DOCSLIB.ORG

The Life, Trial, and Execution of Captain John Brown : A

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Life, Trial, and Execution of Captain John Brown : A Library of Congress The Life, trial, and execution of Captain John Brown THE LIFE, TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF CAPTAIN JOHN BROWN KNOWN AS “OLD BROWN OF OSSAWATOMIE,” WITH A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE ATTEMPTED INSURRECTION AT HARPER'S FERRY. COMPILED FROM OFFICIAL AND AUTHENTIC SOURCES. Including Cooke's Confession, and all the Incidents of the Execution. NEW YORK. ROBERT M. DE WITT, PUBLISHER. 16? & 162 NASSAU STREET. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 18??, by ROBERT M. DE WITT, In the Clerks's Office of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. W. M. THE LIFE, TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF CAPTAIN JOHN BROWN. The extraordinary, outbreak at Harper's Ferry, in Virginia, on the night of the 16th of October, 1859, the forcible seizure of the national Arsenal, the capture, imprisonment and killing of the people, and the almost immediate suppression and extermination of the insurgents, are events of historical importance. The madness of the attempt, the boldness —amounting to heroism—of the handful of men who were concerned in the movement, and especially the romantic history and personal character of the chief actor, have awakened in the public mind an ardent desire to know more of the man and his intentions. The Life, trial, and execution of Captain John Brown http://www.loc.gov/resource/llst.021 Library of Congress To gratify this desire, as well as to record, in convenient form, the facts concerning the outbreak and its suppression, with the trial of the leader, John Brown, we have compiled the following pages, aiming only to state the truth in all respects, according to the best sources of information. CAPT. JOHN BROWN. John Brown—variously known as “Old Brown,” “Fighting Brown,” and “Ossawatomie Brown”—made his first public appearance in Lykins County, Kansas, in the year 1855. So strange a career as his has not arrested the public attention since Joe Smith was shot in the Carthage jail. His rank among the world's notabilities will be among such fanatics as Peter the Hermit, who believed himself commissioned of Cod to redeem the Holy Sepulchre from the hands of the infidels—Joanna Southcote, who deemed herself big with the promised Shiloh—Ignatius Loyola, who thought that the Son of Man appeared to him, bearing his cross on his shoulders, and gave him a Latin commission of mighty import— or Don Quixote, who was 8 persuaded that he had a mission to rescue all the persecuted damsels in Spain. It was Brown's idea that he was divinely appointed to bring American Slavery to a sudden and violent end. HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE John Brown would not strike one who saw him as being a very tall man. He stooped somewhat as he walked; was rather narrow-shouldered. Went looking on the ground almost all the time, with his head bent forward apparently in study or thought. Walked rather rapidly, and very energetically. His features were very sharp, nose prominent, eyes were black or very dark grey. His hair was quite light, and he wore it rather long about the time of the skirmish at Lawrence. He wore a coarse, homespun kind of clothing, and was usually very unpresuming in his appearance and dress. He seemed to be rather taciturn in his habits, and was a sort of meteoric character, appearing very unexpectedly now at one place, and then at another, so that it could never be known where he was to be found. The Life, trial, and execution of Captain John Brown http://www.loc.gov/resource/llst.021 Library of Congress His appearances and disappearances were always sudden, and in a decided manner. He seemed to be ever on the alert. When he spoke, it was generally in short and precise sentences, energetically expressed, and to the point. When walking, he would not look to the right or left (unless in danger), but seemed to be deeply engaged upon something in his own mind. From another gentleman, who knew him well, we have the following personal portrait: In stature, Mr. Brown was nearly six feet high. He was slim, wiry, dark in complexion, sharp in feature, but with remarkable firmness expressed in his face His eye was sharp, penetrating, and steady. Few men could look him steadily in the eye more than a breath. His hair was dark, and, two years since, was deeply sprinkled with grey. His brow was prominent, the centre of the forehead flat, the upper part of the forehead retreating, which gave, in conjunction with his slightly Roman nose, an interesting and reckless appearance. At the crown of his head, he was remarkably high, in the regions of the phrenological organs of firmness, conscientiousness, and self-esteem, indicating a stern will, unswerving integrity, and remarkable self-possession. The whole family of Browns, the brothers of the man of Harper's Ferry, are of similar build and general characteristics. Whoever can get the promise of a Brown of that breed, considers himself secure JOHN BROWN'S BUSINESS ENGAGEMENTS. There are various statements as to the place of John Brown's nativity. It has Been asserted that he was born at Torrington, Litchfield County, Connecticut; but in one of his answers to parties in Virginia, he stated that he was born in the State of New York. 9 Previous to 1837, he was considered one of the most enterprising business men in Northern