References

The Conquest of Kansas, William Phillips, 1856Geary and Kansas, John H. Gihon, 1857The Public Life of Captain John Brown, James Redpath, 1860Life and Letters of John Brown, Franklin B. Sanborn, 1885John Brown and His Men, Richard J. Hinton, 1894John Brown, 1800-1859: A Biography Fifty Years After, Oswald Garrison Villard, 1910John Brown, W.E.B. Du Bois, 1910John Brown and the Legend of Fifty-Six, James C. Malin, 1942A John Brown Reader, Louis Ruchames, 1959To Purge This Land With Blood, A Biography of John Brown,

Stephen B. Oates, 1970, 1984The Legend of John Brown, Richard O. Boyer, 1973Allies for Freedom, Blacks and John Brown, Benjamin Quarles, 1974John Brown, The Thundering Voice of Jehovah, A Pictorial Heritage,

Stan Cohen, 1999

Websites

Territorial Kansas Heritage Alliance Kansas State Historical Societywww.territorialkansas.org www.kshs.org

Harpers Ferry John Brown/Boyd B. Stutler Databasewww.nps.gov/hafe/home.htm www.wvculture.org/history

Hotel and Travel Information

Lawrence Visitor Information Center Kansas State TourismToll free 1-888-LAWKANS www.kansas-travel.comwww.visitlawrence.com

Kansas Visitor Information Center/Fort Scott316-223-0310www.fortscott.com

Produced by: Territorial Kansas Heritage Alliance an organization including historical societies, tourism promotion agencies, units ofgovernment, educational institutions, businesses, economic development groups, and interested individuals. The vision ofthe Alliance is to build an understanding of and appreciationfor the history, heritage, and national impact of TerritorialKansas. Brochure committee members: Sharon Haun, KarlGridley, Richard King, Tim Rues, Andrea Renick-Bell, BenjaminMaimer, Brenda Day, Dorothy Lickteig, Richard Sheridan, Tolly Wildcat, Murray McGee, Kim Qualls, Judy Billings.Text/image compilation by Karl Gridley. Brochure design byJason Rincker, North Company.

John Brown &Bleeding Kansas:

Prelude to the Civil War

John Brown &Bleeding Kansas:

Prelude to the Civil WarA Territorial Kansas Heritage Alliance Guide

JohnBrownof Kansas1855-1859

Adair Cabin & John Brown Museum [B5, #49]10th & MainOsawatomie, KS 66064913-755-4384

Anderson Co. Historical Society & Museum [B5, #59]418 West 6thGarnett, KS 66032785-448-5740

Brown Co. GenealogicalSociety [A2, #7]116 South 7th StreetHiawatha, KS 66434785-742-7511

Bushwhacker Museum [C6, #76]231 North MainNevada, MO 64772417-667-9602

Clinton Lake Museum [B4, #35]Bloomington Park, EastClinton Lake, KS785-748-0800

Constitution Hall [B3, #20]319 ElmoreLecompton, KS 66050785-887-6520www.LecomptonKansas.com

Fort Scott National Historic Site [C6, #75]Old Fort Blvd.Fort Scott, KS 66701316-223-0310www.nps.gov/fosc

Gerth Cabin [B5, #56]Junction of Bondi & NE Trego Rd,Next to Historic Wagon BridgeGreeley, KS 66033785-867-2966

Jackson Co. Historical Museum [A2, #10]4th & New YorkHolton, KS 66436785-364-2087

Johnson Co. Historical Society & Museum [C3, #62]6305 Lackman RdShawnee, KS 66216913-631-6709www.digitalhistory.com

Kansas State Historical Society [A3, #13]6425 SW 6th Ave.Topeka, KS 66615-1099785-272-8681www.kshs.org

Lane Museum [B3, #21]640 E WoodsonLecompton, KS 66050785-887-6148

Linn County Museum [C5, #68]307 E. Park St. (Dunlap Park)Pleasanton, KS 66075913-352-8739

Marais des Cygnes Massacre [C5, #64]26426 East 1700 Rd., 5 miles NE of Trading Post off HWY 69Pleasanton, KS 66075

