The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-04-06


was an isolated place and of little
value, as the rental was only SIS a
year. At that place his various con-
situations were held, his pixies and
other implements of warfare were
shipped ostensibly as mining tools,
and on Sunday, the 10th of October,
1859, Captain Brown and his army
complete at the Kennedy farm and
vas ready for the battle. He arose
On that Sunday morning earlier than
usual and summoned his army to
prayer. He first read a chapter from
the Bible, more or less applicable to
slavery, and then fervently prayed
for divine assistance in the liberation
Of the bondmen. The roll-call was
made soon after breakfast and every
hame responded to, when a sentinel
ssas posted to prevent surprise. At
10 o'clock the army was assembled
in council, with Osborne P. Ander-
son, colored, in the chair. He then
read the constitution Of his organiza-
ton, completed the commissions of
his officers, and prepared elaborate
and detailed orders for the attack to
be made that night.
When darkness had come the move
ment began, and Cook and Tidd were
assigned the task of cutting the tele-
graph wires. Browns force crossed
the bridge to Harper's Ferry. cap
tured the watchman without creating
alarm and was soon in the arsenal
grounds. The watchman in the ar
mory shouted the alarm, but he was
soon silenced and the arsenal was in
possession of Brown without having
created any disturbance in the COM
munity. This was all effected before
II o'clock in the night. The move
ment was discovered by the relief
watchman, Patrick Higgins, who
came at midnight, and upon whom
the first shot was fred, but Higgins
made his escape and gave the alarm.
When daylight came the little town
was in CONSERVATION at the possession
of the arsenal and government works
by band of insurgents. In answer
to a complaint of the conductor of the
Baltimore and Ohio train Brown said :
eve want liberty ; the ground, bridge
and town are in our hands" CiZi-
zens at once began to arm as the news
spread rapidly, and people came from
the surrounding country most of them
with their guns.
ANARCHY AT HARPER'S FERRY.
Anarchy soon prevailed in the vii
lage of Harper's Ferry. The people
flocked in by hundreds, took possess
ion OF the saloons and many of them
shooting at random during the day
and evening of the I7th, and in the
night the United States marines came
under command of Col. Robert F..
Lee. In the meautime several squads
of Browns army were securing the
country, capturing hostages and TAX
fhg possession of citizens and slaves.
Among the hostages held was Colo
mel Washington, whom they informed
that they intended to take his slaves,
but not his life. The slaves were
crowded into a family carriage and a
four horse wagon, and on their way
a number of colored men joined
them.
Brown and his command could
have retreated with little loss a.'>
time up to noon on the 18TH but
after that they were compelled to
fight for their lives. Even when in
formed that the marines were arriv-
ing, which made his battle an utterly
hopeless one, his only answer was !:
"Men, be cool we will give them a
warm reception" 1 have every
reason to believe that Brown had de-
cided either to succeed in the battle,
in which he expected TO be aided by
hundreds of insurrectionary slaves, OF
to die in the struggle. He was NOR
bidly fanatical in the cause to which
he gave his life, and it is evident that
he either relied upon an immense
slave support or intended to sacrifice
himself and his men in the struggle,
as he had ample opportunity to es-
cape at any time in the early part OF
the 18th.
HELD AS HOSTAGES.
OF the citizen prisoners his squads
had brought in during the night ol
the 10Th and 18th Brown selected
eight to be held as hostages. When
he found that he was compelled to re-
treat into the enginehouse and was
about to be assailed by overwhelming
numbers, he notified the hostages
that their fate would be the fate that
his assailants accorded to him and his
command. When Colonel Lee, who
was in command of the marines, com.
municated with Brown and urged
him to surrender, Browns answer
was, INC, prefer to die here" He
then proceeded to brrricade the doors
and windows of the engine-house into
which his little force was driven, and
desultory firing continued during all
the day of the 18th until late at night
While half of Browns men were kill.
ed the prisoner hostages escaped un'
hurt.
Finding that Brown would not SUR
render, Colonel Lee finally ordered
an assault, and the door was battered
in, when Lieutenant Green, OF the
marines, entered at the head of hi:
command and Immediately selected
Brown FOR his attack. With an uE
dercut of his sword he pierced Brown
in the abdomen, when Brown fell
The handful of men remaining with
Brown who had escaped death or hae
failed to flee, were speedily made
prisoners. Oliver and Watson Brown
William Aeolphus Thompson, Johr
H. Kagi, William Leeman, Stewart
Taylor, Lewis S. Leary, jeremiah
Anderson and D. Newly were killed
in the battle, but Oliver Brown
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