Ohio, and built warehouses, and engaged in business on the Canal and Cuyahoga River at Franklin Mills, six miles west of Ravenna, in Portage County The crash of 1837 made him a bankrupt. The great warehouses were standing there empty in 1850, The Life, trial, and execution of Captain John Brown http://www.loc.gov/resource/llst.021 Library of Congress while his son stood with our informant on the bank of the river, and gave this sad fragment of the history of his father's fortune. In 1848, we find him in a large woollen warehouse in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he was known as a quiet, modest man, of unswerving integrity. Indeed, hundreds of wool-growers in Northern Ohio consigned their stock to him to be sold at discretion. A combination of eastern manufacturers, who wished to have no such stern and unflinching man between themselves and the wool-growers, formed in league against him, and forced him to send his wool to Europe for a market, which resulted in a second disaster, and Brown was again reduced to poverty. JOHN BROWN AS A FARMER. Immediately after this failure, he made his appearance as a farmer or cattle breeder in North Elba, one of the interior and most secluded towns of Essex County, and verging upon the vast wilderness of northern New York. The humble farm of Brown is situated on an elevated and broad plateau, embosomed in the giant arms of the Adirondacs. No district of the State is more impressive by the grandeur of its physical features, or its exquisite natural beauties. The town is separated from the outer world by a harrier of dark and lofty mountains Although embracing a territory equal to that of some counties, its population does not exceed four hundred souls. North Elba was the scene of Gerrit Smith's abortive attempts at negro colonization. The scheme may have been suggested by sincere philanthropy, but its issue was an utter failure, entailing upon the author disappointment, and sorrow and suffering on the recipients of his bounty. Scarcely a vestige now remains of this colony, although at one time so numerous that it seemed probable the anomalous political aspect would be exhibited of a town in New York controlled by negro suffrages, and represented in the County Board by a colored supervisors. Only two or three of the colonists remain. They have either abandoned their farms, or the lands have been sold for taxes. Nothing remains The Life, trial, and execution of Captain John Brown http://www.loc.gov/resource/llst.021 Library of Congress of this vaunted city of refuge. Brown made his appearance in North Elba, near the advent of this negro emigration. At the Agricultural Fair of Essex County, for 1850, a great sensation wan created by the unlooked-for appearance on the grounds of a beautiful herd of Devon cattle. They were the first that had been exhibited at the county festival, and every one was surprised and delighted by the incident. The inquiry was universal, whose are these cattle, and from whence do they come? The surprise and excitement was not diminished, when it was understood that a certain John Brown 10 was the owner, and that he resided in the town of North Elba. The Report of the Society for that year contains the following reference to this event: “The appearance upon the grounds of a number of very choice and beautiful Devons, from the herd of Mr. John Brown, residing in one of our most remote and secluded towns, attracted great attention, and added much to the interest of the Fair. The interest and admiration they excited have attracted public attention to the subject, and has already resulted in the introduction of several choice animals into this region. We have no doubt but that this influence upon the character of the stock of our county will be permanent and decisive.” A gentleman who soon after opened a correspondence with Brown in relation to these cattle, states that his reply is written in a strong and vigorous hand,—and by its orthography, accurate punctuation, and careful arrangement of paragraphs, evinces far more than ordinary taste and scholarship.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
    NPS Form 10-900 0MB No. 10024-0018 Oct. 1990 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties ah Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (National Register Bulletin 16A) Com riate box or by entering the information requested. If an item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable. ForTunctions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional entries and narrative items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-9000a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items. 1. Name of Property Historic name Black Jack Battlefield Other name/site number 2. Location U. S. Highway 56 and County Road 2000, three miles , , ., ... .. Street & number oast of Baldwin City - D not for publ,cat,on City or town Baldwin [x] vicinity State Kansas Code KS County Douglas Code 045 Zip code 66006 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this IE1 nomination D request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property CED meets D does not meet the National Register criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant D nationally D statewide £<] locally. (D See continuation sheet for additional comments.) March 1,2004 Signature of certifying official/Title Date Kansas State Historical Society State or Federal agency and bureau ___ ________ In my opinion, the property D meets Q does not meet the National Register criteria.
