The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-30


rious stories of that famous battle.
81 would like to hear John Browns
own story OF it" wrote a Kansan the
other day. isn't there something IN
his letters about it?''
There is something The account
which John Brown himself wrote, in
his letters. and one piece" for the
newspapers, tells the story well from
a typographical standpoint; and
splendidly from the point of the grand
old warriors personal view of the en-
gagement.
The following letter written by
Brown to his family tells little of the
battle. 1t runs:
Lawrence, Kansas Territory,
"Sept. z. 1855.
Dear Wife and Children. Everyone
4 have one moment to write to you
to say that am yet alive, that Jason
and family were we'll yesterday; John
and family, hear, are we'll Che being
yet prisoner). On the morning of
the Goth of August an attack was made
by the Ruffians on Osawatomie, num-
bering some four hundred, by whose
scouts our dear Frederick was shot
dead without warning-he Supposlng
them to be Free State men. as near
as we can learn. one other man. a
cousin of Mr.. Adair was murdered by
them about the same time that Fred
erick was killed and one badly wound
| ed at the same time. At this time, l
was about three miles off, where had
| some fourteen or fifteen men over
night that L had Just enlisted to serve
under me as regulars. These l collect
| ed as well as 1 could. with some
| twelve or fifteen more; and in about
three quarters of an hour had at
tackled them from a wood with thick
underground. With this force we
threw them into confusion for about
fifteen or twenty minutes. during
which time we killed or wounded from
seventy to eighty of the enerny-as
they say-and then we escaped as
well as we could, with one killed while
escaping, two or three wounded and
as many more missing Four or five
| Free State men were butchered during
the day in all, Jason fought bravely by
my side during the fight and escaped
| with me. he being unhurt. / was
struck by a partly-spent grape, canist-
er or rifle shot. which bruised me
some. but did not injure me seriously.
| Hitherto the Lord has helped me-
Notwithstanding my Affections. Things
seem rather quiet just now, but what
another hour will bring ] cannot say.
1 have seen three or four letters from
Ruth, and one from Watson. of July
or August, which are all I have seen
since in June. I was very glad to
hear once more from you. and hope
that you will continue to write to
some of the friends. so that 1 may
| hear from you. I am utterly unable
to write you for most of the time. May
| the God of our fathers bless and save
you all. Your affectionate husband
and father. JOHN BROWN"
| His Published Story.
The following was written by John
Brown for the newspapers and is his
| own story of the battle of Osawatomie.
1t was printed in those days over his
own signature as an authentic personal
| account. 1t runs:
| u. #
| August, the enemy's scouts approached
! to within one mile and a half of the
| western boundary of the town of Osa-
watomie. At this place my son Fred
| erick (who was not attached to my
| force) had lodged, with some four other
young men from Lawrence and a young
man named Garrison, from Middle
| Creek. The scouts, led by a pro-slav-
cry preacher named White, shot my
| son (Fred) dead in the road, while he
as have since acknowledgements
| them to be friendly. At the same time
they butchered Mr.. Garrison and badly
| mangled one of the young men from
| Lawrence. who came with my son, leav-
ing him for dead. This was not far
| from sunrise. 1 had stopped during the
! night about two and one-half miles
| from them and nearly one mile from
| OsaWatol- lie. I had no organized force
but only some II or Is new recruits who
| were ordered to leave their preparations
|
as soon as this news was brought tc
me.
LAS L had no means of learning cor
rectly the force of the enemy, placed
II of the new recruits in a log house
hoping we might be able to defend the
town. 1 then gathered some Is more
men together, whom We armed will
guns, and we started to the direction
of the enemy. After going a few rod.
we could see them approaching thu
| t., 0f al
mile off, upon a hill west of the vii
lage.
more than to annoy, from the timbe
near the town into Which we were al
retreated, and which was filled will
a thick growth of underbrush, but
| had no time to recall the II men il
the log house, and so lost their assist
ance in the fight AT the point abov
| named 1 met with Captain Cline a yer.
active young man, who had with hin
! some - or Is mounted men, and per
/ suaded him to go with us into the tim
: Der on the southern shore of Usage, o
: Marais des Cygnes, little to the north
west of the village. Here the mer
} numbering not more than 80 in all, wer
! directed to scatter and await the ap
proach of the enemy.
= This was done in full view of ther
{ (who must have seen the whole move
: | ment) and had to be done in the ut
: most haste. believe Captain Cline an
= some of his men were not even dis
mounted in the fight but cannot asseI
$ positively. When the left wing of tn
r enemy had approached to within com
t mon rifle shot we commenced firing an
{ very soon threw the northern brane
: of the enemy's line into disorder. Thi
q continued some Is or 20 minutes, whic
e lsgave us an uncommon opportunity t
il annoy them. Captain Cline and hi
: men soon got out of ammunition an
| retired across the river.
after the enemy rallied we kept u
our ire, until, Dy the leaving or on
and another. we had but six or seve
left. We then retired across the rive
We had one man Killed. Mr.. Pow
e ers, from Captain Cline's company
in the fight. One of my men, M
Partridge, was shot in crossing til
river. Two or three of the party VIII
took part in the fight, are still missing
ood nav he lost or taken urisOuar