Miami Co. Historical Society [C4, #63]12 East PeoriaPaola, KS 66071913-294-4940

Old Castle Museum [B4, #42]515 Fifth St, Baker UniversityBaldwin, KS 66006785-594-6809

Old Depot Museum [B4, #46]135 West TecumsehOttawa, KS 66067785-242-1250www.ott.net/~history

Osaga Historical Society [C6, #71]408 West OsageFulton, KS 66738316-857-4824

Osawatomie History Museum [B5, #51]628 Main StreetOsawatomie, KS 66064913-755-6781

Trading Post Museum [C5, #65]US HWY 69, 6 miles north ofPleasanton, turn at mile marker 96Next to Trading Post Cemetery, KS66075913-352-6441

Watkins Museum – Douglas Co.Historical Society [B4, #28]1047 Massachusetts StLawrence, KS 66044785-841-4109

Wyandotte Co. HistoricalSociety & Museum [C3, #61]631 North 126th StBonner Springs, KS 66012913-721-1078

Albany Museum [A1, #5]2 Miles north of Sabetha on HWY 75

Museum IndexFor detailed directions and information

regarding John Brown sites within a givenregion, please visit the following museums.Phoning ahead for hours is recommended.

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Original Seal of the Territory of Kansas, 1854

May 9, 2000- first printing, May 9, 2001- second printing, revised.

Nebraska

“God sees it.I have onlya shorttime tolive—onlyone deathto die, and Iwill diefighting for thiscause. There willbe no more peace inthis land untilslavery is done for.I will give themsomething else todo than to extendslave territory. Iwill carry the warinto Africa.” John Brown, to his son Jason, while watching Osawatomie burn, August 30th, 1856

“He was touched by fire. Whether it was

the fire of Heaven or Hell...is a matter of

interpretation and dispute, but the fiery swathe

that Old John Brown cut across eastern Kansas

lighted the way to an explosion of Southern

and Northern tensions at Harper’s Ferry,

Virginia, in the fall of 1859 and sparked the

flames that were to grow into the national

conflagration of 1861-65.”

From: A Note on John Brown, Richard B. Harwell, 1959

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7-42

John Brown of Kansas1855-1859

Born in 1800 in Torrington,Connecticut; raised in the

Western Reserve of Ohio; late ofNorth Elba, New York, John Browncame to Kansas, a father of twenty,

a devoutCalvinist and a militantabolitionist.

In 1855 hearrived heavilyarmed—determined to stop thespread of, andultimately toend, Americanslavery. Kansasbecame hispreliminarybattleground;Harpers Ferryhis final one. Acontroversial,polarizingfigure, John

Brown would force the issue ofslavery to a violent, cataclysmicresolution and forever change theway Americans lived their lives.

“Dear Davis, We willbefore six months rollsaround have the Devil toplay in Kansas...We are

organizing to meet their organiza-

tion. We will be compelled to shoot,

burn and hang, but the thing will

soon be over.” Missouri Sen. David Rice Atchison, President pro tem,U.S. Senate, to Jefferson Davis, U.S. Secretary of War,September 24, 1854.

May 9, 1800Birth of John Brown

War of 1812Driving cattle from Ohio to supply Gen. Hull’s forces at Detroit, a youngBrown witnesses the brutal beating of a slave boy.

1820Missouri Compromise

1831Nat Turner’s Rebellion

Nov. 7, 1837Murder of abolitionistnewspaperman, Elijah Lovejoy, inIllinois by proslaverymob. Brown vows to “consecrate his life to the destruction of slavery.”

Fall, 1849Brown in Europe

1850Fugitive Slave Law

May 30, 1854Kansas-Nebraska Act signed into law by PresidentFranklin Pierce.

� �1

John Browntaking the oath in Springfield,Massachusetts,1846/1847; Brown’svaried and oftentroubled careerincluded work as a tanner, wool merchant and surveyor.Daguerreotype by AugustusWashington, SmithsonianNational Portrait Gallery,Washington, D.C. Brown knew

and respectedmany AfricanAmericansincludingFrederickDouglass, thefamous escapedslave and writer.Daguerreotype U.S. National Park Service

� 1855 �

Heeding a call for defenders of Lawrence, Brown and four of his sons arrived from Brown’sStation [#47] on the afternoon ofDecember 7, “all of us more or less lamed by our tramp,” Brownsaid. Brown was given a captaincyof a company known as the LibertyGuards, and though no militaryaction occurred during this“Wakarusa War,” he was ever

“PopularSovereignty”

is intended toresolve the Free vs.Slave State issue in

Kansas Territory.