    [Show full text]
  • Horatio N. Rust Photograph Collection: Finding Aid
    http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8k35wt7 No online items Horatio N. Rust Photograph Collection: Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Suzanne Oatey. Photo Archives The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, California 91108 Phone: (626) 405-2191 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.huntington.org © 2014 The Huntington Library. All rights reserved. Horatio N. Rust Photograph photCL 7-11 1 Collection: Finding Aid Descriptive Summary Title: Horatio N. Rust Photograph Collection Dates (inclusive): 1850-1905 Collection Number: photCL 7-11 Creator: Rust, Horatio N. (Horatio Nelson), 1828-1906 Extent: 766 photographs and ephemera in 14 boxes Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Photo Archives 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, California 91108 Phone: (626) 405-2191 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.huntington.org Abstract: A collection of photographs compiled by Horatio N. Rust (1828-1906), U.S. Indian agent and archaeological artifact collector. The main focus of the collection is Indians of Southern California and the Southwest in the late 19th century, including a set of photographs of Southwest Pueblos by John K. Hillers. There is also a collection of photographs related to abolitionist John Brown and his descendants living in the West. Language: English. Note: Finding aid last updated on April 1, 2014. Access Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services. Boxes 4-7 of photCL 11 contain lantern slides, which are fragile and housed separately from the prints. Advance arrangements for viewing the lantern slides must be made with the Curator of Photographs.
    [Show full text]
  • Antislavery Violence and Secession, October 1859
    ANTISLAVERY VIOLENCE AND SECESSION, OCTOBER 1859 – APRIL 1861 by DAVID JONATHAN WHITE GEORGE C. RABLE, COMMITTEE CHAIR LAWRENCE F. KOHL KARI FREDERICKSON HAROLD SELESKY DIANNE BRAGG A DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History in the Graduate School of The University of Alabama TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA 2017 Copyright David Jonathan White 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the collapse of southern Unionism between October 1859 and April 1861. This study argues that a series of events of violent antislavery and southern perceptions of northern support for them caused white southerners to rethink the value of the Union and their place in it. John Brown’s raid at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and northern expressions of personal support for Brown brought the Union into question in white southern eyes. White southerners were shocked when Republican governors in northern states acted to protect members of John Brown’s organization from prosecution in Virginia. Southern states invested large sums of money in their militia forces, and explored laws to control potentially dangerous populations such as northern travelling salesmen, whites “tampering” with slaves, and free African-Americans. Many Republicans endorsed a book by Hinton Rowan Helper which southerners believed encouraged antislavery violence and a Senate committee investigated whether an antislavery conspiracy had existed before Harpers Ferry. In the summer of 1860, a series of unexplained fires in Texas exacerbated white southern fear. As the presidential election approached in 1860, white southerners hoped for northern voters to repudiate the Republicans. When northern voters did not, white southerners generally rejected the Union.
    [Show full text]
  • A Voice from Harper's Ferry. a Narrative of Events at Harper's Ferry;
    "o *. - . - ^ • * <J> O o»o ^o1 .*<?* V *° • * * ^ <* ' • • • * .*& ^ ^ o- / "oV1 *"* Jpofc A • ^^ " AV^ * £ ^ o • * <* **7T 0" 6°+ .*<?* • I 1 *-. .• o « o • *- .jA o ° " *°* * rlV TV • r O .J *P^ •u/. \ . A VOICE FROM HARPER'S FERRV, NARRATIVE OF EVENTS AT HARPER'S FERRY; .viaU tteal<*> INCIDENTS PRIOR AND SUBSEQUENT TO ITS CAPTURE BY CAPTAIN BROWN AND HIS MEN. BY OSBORNE P. ANDERSON, u ONE OF THE NUMBER. BOSTON : PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR I 8 6 1 la axoh n^ Oornall Univ. S 9bb 06 PREFACE. My sole purpose in publishing the following Narrative is to save from oblivion the facts connected with one of the most important movements of this age, with reference to the overthrow of American slavery. My own personal experience in it, under the orders of Capt. Brown, on the 16th and 17th of October, 1859, as the only man alive who was at Harper's Ferry during the entire time — the unsuccessful groping after these facts, by individuals, impossible to be obtained, except from an actor in the scene — and the conviction that the cause of impartial liberty requires this duty at my hands — alone have been the motives for writing and cir- culating the little book herewith presented. I will not, under such circumstances, insult nor burden the intelligent with excuses for defects in composition, nor for the attempt to give the facts. A plain, unadorned, truthful story is wanted, and that by one who knows what he says, who is known to have been at the great en- counter, and to have labored in shaping the same.
