The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-08-15
Antltrdost gatet1igeneer.
JOHN BROWNS FORT
An old Engine House at narperts Fesrs


An old Engine House at Harperts Ferry.
g. B. q. IN .Aag,.sta Chronicle.
'eIn nay freaeent trips through the
Southern States I have ample opportnni.
" for observation, and + All convinced
that Georgia is the greatest State in the
South, Her development is wonderful
and rapid, and as Virginian lam proud
of this, for the name Of Georgia and Of
Georgians will always linger sweetly upon
the lips and live in the love of all the
people Of that dear old commonwealth,
Virginia"
These we're the closing words of an
after dinner chat. We We're seated in
the comfortable apartments of the Com.
mercial club, and while he puaed away
lovingly at fragrant cigar, occasionally
poising it between his first and middle
fingers and gazing approvingly on it's
accumulation of ashes. Capt. J. Rice
Smith had been telling me, in that do.
lightful unaffected and eloquent way
Of mis-, some of his experience in the
war.
lam tempted to tell them over again
though I cannot breathe into unrespon-
sige. type the glowing enthusiasm, the
rich feeling, the tender emphasis, and
the personal magnetism of the charming
ccnYersstionslist, as he related them to
me in the unrestrained freedom of a
friendly chat, animated by the soothing
stimulus Of an after dinner cigar. I
shallsnot attempt TO repeat all .he told
me, though it was all rich in interest, but
shall give only certain parts of his intor.
NAL talk.
My 6rst recollection Of war, he said,
II had asked him something about the
war-was at the time ofthe John Brown
insurrection at Harper's Ferry in 1859.
You know the first act of John Brown
was to kill an unofending old negro,
though the object of his insursection vas
to free them. John Brown had made a
trip through all that section disguised as
q clock peddier. He did this to secure
unsuspected communication with the
negroes and to lay the plans for q con-
certed and unanimous insurrection against
their masters when be should fire the
signal yolley. He had laid allhis plans,
and in October, 1859, with score of men
came across the Potomac river and seized
the government armory at Harper's Ferry.
sIn.the firing an inofensive old negro was
the first man killed by the John Brown
party. George Turner, first cousin Of
my grand mother, and several other
citizens ofthe place were also Killed.
The excitement through all tlrat sec
: ton of country VAS intense. lived in
the adjoining county, and was a member
of the boys volunteer military company.
I was thirteen years old, and the oldest
members of the company were not more
than sixteen. Military, companies hur.
ried to Harper's Ferry from all parts Of
Virginia, and we we're crazy TO go, but of
course, were not allowed to do so. The
government armory at Harper's Ferry
WAS equipped with many stands Of arms
and every munition of war, and John:
Browns plan was for the negroes to rise
In insurrection when he seized the armo-
~ and rush there for arms. He carried
out his part Of the program all right, but
the negroes failed to respond. His plan
was to indite them to arson, rapine and
murder, and arms were found scattered
among them In various parts of Jefferson
and adjoining counties in readiness for
the great insurrection.
But, with few exceptions, the negroes
were then, as they were afterwards
through the MAR, loyalto their masters,
and, pardoning the digression, I am sure
they have since found that their former
owners are the best friends they ever
had,
John Browns party, not being Joined
by the uprising negroes as they expected,
barricaded themselves in the engine
house of che armory, stout building with
iron doors, and doggedly defed arrest.
Being on government land, they were
not within the Jurisdiction Of the State or
town authorities, but the men who were
in charge Of the armory telegraphed to
Washington an account of its seizure,
and the United States marines were sent
from there. They charged the old
engine house and battered down the
doors, but old John Brown fought to tho
last, and did not surrender until Lieut.:
Israel NJ. Green, Of the Marines, struck
him over the head with his sword. John
Brown and his confederates were turned
over to the State authorities, and he and
several Of the ringleaders we're hung.
I lived only twelve miles from the
court house where Brown waa tried.
The excitement Was intense, and the
court house was crowded all the time.
As / remember John Brown he was a
plain, farmer:lke old fellow, between
fitty.ive and sixty years old, tall, gaunt,
bony and tough, with the air of a West.
erner. The old engine house where he
took REFUGEE is all that remains of the
government armory, and to this day. has
painted on it "John Browns Fort"
All this, Of course, was before the war,
but it gave a terrible impetus to things
and caused the organization Of military
companies on every hand. When the
war began in 1861 cur boys com pany was
disbanded and some of the Oldest boys
went into regular service in other COM
panies. Ny folks wouldn't listen to the
idea Of my enlisting; but I got there
early in 1852, when little more than