Spring,1855John Brown Jr.,

Jason, Owen,Frederick, and Salmon

Brown, come toKansas early in 1855,

and settle north ofPottawatomie Creek,

ten miles west ofOsawatomie. [#47]

Mar. 30, 1855“About one thousand

Missourians arrived in Lawrence

to vote, and vote.Mrs. Robinson says:

‘they were armedwith guns, pistols,

rifles and bowie-knives. They brought

two cannon loadedwith musket balls.’”

From the Annals of Kansas,Daniel W. Wilder, 1875

� �2

“Missourians Going to Vote”—“If thequestion of slavery or no slavery inKansas must be settled at the cartridgebox, instead of at the ballot box, I pray the day may speedily come.” John Jr. to John Brown Sr., letter of May 6, 1855

Samuel Adair,Brown’s

brother-in-law at Osawatomie

“Rescue of Branson”—The murder ofCharles W. Dow and Rescue of Bransonnear Blanton’s Crossing results in theWakarusa War. [#33 Blanton’s Crossing]

John Brown Jr.,Brown’s eldest son

Kans

as S

tate

His

toric

al S

ocie

ty (K

SHS)

KSHS

KSHS

after known asCaptain Brown.

“I will only say of

this scene that it was

Heart-rending; & cal-

culated to exasperate

the men exceedingly;

and one of the sure results of Civil

War.”

“To each of their persons

was strapped a short heavy

broadsword,” G.W. Brown, editor

of the Herald of Freedom, recalled

of the Browns’ arrival in Lawrence:

“Each was supplied with a goodly

number of fire arms, and navy

revolvers, and poles were standing

endwise around the wagon box

with fixed bayonets pointing

upwards. They looked really formi-

dable and were received with great

eclat. A small military company was

“The Antislaveryportion of theinhabitantsshouldimmediately,thoroughly arm and organizethemselves in militarycompanies.”John Jr. to John Brown Sr.,letter of May 20 and 24, 1855

Oct. 6-7, 1855

John Brown arrives at Osawatomie andBrown’s Station fromChicago by one-horsewagon.

“...the old manwas shocked atwhat he found.His children wereliving in makeshifttents, ‘shiveringover their littlefires all exposed tothe dreadfullycutting Winds.’”Oates—quoting John Brown’s letter of Oct. 13, 1855

John Brown Sr.immediately set to work to buildadequate shelter. [#47 Brown’s Station, #49 Adair Cabin & JohnBrown Museum]

Dec. 7, 1855Brown and four of his sons arrive to help with defense ofLawrence during theWakarusa War. [#33 Blanton’s Crossing, #24 Free State Hotel SIte]

� �3

Facsimile of original letter, to Mary,Dec. 16, 1855: “Civil War” in Brown’shandwriting—John Brown describingseeing the body and grieving widow ofmurdered Ohio abolitionist, Thomas W. Barber, [#30 Oread Cemetery] at the Free State Hotel [#24] in Lawrence, Dec. 7, 1855. Kansas State Historical Society

James H. Lane and CharlesRobinson —Prominent FreeState leaders during theWakarusa War when Lawrencewas surrounded by a vast forceof Border Ruffians.

John Brown’swife Mary

Stut

ler C

olle

ctio

n

KSHS

organized at once, and the com-

mand was given to Old Brown.”

May 21, 1856Lawrence sacked by Sheriff Jones.

[#24 Free State HotelSite] Platte County

Rifles, KickapooRangers, Doniphan

Tigers and PalmettoGuards all participate.

Senator Atchison

of Missouri,drinking and

enjoying the dayimmensely, urgedthe Rangers on in

the destruction of the Free State

Hotel [#24] andtheir pillage of thetown: “If any man

or woman standin your way,” hebellowed, “blow

them to hell with acold chunk of

lead!”

