
| down, while many managed to limp away wounded
| During the firing, the women and children ran
shreklng IN every direction, but when they learned
that the soldiers We're their protectors, they took
courage and did good service in the way of praoar.
| ing refreshments and attending the wounded, OuP
! informant, who the hill while the firing was
going on, says that all ihe terrible seems of hat.
tie passed in reality beneath his ayes. Soldiers
could be seen pursuing singly a1ld in couples and
| the muskets and rides were generally followed by
one or more Of the insurgents biting the dust The
dead lay in the streets where they fell the wounded
were cared for .
Capt. Browns wounds consist of a sword cut in
the forehead and a bayOnet wound in the kidneys
Another of the rioters killed was named Stewart
Taylor. j. q. Anderson, a ring-leadeF who stOpped
conductor Phelps yesterday was killed Turing the
first attack by the Virginans. Anderson wa. fine
looking man with flowing beard. Some of the
Maryland volunteers in pursuit Of Captain
Cooks party A body Of 40 mounted men lett this
afternoon for Harper's Ferry to pursue the rioters
1t is reported that many Of them had escaped and
are seereted in the mountains.
Baltimore, Oct 18th.-The following fragment of a
letter was found in Capt Browns pocket. 1t occu-
pies page OF hne note paper, strawtinted, and is
written with pencil, evidently from a person of
some education, and withOus any date The freight
alluded TO was doubtless the sort usually carried on
the underground railroad
'CAPT. BROwS-Dear Sir: have been disappoint-
ed at not seeing you here to take charge OF your
freight They have been here now for two weeks
and as have had to superintend the providing for
them. it has imposed on me small task besides
and If not soml taken on some of them will go to
Missouri | wish to know definitely what you pur-
pose doing. They cannot DO kept here much longer
without risk to themselves and if any of them CON
clude to go back to the State it viii be bad terni
nation to your enterprise" No signature.
The principal originator of the short but bloody
existence of this insurrectiOu undoubtedly Capt
John Brown, whose connection with scenes Of viO-
lence in the border warfare OF Kansas then made
his name familiayly notorious to the whole country
Brown made his first appearance in the vicinity of
HarpeP's Ferry more than year ago, accompanied
by his two sons the whole party assuming the name
of Smith They inquired about land in the vicinity
and made investigations the probability of finding
ores; and for some time they boarded at Sandy
Point, mile east of the Ferry. After an absence
of some months they re-appeaFed in the vicinity,
and the elder Brown rented or leased farm on the
Maryland side, about four miles from the Ferry.
They bought large number Of picks and spades
and this confirmed the belief that they intended to
mine for ores. They were seen frequently in and
about HaIper;s Ferry, but suspicion seemed to
exist that Bill Smith Capt Brown, or that he in
tended embaFkiRg in any movement so desperate and
extraordinary. Yet the developments of the plot
leave no doubt that his visits to the Ferry and his
lease of the farm were all parts Of his preparation
for the insupreotiOn, which he supposed would be
successful in eXeFHnatlng slavery IN Maryland and
Western Virginia.
Browns chief aid was John E. Cook. compare
lively young man, who has resided in and the
ferry for some years. He was first employed in
tending lock on the canal. Afterwards he taught
school on the Maryland side of the river; and after
a refresdence in Kansas, where it is supposed be
became acquainted with Brown, he returned to the
ferry. and married there. He was regarded as a
man of some intelligence; known to be antisAyery,
but not violent in the expression of his opinions
TO excite any suspicious. These two men, with
Browns two sons, the only white men con-
nected with the insurrection thathad been pre-
viously about the ferry. All were brought by
Brown from distance, and nearly all had been with
him in Kansas.
The first active movement in the insurrection was
made about half-past ten O'Clock on Sunday night
William Williamson, the watehman on the Harper's
Ferry bridge, whilst walking across towards the
Maryland side, was seized by number of men, who
said he was their prisoner and must come with
them. He recognized Brown and Cook among the
men, and, knowing them, he treated the matter a
joke; but enforcing their authority they conducted
him to the armOry which he found already in their
possession. He was retained till after daylight
when they discharged him. The watchman who
to relieve him at midnight found the bridge
lights all out, and Immediately seized. SuppOs-
ing it an attempt at robbery, he broke away, and
his pursuers stumbling over. he escaped
The next appearance of the nsurrectionists was at
the house of Col. Lewis Washington, large farmer
and slave owner, living about four miles from the
Ferry. party headed by Cook proceeded there
reused Col. W. and told him that he was their pris
oner They also seized all the slaves near the house.
and took a carriage and horses, and large wagon
with two horses.
When Col Washington saw Cook he recognized him
as a man who had called upon him some months
previous, TO whom he had exhibited some valuable
arms in his possession, including an antique sword
presented by Frederic the Great and pair Of pis-
tolls presented by General Lafayette to Washing
ton, both being heirlOoms in the family. Before
leaving, Cook invited Col Washington to a trial of
skill shooting and exhibited considerable certain
ty as marksInan. When he made his visit on Sun
day night, he alluded to his previous visit and the
u, h,I Cd and
GREETED the necessity which made it his duty to ar
rest Col. W. He, however, took advantage of the
knowledge he had obtained by his former visit TO
carry off all the valuable collection of arms, which
Col w. did not re-obtan TIL after the final defeat OF
the insurgents. From Col. Washingtons the party
proceeded with him prisoner, in his own car
rage and twelve of his negroes in the wagon to the
house of Mr.. Allstadt another large farmer on the
same road. Mr.. Alstadt and his son, lad of l6
years of age were taken prisoners, and all the ne
grOes within reach being forced to join the move
ment they returned to the armoFy at the ferry. All
these movements seem 10 have been made without
exciting the slightest alarm in the town. Nor did
the detention of Capt Phelps's train at the upper
end Of the town attract attention Ii was not until
the town thoroughly walked up and found the bridge
guarded by armed men and guard stationed at all
the avenues that the people found they were pris-
oners. A panicappears to have Immediately ensued
and the number of the insurrectiOnists at once in
creased from 50-which was probably their greatest
force including the slaves who were forced to Join
to from five to six hundred.
In the mean time number of workmen, knowing
nothing of what had occurred, entered the armory
and were snccessively taken prisoners until they
had at time not less than sixty men confined in
the ar1nory. Among those entrapped were Armis-
ted Ball. chief draughtman of the armory; Benjamin
Mills, master of the armory; and J. L. p. Danger
field, paymaster's clerk. These three gentlemen
were imprisoned in the engine house, which after
wards became the chief fortress of the insurgents,
and were released until after the final assault
The workmen were imprisoned in large building fur
ther down the yard and were rescued by the bril-
liant Zouave dash made by the Railroad Company
men, who came down from MartinsbuFg. This was
the condition OF affairs at daylight about which
time Capt Cook, with two men, accompanied by
thirty slaves, and taking with them Col Washing
ingtons large wagon. went over the bridge and
struck up into the mountains on the road towards
Pennsylvania.
Washington Oct. Is, p. M-Six companies Of the
Virginia military. numbering 300 rank and file, ar
rived here this evening route for Harper's Fer
ry, but their orders have been counfermandsd and
they return home tonight. They made fine ap-
pearanee and were provided with all the appliances
for a campaign.
CHARLES b. HALL,
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DEALER IN