The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-27
LEE AND STUART
AT HARPER'S FERRY ].
~
Major Hunter corrects Errors,
Which He Says Col. Peters
Made Concerning
JOHN BROWNS CAPTURE
Some Extracts IRON the Official
Report OF Colonel r. Z, Lee,
Commanding.
JOHN BROWNS CAPTURE
Some Extracts from the Official

Commanding.
There are several errors In Colonel
Winfield peters's account OF Lee ana
stuart at Harper's Ferry" and the cap
tlre OF John Brown as given III lne
Confederate column of september stn'
which. an, sure, he Will be gao 10
have corrected.
colonel Peters says: '.rhe seditlonary
and murderous raid of that Purftah
disciple at Harper.s Ferry, va. IN &c
tober, 1853, was cut short by Lleuteh-
ant Colonel H.. Il. Lee, OF the United
states Army, aided by Lieutenant J.
=, r.. stuart. OF the First United
states Cavalry. who with Lieutenant
Green and detachment of marines,
broke into Browns Fort. Instantly
Brown was on the ground with cut
from Stuari's sabre. as the story q 9es.
Grabbing the culprlt and lifting him
10 Ills feet. the lieutenant said You
.ossowat,omie Brown Yes. Lieu
tenant Stuart I am Ossowattomie
Brown trembling as he answered.
Every incident In the lives of Lee
and stuart, and especially such ss re-
late to memorable historic events in
which they were prominent actors.
will always be OF deep interest. not
only 10 the present blu; to future gen
/ era,ons. II is, therefore, important
that they should be given with all
possible accuracy
Fortunately. there is no lack OF au-
thentfc history OF the John Brown
Raid" The reports, with accompany
ing Testimony and papers OF the se-
ieet committee OF the United States
Senate "appointed to inquire into the
of rrtIb
] lie property at Harper's Ferry OF
date June Is. 1850, give the whole
story In all of itss details. Senator
James NJ. Mason OF Virginia. was
chairman of this committee, and sena-.
tor Jefferson Davis, one Of its MEM
bers. There Is also In one of the pub
lications OF the Southern History As
/. ISOLATION full history of the raid, the
trials and secution of Brown and shis
conspirators by the Hon. Andrew Hun
ter, who was appointed by Governor
Wise the special prosecuting attor-
ney for the State. These documents
are a part of the material which
have been collected for the History of
Virginia in the Civil War" under tho
provisions of the act of the L4egtsla-
turs of February 90. 1906. In the APP
pendix to the report OF the Senate
committee is to be found the offiihl
report Of "R. Z. Lee, colonel commands
Ing from his Headquarters at Har-
pers Ferry, October 10. 1859. to Colo
mel S. Cooper. Adjutant- General United
? States Army. After explaining how
Colonel Lee and Lieutenant Stuart
happened to be at Harper's Ferry and
the conditions they found there upon
their arrival with a detachment of ma
rfnes under Lieutenant Israel Green,
Will give extracts from Colonel Lees
report, and from Letter OF Lieutenant
Stuart to his mother, written from
Fort Riley in January, 1860, which
Will serve the purpose OF this COM
iuunication in correcting the errors
into which Colonel Peters has fallen.
John Browns Raid.
The reckless audacitiy of Browns
raid and Its temporary success. sowing
to the panic and confusion he succeed
cd lin creating by magnifytng his num-
bers," caused great CONSERVATION
throughout the surrounding country
Exaggerated reports of the number OF
negroes who had been armed spread
rapidly. and by II a. NJ. of the 17,l
the Jefferson Guards from Charles
town arrived on the scene, soon fol.
lowed by armed citizens and voluntee,
companies from Shepherdstown Mar
ttnsburg, Winchester. Frederick Cit,
and Baltimore
These, under the command OF Col
onels II. w. Baylor and John T.. Gibson
OF the Virginia militia, forced the in
aurgents within the armory lnclosur,
and surrounded 1t with a Gordon
pickets. Brown then withdrew hi.
men into the englne-l house, near TIN
arlroryl gate, which he loopholed an,
fortified Having failed in his expec
tation Of an uprising OF the negroe
in the neighborhood. and realizIn,
when too late that his capture wa
Inevitable. Brown had shrewdly takel
Of the most prominent OF his Virgins
and Maryland captiyes, whom Ii
termed hostages" and whose lives, h
declared, would be forfeitedtf lie an
his men We're not allowed to escape. n
When the news of the invasion
reached Washington the government
authorities took immediate steps to re
cover the arnloyy and capture the III
surgents,5 General Scott was absen
pened3t to be at Arlington, having short
~ before arrived. from Texas on 4
visit to his family, @
In the winter OF 1S6s.'59 5Iieutenar
Etuart Cas- we learn from Major Nc
Clellan. his biographer and adjntant
Kenerap invented sabre attachment
for Which lie obtained a patent fro,
the government, Having received
six-monthss leave OF absence, slle phsse
tha summer 9f 1859 anon gl III IS ssrela
4 tives In Wig lilta, az Id, Whl Ale attendin
1ha General Convention of the Epls
<opal -C Church lin RI hniond, In be
was called to IN ashin gton3 to neHntlat
4 with the War Department conc arnln
y the sale Ut his sabre Att eFllnen w ~