� �4

“David Rice Atchison bombarding the Free State Hotel” [#24 Free State Hotel Site] Missouri State Historical Society

David RiceAtchison

CannonballKSHS

Sheriff Samuel Jones

KSHS

KSHS

� 1856 �After a long, cold winter,

hostilities between Free State andPro-slavery forces erupted again inthe spring of 1856. On May 21,Lawrence [#24 Free State Hotel Site] wassacked by

Missouriansunder the commandof Sheriff SamuelJones. John Brownagain set out to aidin defense, buthearing that theMissourians had left

the town, he turned back near thetown of Prairie City, and camped above Dutch Henry’s Crossing on Pottawatomie Creek. [#52 Pottawatomie Massacre Sites, #53 Plaque

at Lane, #45 Ottawa “Tauy” Jones’ Farm]

In brutal retaliation for thesacking of Lawrence, and for thebeating of Massachusetts SenatorCharles Sumner in Washington byCongressman Preston Brooks ofSouth Carolina, Brown, four of hissons, and two other settlers

May 22, 1856Caning of Senator Sumner

“Salmon said that,while everybody incamp was upsetabout the beatings[of Sumner], heand his fatherand unmarriedbrothers ‘wentcrazy—crazy’when they heardthe news. ‘Itseemed to be thefinishing, decisivetouch.’”Oates

May 24 & 25,1856Brown, four of hissons and two settlerscommit thePottawatomieMassacre. Victims:James P. Doyle, DruryDoyle, William Doyle,Allen Wilkinson, andWilliam Sherman.

“…there is no one for whom the border ruffiansentertain a morewholesome dreadthan CaptainBrown. They hatehim as they woulda snake, but their hatred iscomposed ninetenths of fear… He is a strange,resolute, repulsive,iron-willed,inexorable old man.”William Phillips, special correspondent of the New York Tribune, for Kansas, 1856

� �5

“Caning of Charles Sumner”Kansas Collection, University of Kansas; KSHS

1832 Artillerysword, typeused in thePottawatomieMassacre. [#49 Adair Cabin & John Brown Mus.]

committed the PottawatomieMassacre [#52 Pottawatomie Massacre Sites,

#53 Plaque at Lane, #46 Old Depot Museum,

#54 Hanway House] on the evening of May 24. Five Pro-slavery settlerswere hacked to death that nightand early morning, an act ofbutchery that shocked the territory.Brown himself, though neveradmitting or denying directinvolvement in the massacre, said it was done to even the score forsix Free State men murdered in theprevious months, and “to cause arestraining fear.” Whatever therationale, this brutal act plungedBleeding Kansas further into avicious civil war that ragedthroughout much of 1856.

“He

[John

Brown]

said if a

man stood

between

him and

what he

considered

right, he

would take

his life as

coolly as he

would eat his

breakfast. His actions show what

he is. Always restless, he seems

never to sleep. With an eye like a

snake, he looks like a demon.” Affidavit quote of Mahala Doyle, widow of James P. Doyle

“On last Sunday morning,

about 2 o’clock (the 25th of

May last), whilst my wife

and child and myself were

in bed in the house where

we lived, we were aroused

“Without theshedding of

blood, there is no remission

of sins.” Hebrews 9:22,

a favorite biblical quote of Brown

May 26, 1856August Bondi joins

John Brown’s band.

Summer, 1856Blockade of

Free State travel on the Missouri Riverby Pro-slavery forces.Lane Trail is opened,

going from Topekathrough Nebraska City

to Iowa. [#6]

May 30-31,1856James Redpath firstmeets John Brown;Brown joins forces

with Captain SamuelT. Shore [#44]

Battle of BlackJack marker [#43 Battle of Black Jack Park, #42 Old Castle Museum]

Sharps carbine [#13Kansas Museumof History]

