March 27, 2005

How Fourth U.S. Rebellion Failed

John Brown
Click for larger picture

Americans were a cantankerous lot in our early days – rebelling often against central government authority.

We are well aware of the 1776 War For Independence (a.k.a. the American Revolution); and the most recent 1861 War Between The States (a.k.a. the Civil War).

In between there were three other armed rebellions against the central government. These were squashed but successful to some degree. To wit: Shay’s Rebellion, the Whiskey Rebellion and “John Brown’s Insurrection” to free the slaves.

Consider the latter, which focused national attention on fundamental, cultural changes.

Messianic John Brown

Human slavery is an ancient practice introduced into the New World by Columbus. It still flourishes in Africa and Asia. Nevertheless, it was/is considered sub-human even by those entrepreneurs capitalizing on it.

John Brown, born in Connecticut in 1800, moved as a youth with the family to Ohio. There, he was taught by his parents to resent compulsory education and revere the Holy Bible. He learned tanning, married at age 20 and sired seven children. When his wife died, he married again and fathered 13 more progeny. .

He became a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad smuggling runaway slaves to Canada. He also organized a self-protection league for free blacks and fugitive slaves, according to “Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War” edited by Patricia L. Faust.

“By the time Brown was 50, he was entranced by visions of slave uprisings during which racists paid horribly for their sins,” writes the Encyclopedia. “He came to regard himself as commissioned by God to make that vision a reality.”

He followed five of his sons to the new state of Kansas in 1855 to organize a “free-state” militia on the Osawatomie River.

Bands of pro-slavery Kansans agitated for independent choice and pillaged the anti-slavery community of Lawrence.

A few months later, Brown and four of his sons exacted revenge. He led a night attack against pro- slavery residents along Osawatomie Creek. They dragged victims from their beds and hacked them to death.

Thereafter, Brown shuttled between Kansas and Ohio to develop an “insurrection” among slaves to gain freedom, says the Civil War Encyclopedia.

Constitutional Declaration

In the winter of 1857-58, Brown gathered his small, but determined, band of followers at Springdale, Iowa, for military instruction.

Historian Jed Hotchkiss, in his “Confederate Military History,” says Brown then took his cohorts to Chatham, in western Canada. There, they declared a “provisional constitutional convention and ordinances for the people of the United States.”

The provisional preamble states: “Whereas slavery, throughout its entire existence in the United States, is none other than a most barbarous, unprovoked, and unjustifiable war of one portion of its citizens upon another portion ….. Therefore, we citizens of the United States and the oppressed people who … are declared to have no rights which the white man is bound to respect …. ordain and establish for ourselves the following provisional constitution and ordinances, the better to protect our persons, property, lives and liberties, and govern our actions.”

Brown and his followers raided Missouri plantations but with little success other than kidnapping five slaves and smuggling them to Canada.

Then, in the summer of 1859, he turned his attention to what is now West Virginia.

Harpers Ferry Assault

Brown settled on bold action – commandeer rifles and ammunition from the United States Armory at Harpers Ferry. Then he would carry the weapons south to slaves who would rise up spontaneously to oust their masters.

He sent his “Captain,” John E. Cook, to scout the target.

Under the assumed name of Isaac Smith – Brown rented a small farm across the Potomac River in Maryland. There, he collected an “army” of 20 men, including two of his sons and five blacks.

With funds donated by “Secret Six” New England abolitionists, Brown also stocked an empty schoolhouse with a thousand spears.

Brown and his little squad launched their attack on Sunday night, Oct. 16, 1859. They crossed the Potomac River in the rain and overpowered the single watchmen at the United States Arsenal.

Then, the intruders gathered up 40 citizens as hostages and confined them in the Arsenal’s fire engine house, which he chose as his command center. It was soon to be dubbed “John Brown’s Fort”

One of Brown’s son and two insurgents rushed to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad depot to cut the telegraph lines. They killed a Negro baggage master who resisted. Thus, the first victim of Brown’s plan to free blacks, was a black.

Then they halted a passenger train to “rescue” any blacks aboard. There were five, but they refused to budge so the train was allowed to proceed. At the next stop, the conductor alerted military authorities.

By 7 a.m., militia from several nearby towns arrived to surround Brown, his men and hostages in the firehouse. He poked loopholes in the doors from which he and his men fired back.

At sunset, several detachments of regular Army and Marines arrived to mount an assault under command of Lt. Col. Robert E. Lee. Ironically he later was to command Confederate rebellion forces in the Civil War.

Col. Lee ordered Brown to surrender and be spared, and to release hostages unharmed. Brown refused. With this, the Marines opened covering fire while others with a ladder as a battering ram broke down the doors.

One Marine was mortally wounded. Brown was severely wounded by sword while resisting. One hostage tried to attack Brown with a penknife but was clubbed.

Surrender And Trial

Col. Lee’s forces captured Brown, two white men and two Negroes. Ten of the white men -- including both of Brown’s son – and two Negroes associated with Brown were killed.

One white man, Cook, escaped but was later captured and executed. One Negro was unaccounted for.

The insurgents killed four people – the depot baggage master, the mayor of Harpers Ferry, one of its leading citizens and one Marine. The raiders wounded eight white citizens and one Marine.

John Brown was quickly tried for his insurrection. As he was incapacitated by his wound, he testified from a cot in the courtroom crowded with spectators.

Quickly found guilty and sentenced to be hung, Brown asked permission “to say a few words:”

“I deny everything but what I have all along admitted – the design to free slaves. I never did intend murder, or treason, or the destruction of property, or to excite or incite slaves to rebellion, or to make insurrection.

“I believe that to have interfered as I have done – as I have always freely admitted I have done in behalf of God’s despised poor -- was not wrong, but right.

“Now if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children, and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel and unjust enactments – I submit, so let it be done!”

* * *

What John Brown failed to accomplish by force of arms, he carried out by the force of eloquence.

He managed to make himself a martyr and sway public opinion to his goal of abolishing slavery.

Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be contacted at linwms@lindseywilliams.org

(March 27, 2005)

Cutlines

1 – 2 col. – man with beard

VIOLENT ABOLITIONIST: John Brown

Ooooooooo

2 – 3 col. – scenic river

GROUND ZERO: John Brown’s target was the U.S. Arsenal, foreground, at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, now West Virginia.

Oooooooooooo

3 – 2 col. – tents

LAST STAND – John Brown and his 20 cohorts barricaded themselves in the Arsenal’s fire engine house, center with cupola. Tents in foreground were hastily erected for expected arrival of “contrabands” (black slaves).

Oooooooooo

4 -- 3 col. – soldiers in rank

JOHN BROWN’S FORT: The abolitionists were flushed out by U.S. Marines using a ladder as a battering ram after one Marine, center foreground, was slain.

Oooooooooo

5 -- 3 col. – bearded man with rifle and standing man with dog.

STAND BACK: John Brown, under siege, holds off a hostage trying to intervene.

Ooooooooo

6 – 3 col. – crowd scene

HIGH DRAMA: John Brown had been wounded by a Marine with sword and defended himself in court while lying on a cot, center. He was found guilty of insurrection and speedily hanged.

Ooooooooo

OPTIONAL – HEADLINES FROM VARIOUS NEWSPAPERS

Oooooooooo END oooooooo

Williams – John Brown

Sunday – March 27, 2005

LINDSEY AT LARGE LOGO AND 48 PT HEAD