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

              

 

 

 

 

 

                                                     41 

          

         government located here; that they had killed several of our citizens, taken others and 

         held them as prisoners, and that they had in possession a large number ot slaves, who, on 

         the night of tlie 16th inst., were forcibly taken from their masters. 

          I immediately ordered out the “ Jefferson Guard” and the citizens of Charlestown, 

         which order was quickly responded to, and by ten o’clock A.M. they were armed and 

         en route for this place We left Charlestown with about one hundred men, and on 

         reaching Halltown (midway between Charlestown and Harper's Ferry), we learned that 

         the insurgents were in large numbers, and we at once dispatched orders to Col. L. F. 

         Moore, of Frederick County, and to the “ Hamtramck Guards “ and Shepherdstown 

         Troop “ to reinforce immediately We reached Harper's Ferry about half-past eleven 

         o’clock, AM., and took our position on Camp Hill. We immediately dispatched the 

          "Jefferson Guards,” commanded by Capt. J. W. Rowan and Lieutenants H. B. Daven- 

         port, E. H. Campbell and W. B. Gallaher, to cross the Potomac River about a mile west 

         of the Ferry, and march down on the Maryland side and take possession of the Potomac 

         bridge; and a company of the citizens of Charlestown and vicinity, comma nd ed by Capt. 

         L. Botts and Lieut. F. Lackland, to cross the Winchester and Potomac railroad by way 

         of Jefferson’s Rock, to take possession of the Galt house, in the rear of the Arsenal, and 

         commanding the Entrance to the Armory yard. Capt. John Avis and H. B. Washington, 

         Esq., with a handful of men, were ordered to take possession of the houses commanding 

         the yard ot the Arsenal. All these orders were promptly and successfully executed. 

          The bridge across the Shenandoah River and that of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, 

         at the west end of the trestle work, and the street leading from the rifle factory, were 

         guarded by small detachments of men. 

          Between three and tour o’clock P.M. the Hamtramck Guards, Shepherstown Troop, and 

         a company from Martinsburg, commanded by Capt. E. Albmirtis, arrived on the ground. 

         The company from Winchester, commanded by Capt. R. B. Washington, did not arrive 

         till late in thie evening. 

          All the insurgents, save those who were killed and wounded through the day, retired 

         with their prisoners into the guard—house and engine-room, just inside of the gate of the 

         armory yard, which was firmly locked. About three o’clock P.M., the enemy, with the 

         most prominent of their prisoners, concentrated in the engine-room, leaving a large num- 

         ber of their prisoners fas tened up in the guard—house. At this point, and after the arrival 

         of the reinforcements from Shepherdstown and Martinsburg, Col. R. W. Baylor assumed 

         the command, and will furnish you with the details of what followed. 

          The avowed and confessed object of the insurgents was to free the slaves of the South. 

         They had at their head-quarters, near Harper’s Ferry, 200 Sharpe’s 200 revolvers, 

         1,000 pikes, a large number of picks and shovels, and a great quantity of ammunition and 

         other things used in war. All these were taken and are in possession of the federal 

         government. 

                                     JNO. Thos. Gibson, 

                                         Com’dt 55th Regiment. 

          

                                        CHARLESTOWN, Oct. 22, 1859. 

         HON. HENRY A. WISE, Governor of Virginia: 

           Sir-having received intelligence from Harper’s Ferry on the morning of the 17th 

         instant that the abolitionists had invaded our State, taken possession of tIme town, govern- 

         ment property anti arms, I immediately proceeded to the scene of action. In passing 

         through Charlestown, I met Colonel Gibson, with the Jefferson Guards, under arms. We 

         proceeded to Halltown in tIme cars, where the citizens of that place informed me I could 

         proceed no further with tIme train, as not only the Winchester but also the Baltimore and 

         Ohio Railroad track lad been taken up. At this place I learned they had taken seventy- 

         five or one hundred of our citizens prisoners, and had carried off many ot our sl aves. 

         Thereupon I issued the following order to Col, L. T. Moore, of the Thirty-first regiment 

         of Virginia militia 

                                             “October 17, 1859. 

           “COL, L. T. MOORE: Sir—You are ordered to muster all the volunteer forces under 

         your command, fully armed and equipped, and report to me forthwith at Harper's Ferry. 

                                        Robert W. BAYLOR, 

  

          

 

 

 

 

 

                                     “ Col. Third regiment Cavalry 

          

           I placed the above order in charge of Capt. Bailey, the conductor on the Winchester 

          road and directed him to return with his train to Winchester, and deliver the order to