OwenBrown

� �6

KSHS

by a company of men who said they

belonged to the northern army, and

who were each armed with a sabre

and two revolvers, two of whom I

recognized, namely, a Mr. Brown,

whose given name I do not remem-

ber, commonly known by the

appellation of ‘Old Man

Brown,’ and his son, Owen

Brown. They came in the

house…and ordered us,

together with three other

men…to surrender; that the

northern army was upon

us, and it would be no

use for us

to resist…” Affidavit quote of James Harris, regarding thePottawatomie Massacre

“I desire also to say

that I did not then

approve of the killing of

these men, but Brown said

it must be done for the

protection of

the free state settlers; that the

pro-slavery party must be terrified

and that it was better that

a score of bad men should die

than that one man who came here

to make Kansas a free state should

be driven out.”Statement of James Townsley, Lane, Kansas, December 6, 1879[#54 Hanway House]

June 2, 1856Battle of Black Jacktakes place in south-eastern DouglasCounty [#42 Old CastleMuseum, #43 Battle ofBlack Jack Park]

June 5, 1856Prisoners arereleased toColonel Edwin V.Sumner and Lt.J.E.B. Stuart atcamp on MiddleOttawa Creek [#44Middle OttawaCreek] (south ofPrairie City).

June 6, 1856Brown’s Station is burned to theground.

Pike –CharlesBlair wasthe black-smith whomade the1000pikes.

J.E.B. StuartE. V. Sumner

� �7

KSHS

Gear

y Co

unty

His

toric

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On June 2, the Battle of Black Jack [#43 Battle of Black Jack Park,

#42 Old Castle Museum] took place insoutheastern Douglas County. The battle between John Brown’smen and those of Henry Clay Pateis considered the first regular battlefought between Free State and Pro-slavery forces. Brown routed Pate’smen and took most of themprisoner to a camp along MiddleOttawa Creek. [#44 Middle Ottawa Creek].On the 5th of June, Brown’s camp wasdisbanded, and Pate’s men releasedby Colonel Edwin V. Sumner andLieutenant J.E.B. Stuart. One ofBrown’s trophies from Black Jackwas Pate’s “Bowie knife,” whichBrown later showed a Connecticut

June-Sept. 1856Imprisonment at

Camp Sackett of John Jr.

[#17 Camp Sackett]

“The soldiers,thinking John Jr.

one of thePottawatomie

killers, chainedhim to a tent pole

and beat him withfists and rifle butts

until he was ‘araving maniac.’‘…like a gang ofslaves they werethus driven on

foot…dragging their

chains afterthem.’”

Oates—quoting the New York Tribune,

June 23, July 2 & 7, 1856

� �8

“Had I knownwhom I wasfighting I wouldnot have trustedto a flag of truce.Captain Browncommanded meto order mycompany to lay down theirarms. Putting a revolver to my breast herepeated thecommand,giving me one or two minutes to

make theorder.”Henry ClayPate on JohnBrown at theBattle ofBlack Jack

“Captain Patereproaches mewith the mostdishonorableviolations of therights securedunder a flag oftruce, but says:‘My object was to gain time,and if possiblehave hostilitiessuspended forawhile.’ Somuch, in hisown language,for good faith, of which hefound me sodestitute.”John Brown writing fromLawrence, Kansas Territory,July 1, 1856, to the New York Tribuneof July 11, 1856

Henry Clay PateWest Virginia State Archives

John Brown Jr.and Jason Browntook no part in the Pottawatomiekillings, and bothwere aghast thattheir fatherplanned and executed the massacre.

KSHS

blacksmith, asking ifhe could make athousand like it tobe “attached topoles about six feetlong.” Thusoriginated thefamous pikes ofHarpers Ferry,though at the timeBrown claimed“they would be acapital weapon forthe settlers ofKansas to keep in their log cabinsto defend themselves against anysudden attack that might be madeon them.” [#49 Adair Cabin & John Brown Mus.,

#13 Kansas Mus. of History, #28 Watkins Mus., #42

Old Castle Mus.]

“Hiding from our enemies like David of old finding ourdwelling with the serpents of the rock, and wild beasts of the wilderness.” Brown letters, June 24 and 26, 1856

July 4, 1856Free State Legislaturemeets in Topeka, in open defiance of Pro-slavery territorialgovernment. [#14Constitution Hall, Topeka]Brown encampedalong ShunganungaCreek at Willets farm.[#15 John Ritchie House]

Aug. 8, 1856Raid on New Georgia,Miami County

� �9

ConstitutionHall, Topeka [#14 ConstitutionHall, Topeka]

Brown andHarpers FerryRaider John E.Cook, meet forthe first timeshortly after theBattle of BlackJack, at CampBrown.