    [Show full text]
  • 2014-11 Gazette
    A Chronicle of the Plum Creek Shooting Society Agarita Ranch November 2014 Lockhart, Texas by Long Juan Introduction. The “Sacking the balance of power between Missouri crossed into Kansas of Lawrence” occurred on slave and free states for more in an effort to ensure that the May 21, 1856, when pro- than 30 years. The 1854 Kansas Territory would enter slavery activists the Union as a slave attacked and state. At the same ransacked the time, the town of town of Lawrence, Lawrence, near the Kansas. The Kansas-Missouri incident was one border, was founded of many in a by anti-slavery settlers guerrilla war from New England. involving anti- Lawrence was named slavery “Free- for Amos Lawrence, a Staters” and pro- New England financier slavery "Border who provided financial Ruffians." This aid to anti-slavery border war took farmers and settlers place in the throughout the Territory of Kansas Territory. The Kansas and its New England neighboring State abolitionists went of Missouri. further than simple Background. In monetary aid. They 1854, Congress shipped boxes of effectively repealed the Kansas-Nebraska Act Sharps rifles to the anti- Missouri Compromise of established the territories of slavery settlers. These rifles 1820, which had maintained Kansas and Nebraska. It were called “Beechers Rifles,” also specified that any future because of a remark by new state's status as free or Henry Ward Beecher, an slave would be determined by anti-slavery preacher, that “a Find Delta Raider. …………….. 4 popular vote of its white male rifle might be a more Photos …………………………. 7-14 residents.
    [Show full text]
  • Taining to Kansas in the Civil War
    5' 4 THE EMPORIA STATE TflE GRADUATE PUBLICATION OF THE KANSAS STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE, EMPORIA . Selected, Annotated Bibliography of Sources gin the Kansas State Historical Society Per- taining to Kansas in the Civil War QuankSs mid on Lawrence, August 21, 1863 (Kansas State Historical Society) J 4' .I.-' -.- a. By Eugene Donald Decker KANSAS STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE EMPORIA, KANSAS A Selected, Annotated Bibliography of Sources ili the Kansas State Historical Society Pertaining to Kansas in the Civil War By Eugene Donald Decker <- VOLUME 9 JUNE 1961 NUMBER 4 THE EMPORIA STATE RESEARCH STUDIES is published in September, Dwember, March and June of each year by the Graduate Division of the Kansas State Teachers College, 1200 Commercial St., Emporia, Kansas. En- tered as second-class matter September 16, 1952, at the post office at Em- poria, Kansas, under the act of August 24, 1912. Postage paid at Emporia, Kansas. KANSAS STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE EMPORIA . KANSAS JOHN E. KING President of the College THE GRADUATE DIVISION LAURENCEC. BOYLAN,Dean EDITORIAL BOARD TEDI?. ANDREWS,Professor of Biology and Head of Department WILLIAMH. SEILER,Professor of Social Scknce and Chairman of Division CHARLESE. WALTON,Professor of English GREEND. WYRICK,Associate Professor of English Editor of this issue: WILLIAMH. SEILER This publication is a continuation of Studies in Educa.tion published by the Graduate Division from 1930 to 1945. Papers published in this periodical are writ'ten by faculty members of the Kansas State Teachers College of Ernporia and by either undergraduate or graduabe students whose studies are conducted in residence under the super- vision of a faculty m,ember of the college.
