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office-holder—and he was aspiring to supersede Chancy Lenhart in command.
failing to do so, he bolted.
I remained three days in camp. On the second day I had my first taste of
guerrilla life. The sentinel, who stood on the bare summit of the Mound, gave three
long whistles. Every one sprang to his feet. The tent was torn down, rolled up,
and strapped on the nearest horse. Every man seized his blanket, and ran and
tied it to his saddle.
“Now, boys !“ shouted Charley, “scatter and hide; and don’t you come back
again till the troops return to camp.”
I ran to the top of the Mound to reconnoitre. A little stream flowed round the
base of the hill, which, after turning it, meandered to the southward. The lull,
excepting at the summit, was densely wooded ; as also were the banks of the
dtream.
On the opposite side of the stream, about three miles to the south, 1 saw two
companies of United States dragoons, slowly coming up, and hunting us in every
direction. The clearness of the atmosphere enabled us to see that they were con-
ducted by civilians.
"We are betrayed !“ said Charley; “but d—n them, they haven’t caught us
yet. Let’s scatter.”
Every one chose his own course. I thought the safest route (as it would not do
to take to the prairies), would be to cross the stream to the north ; for I reckoned
that, having seen us on the top of the Mound, the troops would cross and examine
it on our side. The Mound is steep, and it was some time before I descended. I
crossed the stream and got through the wood, and was entering the thick brush
beyond it, when, not more than three hundred paces before me, turning the angle
of the wood, appeared the leading file of the mounted troops. The rapidity with
which I leaped from my horse might have taught a lesson in celerity to lightning
I had the advantage of the troops, for they could not pursue me on horseback
and, as I was running for a greater stake than they, I did not fear to be overtaken
I escaped; got to the top of the Mound; watched every movement they made
and, in an hour or two, recrossed the stream and found the horse patiently waiting
for me. The troops, not knowing our strength, were afraid to cross the stream.
Next day I returned to Lawrence and delivered up the horse to the owner ; who,
In a similar spirit of neighborliness, delivered me a bill nearly as long as itself, and
it was the tallest and longest horse in the town. A short time afterward—such
was the fate of many politicians in Kansas—he was obliged to fly for the trifling
peccadillo of murdering a slow-paying debtor. Yet his bill was not half so long as
mine had been; and he had not waited half so long to get it paid.
COOK QUIET FOR A WHILE.
He kept a journal of his adventures, which may be published. He became a cap-
tain himself and in various way distinguished himself for his recklesness and
Object Description
| Title | The life, trial and execution of Captain John Brown: known as "old Brown of Ossawatomie" with a full account of the attempted insurrrection at Harper's Ferry |
| Creator | De Witt, R. M. (Robert M.), 1827-1877 |
| Subject [LCSH] |
Trials (Treason)--West Virginia--Charles Town Abolitionists--United States--Biography Antislavery movements--United States Brown, John, 1800-1859--Trials, litigation, etc. Harper's Ferry (W. Va.)--History--John Brown's Raid, 1859 |
| Description | Compiled from authentic and official sources. Including Cooke's confession and all the incidents. |
| Date Original | circa 1859 |
| Format | Book |
| Digital Format | JPEG |
| Language | eng |
| Geographic Coverage | United States--West Virginia--Harper's Ferry |
| Contributing Institution | Illinois State Library |
| Rights | Materials in this collection are made available by the Illinois State Library. To request reproductions or inquire about permissions, contact: islimg@ilsos.net. Please cite the item title and collection name. |
| Identifier | 2881415 |
| Type | Text |
| Collection Name | Illinois and the Civil War - Documents |
| OCLC number | 830038424 |
Description
| Title | Page 19 |
| Transcript | office-holder—and he was aspiring to supersede Chancy Lenhart in command. failing to do so, he bolted. I remained three days in camp. On the second day I had my first taste of guerrilla life. The sentinel, who stood on the bare summit of the Mound, gave three long whistles. Every one sprang to his feet. The tent was torn down, rolled up, and strapped on the nearest horse. Every man seized his blanket, and ran and tied it to his saddle. “Now, boys !“ shouted Charley, “scatter and hide; and don’t you come back again till the troops return to camp.” I ran to the top of the Mound to reconnoitre. A little stream flowed round the base of the hill, which, after turning it, meandered to the southward. The lull, excepting at the summit, was densely wooded ; as also were the banks of the dtream. On the opposite side of the stream, about three miles to the south, 1 saw two companies of United States dragoons, slowly coming up, and hunting us in every direction. The clearness of the atmosphere enabled us to see that they were con- ducted by civilians. "We are betrayed !“ said Charley; “but d—n them, they haven’t caught us yet. Let’s scatter.” Every one chose his own course. I thought the safest route (as it would not do to take to the prairies), would be to cross the stream to the north ; for I reckoned that, having seen us on the top of the Mound, the troops would cross and examine it on our side. The Mound is steep, and it was some time before I descended. I crossed the stream and got through the wood, and was entering the thick brush beyond it, when, not more than three hundred paces before me, turning the angle of the wood, appeared the leading file of the mounted troops. The rapidity with which I leaped from my horse might have taught a lesson in celerity to lightning I had the advantage of the troops, for they could not pursue me on horseback and, as I was running for a greater stake than they, I did not fear to be overtaken I escaped; got to the top of the Mound; watched every movement they made and, in an hour or two, recrossed the stream and found the horse patiently waiting for me. The troops, not knowing our strength, were afraid to cross the stream. Next day I returned to Lawrence and delivered up the horse to the owner ; who, In a similar spirit of neighborliness, delivered me a bill nearly as long as itself, and it was the tallest and longest horse in the town. A short time afterward—such was the fate of many politicians in Kansas—he was obliged to fly for the trifling peccadillo of murdering a slow-paying debtor. Yet his bill was not half so long as mine had been; and he had not waited half so long to get it paid. COOK QUIET FOR A WHILE. He kept a journal of his adventures, which may be published. He became a cap- tain himself and in various way distinguished himself for his recklesness and |
| Collection Name | Illinois and the Civil War - Documents |