KSHS

KSHS

“John Brown’s hatred of the border-ruffians hadreached so high a degree,that he could emulate theworst of them in acts ofcruelty, whilst not oneamong them was his equalas a tactician, or possessedas much courage and daring. Hence his name

soon became aterror, and not afew unsuccessfulattempts weremade to effect hiscapture.”John H. Gihon, Geary and Kansas, 1857

After FrederickBrown charged thefield when the horseswere shot, Pate offereda flag of truce.

“Camp Brown” onMiddle Ottawa Creek,

Aug. 10, 15 &16, 1856

Skirmishes at Fort Franklin, Fort

Saunders and FortTitus. [#32 Franklin,

#38 Fort Saunders, #18 Fort Titus]

“These forts were simply log

houses, with port-holes for guns,

and supplied withprovisions and

ammunition, and prepared for defense or

siege. These three strongholds

practically cut offLawrence fromhelp and from

supplies.” Richard Cordley, History

of Lawrence, Kansas

“It seems that this Brown is a

power in theTerritory—neither

the Territorial or General

Governmenthaving been ableso far to stop his

depredations. Heis fast taking rank

with guerrillachiefs of Mexico,

and the robberbands of CaneHill, Arkansas;

and unlesssomething is doneto put a stop to his

career, volunteerforces will be

necessary to puthim down.”

The Kansas City Enterprise,August 16, 1856

� �10

Fort Saunders, Pro-slavery stronghold, 1856Letter of August 12, 1856: “Mr. Brown—Gen. Joe Cook [James Lane] wants you to come to Lawrence this night, for weexpect to have a fight on WashingtonCreek [Fort Saunders]. Come to Topekaas soon as possible and I will pilot you to the place. Yours in haste, H. Stratton.”KSHS

Brown andHarpers FerryRaider Aaron D. Stevens,(Alias “CaptainWhipple”) meetfor the first timeat Nebraska Cityduring this period.

KSHS

KSHS

[#44 Middle Ottawa Creek Camp] becameheadquarters for John Brown andhis men:

“I shall not soon forget the

scene that here opened to my view.

Near the edge of the creek a dozen

horses were tied, all ready saddled

for a ride for

life, or a hunt after Southern

invaders. A dozen rifles and sabres

were stacked around the trees…

Old Brown himself stood near

the fire…” James Redpath, The Public Life of Captain John Brown

“Camp Brown” became mobile after June 5.

After a month of hiding,Brown was en route fromLawrence, [#27 Eastern House Site, #29 Mount

Oread, #19 Big Springs] on the 2nd and 3rdof July, to Topeka where the FreeState Legislature was meeting in open defiance of the Pro-slaveryterritorial government. Thisgathering was dispersed militarilyby Colonel Sumner [#14 Constitution

Hall, Topeka] on July4, and Brown, who wascamped alongtheShunganungaCreek soon left the area. Laterthat month he was headedalong the LaneTrail to NebraskaCity—soonreturning toKansas with amilitary caravanunder JamesLane. [#1 Nebraska

Aug. 24-26,1856With Capt. James B.Cline on Sugar Creek(battle on SouthMiddle Creek). [#58 South Middle Creek,Battle Hill, #68 LinnCounty Museum]

Aug. 30, 1856Battle of Osawatomie[#49 Adair Cabin & John Brown Museum,#50 Soldiers’ Monument,Battle of Osawatomie,#51 Osawatomie HistoryMuseum] on the banksof the Marais desCygnes. Brown’s sonFrederick is amongthose killed.

� �11

Statue of JohnBrown [#49 JohnBrown Memorial Park,Osawatomie]

City, Neb.