    [Show full text]
  • Kansas City and the Great Western Migration, 1840-1865
    SEIZING THE ELEPHANT: KANSAS CITY AND THE GREAT WESTERN MIGRATION, 1840-1865 ___________________________________ A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy _______________________________________________________________ By DARIN TUCK John H. Wigger JULY 2018 © Copyright by Darin Tuck 2018 All Rights Reserved The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the dissertation entitled SEIZING THE ELEPHANT: KANSAS CITY AND THE GREAT WESTERN MIGRATION, 1840-1865 Presented by Darin Tuck, a candidate for the degree of doctor of philosophy, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. __________________________________________________ Professor John Wigger __________________________________________________ Assoc. Professor Catherine Rymph __________________________________________________ Assoc. Professor Robert Smale __________________________________________________ Assoc. Professor Rebecca Meisenbach __________________________________________________ Assoc. Professor Carli Conklin To my mother and father, Ronald and Lynn Tuck My inspiration ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation was only possible because of the financial and scholarly support of the National Park Service’s National Trails Intermountain Region office. Frank Norris in particular served as encourager, editor, and sage throughout
    [Show full text]
  • Bleeding Kansas” in the Republican Southerners Who Saw This As a Clever Ploy to Prevent the Spread New York Tribune in the Mid-1850S
    BX-W_BleedingKansas-Rules_V6F.indd 1 5/1/19 12:14 PM Horace Greeley coined the term “Bleeding Kansas” in the Republican Southerners who saw this as a clever ploy to prevent the spread New York Tribune in the mid-1850s. It now refers to the territorial of slavery by filling the territories with anti-slavery immigrants. violence that occurred in Kansas from 1856 to the outbreak of the Both sides determined to outpace the other and the race was on Civil War in 1861. Historians consider the struggle between pro- and to fill the Kansas territory with like-minded settlers. New England anti-slavery forces there one of, if not the, key factor in the outbreak abolitionists formed immigrant societies to financially aid in the of Civil War. transport of settlers into Kansas. Southerners formed Blue Lodges, secret societies to combat abolitionist goals. Anti-slavery settlers Large tracts of Western land had been acquired following the were provided Sharps rifles (nicknamed Beecher Bibles) to defend Mexican American War. The U.S. had also obtained sweeping themselves. Missouri sent hordes of Border ruffians into the Kansas swaths of land from relocated American Indian tribes. The nation Territory to harass and clear out anti-slavery sentiment. Tensions now had to decide if the states to be carved from the territories rapidly escalated as both sides built their own factional towns. Soon were to allow slavery or remain free. Influential Illinois senator, brawling and blame turned into bullets and burning. Stephen Douglas, nicknamed the “Little Giant” for his short stature but commanding presence, proposed Popular Sovereignty.
    [Show full text]
  • NY Magazine of Mysteries V22 N10 Aug 1911
    N E W Y O t ( K £SHKI OF A Cheer up Magazine P ri ce 5 Cert t s a W ar ^picture T&y £*>erbator HE bugles blared for action, The troops rushed to the fray; Grim cannon belched red ruin And shells hurled death all day; Men toiled at trade of murder The hired assassin’s part: With tiger soul usurping The human brain and heart. Gaunt rifles swelled the slaughter, Sharp swords bore clotted glow; Each volley roared fresh requiem, Each charge laid hundreds low; Then bugles sang the truce call, As night clouds dimmed the plain, O comrades, find your wounded! O God, forgive the slain! But ah! ten thousand widows, And anguished mothers’ tears: The myriad blighted orphans Facing robbed, helpless years: Base creed, wrong thought, false standard, Vile plane of tooth and claw; Rouse ye dull world; O Brotherhood! Compel our kindred law! The n«w Y«rk Magazine of* Mysteries 54 strongly expressed. We would not dare I Vision and Life say how much or how little of God the elders of Israel saw on Mount _ Sinai, and By Or. Robert MacDonald what is more to the point is that we have no possible means of finding out. It BEAUTIFUL eJ S 5 ?hurcit. may have been only so much of the di­ vine glory as yon would see in the clear, TO God and translucent sapphire blue from some Lnmtwmi w modern mountain top when the sunlight ii Ml ami d Strikes through the clouds, bathing the HE cal setting of these very heavens in splendor.
