The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-27


Lee. which were gladly accepted.
At Sandy Hook, about one and a half
miles east of Harpers Ferry, Colonel
Lee came up with the marines and
several companies from Baltimore, un-
der General Edgerton. Leaving the
Baltimore troops on the Maryland slide
Of the river for the night, he ordered
Ferry. and placed them within the
armory grounds to prevent the escape
| OF the insurgents, and made prepare
tons to attack them at daylight. But
Tor the fear OF sacrificing the lives OF
some OF the gentlemen held by Brown
az prisoners In midnight assault, he
would have ordered the attack at once.
Painful Consideration.
| Their safety" he says In his report.
was the subject of painful consdera-
ton, and to prevent, II possible,
| jeopardizing their lives, I determined
| to summon the insurgents to surrender.
AS soon after daylight as the arrange
,ncnts were made Lieutenant j. q. D.
Stuart. First Cavalry, who had accom-
| panied me from Washington as stat:
officer. was dispatched under flag
with a written summons "a copy Of
which is hereto annexed. marked AZ.
| knowing the character of the leader
of the insurgents, 1 did not expect 4;
|
directed that the volunteer troops, I'M
der their respective commanders. should
| be paraded on the lines assigned them
outside the armory, and had prepared
q storning party of twelve marines
under their commander, Lieutenant
Green. and had placed them close to
| the engine-house. and secure from IT,,
fire. Three marines were furnished
with sledge hammers to break In tn.
doors and the men were instructed
! how to distinguish our citizens from
/ the insurgents; TO attack with tn,
! bayonet. and not to tnjure the blacks
detained in custody unless they re-
! sistesi Lieutenant Stuart was also
directed not to receive from the insur-
gents any counter propositions II
/ they accepted the terms offered they
must Immediately deliver up their
1 arms and release their prisoners. II
they did not, he must on leaving the
4 engine -house. give me the signal. My
object was. with a view OF saving our
citizens. to have as short an interval
as possible between the summons and
attack. The summons. as had antici.
i rated. was rejected. At the concerted
signal the storlning party moved
I.quickly to the door and commenced
the attack. The fire engines within the
house had been placed by the besieged
close to the doors. The doors were
fastened by ropes. the spring of which
Il prevented their being broken by the
4 blows Of the hammers. The men were,
/ therefore, ordered to drop the hammers
and. with portion of the reserve. to
use as a battering-ram heavy ladder,
with which they dashed in part OF
II the door and gave admlttance to the
! storming party. The fire Of the insur-
j gents UP to this time had been harm
less. AT the threshold one marine fel!
4 mortally wounded. The rest. led by
i Lieutenant Green and Major RUSSELL
quickly ended the contest. The In
lsurgents that resisted were bayonetted
4 Their leader. John Grown. was cut
down by the sword of Lieutenant
4 Green, and our citizens were protected
by both officers and men. The whole
! was over in few minutes
Governor Wise, with Company F, OF
Richmond. reached Harper's Ferry
:. shortly after the capture OF the engine
4 house. Brown. two white men and two
. negroes were wounded, but lived to be
tried and executed. Ten of tho white
7 Inen and two OF the negroes with
Brown were klled during the combat
one white man. Cooke. escaped, but was
! subsequently captured and executed
! and one negro was unaccounted for
The insurgents killed three white mer
Ii--Mr. Fontaine Beckham. the Mayor
Mr. George w. Turner one OF the frs
Icitizens OF Jefferson county, and Pri-
/ vate Quinn. OF the Marine Corps-ant
; q negro railroad porter; they wounded
eight white citizens and one of the
Marine Corps.
ii Colonel Lees Thanks.
I In concluding his report, Colonel LIE,
u expressed his thanks to Lieutenant!
|. Stuart and Green and Major Russell
SI"for the aid they afforded me. and I'm,
, entire commendatlon Of the conduct o
!, the marines, who were at all ttme
) ready and prompt in execution OF an!
duty. The promptness with which TIL
volunteer troops repaired to the seen
! OF the disturbance, and the alacrit!
!. they displayed to suppress the gros
T lioutrase against law and order. know
{ will elicit your hearty appreciation"
! Several contemporary newspaper &C
4 counts gave to Stuart the credit o
; having led the attack upon the engine
: house, an honor which he was careful
r Ito disclalnl. His letter, referred 7
: above, Is as follows:
Y Colonel Lee was sent to comman
the forces at Harper's Ferry. vol
. unteercd as his aid. had no com
i. maud whatever. The United State
!. marines are a branch Of the nava
3 force-there was not an enlisted ma
II Of the army on hand. Lieutenant Gree
s & WuS SeTI Az etJSA ANAN'sN
q had been requested by the Secretar
d OF the Navy to accompany the marine!
: but, being a paymaster. could exercis
IS no command: yet it was his corp
q For Colonel Lee to have put me |
S command of the storming party woul
nj have been an outrage to Lieutenan
n Green, which would have run
IA through the navy for twenty year
sI AS well might they send him on
10 here to command my company 9
d cavalry. 80 !. I. too, had a part 4
a perform, which prevented me, in :
II measure, from partic debating in the Yer
It brief onset made SO gallantly by Gree
y and Russell. well hacked by their mel
vi IT was deputed bv Col. Lee to rea
j. mand to surrender immediately: and
|. was instructed to leavet the door .afte
n his refusal, which was k xpected, an
= wave my cap, sat which. signal til
6. stormlnn party was TO advan 90, bats
1t iopen the doors and capture the II
3 sur gents at the point OF tile haY0ne
+. Colon IA Lee ca0 toned s the storn1el
I. par ticnl arly to- discriminate hatwee
m the Insurgents and their prisoners.
i Notice to Smith, 5
3D. " approached the door IN tho pre-,
u ence OF perhaps 1000 spectators, an
Is told MI. Smith that Il had q comm
i. nloation tor him from Colonel Il I.c
SI EIas ,nrerla dt the door about four nnha