#6 Lane Trail Marker, #4 Plymouth/Pony Creek]

John Brown appeared inKansas Territory again the secondweek in August. A series ofskirmishes and battles occurredduring this time at Franklin, FortSaunders and Fort Titus. Brownmay have participated in theseevents. [#32 Franklin,

#38 Fort Saunders, #18 Fort Titus, #35 Clinton Lake

Museum, #20 Constitution Hall, Lecompton]

“Brown was a presencein Kansas and an activepresence all through ‘56.Yet it was his presence morethan his activities, thatmade him a power, - theidea of his being. He was a ghostly influence.No man in Kansas was more

respected. Yet, after Pottawatomie

he moved much in secret.” Statement of R. G. Elliott

In late August, Brown was offraiding along the Missouri border,and on the 28th he returned toOsawatomie with 150head of cattle. Cattlerustling was a commondepredation amongboth sides during thisperiod, and Brownclaimed he was onlyconverting the herd toabolitionism. ByAugust 30 the Battleof Osawatomie wasraging along the banksof the Marais desCygnes. [#49 Adair Cabin

& John Brown Museum]

General John W.Reid and 250 men set out to destroy the

Aug. 31-Sept. 6, 1856

At Hauser farm and Tauy Jones’

farm. [#45]

Sept. 7, 1856Brown arrives

back in Lawrence. [#27 Eastern House]

“On September 7,Brown rode intotown on a grayhorse, with hisgun across hissaddle and a

dazed expressionon his face. The

old man was wellknown in

Lawrence and ashe moved down

the street mencheered ‘as loudlyas if the Presidenthad come to town,

but John Brownseemed not to

hear it and paidnot the slightest

attention.’”Oates—quoting Henry

Reisner, eyewitness that day.

� �12

JohnTecumseh

“Tauy” Jones—a Chippewa

Indian andclose friend of

Brown

Daguerreotypeof John Brown—Summer, 1856,Kansas Territory(Attributed to John Bowles,

Lawrence, K.T.) Library of

the Boston Athenaeum

KSHS

abolitionist stronghold ofOsawatomie on August 30, andJohn Brown and his menwere a primary target.Brown’s son Frederick was thefirst killed. There was a furiousfire fight along the river, withBrown eventually retreatingacross the Marais des Cygnes tohigh ground where he watched Osawatomie burn. [#48 Osawatomie State Hospital] See quote

inside front cover.

Brown biographer,Stephen B. Oates, describes the Battle ofOsawatomie as follows:

“Brown ran back and forth in

the timber exhorting his men to fire

low and hold their positions, but his

voice was lost in the noise of the

gunfire and cannonade…Only

when the Missourians threatened

to engulf them did he allow his men

to fall back step by step along the

riverbank. Suddenly the old man

staggered—struck in the back by

a partially spent blast of grapeshot.

Luckily for him he was not seriously

injured (later he claimed that God

had saved his life).

As the Missourians swarmed

after them [James] Holmes and

several others waded into the river

and tried to swim for their lives.

The Missourians opened fire

on them, killing George Partridge,

and capturing four others (includ-

ing Brown’s trusted friend, Charles

Kaiser)—[Kaiser, an Austrian, was

executed after the battle.]

With rifle balls striking the

Sept. 9, 1856William H. Leeman,the youngest of theraiders at HarpersFerry, first joins JohnBrown’s “VolunteerRegulars” atLawrence.

Sept. 10, 1856John Jr. released from prison. [#17 Camp Sackett]

� �13

Brown’s Coltrevolver [#13 Kansas Museum of History]KSHS

KSHS

water all around… Brown, Jason,

and three or four others ran further

down the river, then waded across

where the water was relatively shal-

low. To George Grant, the old man

looked a ‘queer figure, in a broad

straw hat and a white linen duster,

his old coattails floating outspread

upon the water and a revolver held

high in each hand, over his head.’”

Sept. 14, 1856Brown gives “Keepcalm and aim low”

speech in Lawrence.[#23 Free State

Brewery Plaque]

Sept. 15, 1856Gov. Geary averts abattle at Lawrence.