    [Show full text]
  • Series Two: Autobiographical Writings
    THE FREDERICK DOUGLASS PAPERS Series Two: Autobiographical Writings VOLUME 3: LIFE AND TIMES OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS THE FREDERICK DOUGLASS PAPERS Series Two: Autobiographical Writings Volume 3: Life and Times of Frederick Douglass Book 1: The Text and Editorial Apparatus John R. McKivigan, Editor Joseph R. McElrath, Jr., Textual Editor Jesse S. Crisler, Textual Editor Robin L. Condon, Managing Editor L. Diane Barnes, Associate Editor James A. Hanna, Whitney R. Smith, Assistant Editors Mark G. Emerson, Peter P. Hinks, Heather L. Kaufman, Jeremiah Nyhuis, Editorial Assistants Hannah Cox, Geoffrey Gagen, Christine McNulty, Scott Philotoff, Jarret Ruminski, Research Assistants Yale University Press New Haven and London Frontispiece, 1881 edition. Frederick Douglass Papers Editorial Office, Indianapolis EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Mary F. Berry Richard J.M. Blackett Carl Degler Robert L. Hall COPYRIGHT PAGE GOES HERE Darlene C. Hine Howard Lamar Howard Temperley George B. Tindall Contents Acknowledgments ix Abbreviations xi Introduction to Volume Three xiii Life and Times of Frederick Douglass 1 First Part 23 Second Part 153 Third Part 375 Appendix 459 Editorial Apparatus Textual Afterword 485 Textual Notes 509 List of Emendations 513 Line-End Hyphenation 531 Historical Collation 537 Descriptive Bibliography 541 The Park Publishing Company Illustrations 561 Index 583 Historical Annotations 629 Introductions to the English Edition 1041 Reader Responses, 1881–93 1045 vii Acknowledgments The publication of Frederick Douglass’s third autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, marks the completion of the Douglass Papers’ sec- ond series of volumes, Autobiographical Writings. Editor John R. McKivi- gan played the primary role in this text’s inception, researching and planning for years before work on the volume began in earnest.
    [Show full text]
  • MAN of DOUGLAS, MAN of LINCOLN: the POLITICAL ODYSSEY of JAMES HENRY LANE Ian Michael Spurgeon University of Southern Mississippi
    The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Summer 8-2007 MAN OF DOUGLAS, MAN OF LINCOLN: THE POLITICAL ODYSSEY OF JAMES HENRY LANE Ian Michael Spurgeon University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations Part of the Military History Commons, Political History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Spurgeon, Ian Michael, "MAN OF DOUGLAS, MAN OF LINCOLN: THE POLITICAL ODYSSEY OF JAMES HENRY LANE" (2007). Dissertations. 1293. https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1293 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of Southern Mississippi MAN OF DOUGLAS, MAN OF LINCOLN: THE POLITICAL ODYSSEY OF JAMES HENRY LANE by Ian Michael Spurgeon A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Studies Office of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved: August 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. COPYRIGHT BY IAN MICHAEL SPURGEON 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The University of Southern Mississippi MAN OF DOUGLAS, MAN OF LINCOLN: THE POLITICAL ODYSSEY OF JAMES HENRY LANE by Ian Michael Spurgeon Abstract of a Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Studies Office of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Is John Brown?
    YOUR KANSAS STORIES OUR HISTORICAL M-40 HISTORY SOCIETY Read Kansas! By the Kansas Historical Society Who is John Brown? Tragic Prelude is a mural of the abolitionist John Brown. Born in Torrington, Connecticut, on May 9, 1800, Brown’s Quaker upbringing instilled in him a lifelong hatred of slavery. As an adult he openly called for the abolishment of slavery and used his house to hide runaway slaves. At age 55 Brown moved to Kansas and played a prominent role during the “Bleeding Kansas” period. While in Kansas he voiced his strong opposition to slavery through speeches and violence. Following the sacking of Lawrence in April 1856 by proslavery forces, Brown and seven of his followers sought revenge. They murdered and mutilated five proslavery men in Franklin County. This event became known as the Pottawatomie Massacre. This action was denounced in both the North and the South. In 1859 Brown left Kansas Territory in hopes of sparking a slave uprising in the South. He was captured while trying to take the armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Tried for treason and found guilty, he was executed by hanging on December 2, 1859. History has not always been kind to John Brown’s complex personality. Abraham Lincoln called him a “misguided fanatic.” His stirring speeches and brave composure while being executed made Brown a martyr for the abolitionists. Poems, ballads, and songs were written in his honor and his legend grew in popularity through the Civil War. Brown’s actions remain controversial to this day. Some condemn his brutal methods while others see his use of violence as a necessity in the fight against slavery.
    [Show full text]