Sept. 15-22,1856

At Augustus Wattles’[#36 Augustus Wattles’Farm, Bloomington, #35

Clinton Lake Museum]near Bloomington on

Rock Creek, Lieut.Eugene A. Carr

searched the Wattleshome for Brown: “[As]Brown lay on the floor

of the attic, whitherhe had gone to sleep,

he could look downbetween the roof

boards and the toplog of the wall, hear-ing every word, see-ing every movement,with his two loaded

Colt’s revolvers in his hands.”

Recollection of EmmaWattles Morse (Villard)

Oct. 1, 1856At Osawatomie [#49 Adair Cabin

& John Brown Museum]

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Brown’s men at Lawrence: “Free StateBattery, 1856” Left to right: Owen Brown,George B. Gill, Tauy Jones, Augustus Wattles,August Bondi, James Redpath. Cannon: Old Sacramento. [#28 Watkins Museum]Kansas State Historical Society, donated by T. W. Higginson, identifications by Jean Libby, daguerreotype attributed to John Bowles.

John W.Geary

The Secret Six —Brown’s Northern Supporters.

John Brown writing to George Luther Stearns,16 Nov. 1857, from Topeka, Kansas T.—“Dear Friend, I have now been in Kansas for more than a Week: & for about Two days with Mr. Whitman [#22 Whitman Farm] &other friends atLawrence. I find mattersquite unsettled.”Villard

T. W. Higginson

GerritSmith

George L. Stearns

KSHS

“I was struck by a partly spent

Grape, Canister, or Rifle shot which

bruised me some, but did not injure

me seriously. ‘Hitherto the Lord hath

helped me’ notwithstanding my

afflictions.” John Brown’s letter to his family, dated Lawrence K.T., Sept. 7,1856 [KSHS]

“The battle of Osawatomie was

the high divide of the contest. It was

our Thermopylae, and

John Brown our

Leonidas, with his

Spartan

band…Osawatomie

is

as sacred as Bunker

Hill.” Senator John J. Ingalls, 1877

Two weekslater, Lawrence was under threat ofinvasion from a greatly enlarged force under Reidand Atchison. 2700 Missourianswere camped at Franklin andprepared to march on Lawrence.Brown spoke to thedefenders onSeptember 14,encouraging them to “keep calm andaim low.” Thenewly-appointedgovernor, John W. Geary, soonarrived fromLecompton (with 300U.S. Army dragoonsunder Lt. ColonelsJoseph E. Johnstonand Philip St. George

Oct. 5, 1856Leaves Kansas via Lane Trail; [#6 Lane Trail Marker, #1 Nebraska City, NE]narrowly escapingcapture by Lieut.Colonel Cooke nearNebraska City.

Oct. 5, 1856 -Nov. 3, 1857Out of Kansas speak-ing and fund-raisingfor 13 months.

Jan. 23, 1857At a meeting of the National KansasCommittee in New York.

Mar. 4-6, 1857James Buchanan’sInauguration; DredScott Decision.

May 13, 1857Brown leavesVergennes, Vermont,for Kansas.

Nov. 1857Brown arrives in, and leaves Kansas viathe Lane Trail. [#6]

Nov. 5-7, 1857Edmund B. Whitmanfarm. [#22 WhitmanFarm]

“The mostimportant resultof this visit ofBrown to Kansaswas his recruitinghis first men forthe Harpers Ferry raid.” Villard

Nov., 1857LecomptonConstitution [#20]

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Edmund B.Whitmanwas the primary agentin Kansas forboth theMassachusettsand theNationalKansasCommittee.

John H.Kagi,Brown’sSecretary of War

Samuel G. Howe,husband ofJulia WardHowe

Franklin B. Sanborn

TheodoreParker

KSHS

KSHS

Cooke) and negotiated a cease fire,averting bloodshed. During Geary’stenure the Kansas civil war of 1856came to a close, and John Brownleft Kansas Territory on Oct. 5heading east to conduct fund-raising for his anti-slavery crusade.

Nov. 20, 1857-June 24, 1858

Out of Kansas forseven months.

May 19, 1858Massacre on Marais

des Cygnes of fiveFree State men. [#68Linn Co. Museum, #64

Marais des Cygnes StateHistorical Site, #65

Trading Post Museum](John Greenleaf

Whittier writes hispoem “Le Marais du Cygne” about

the massacre.)

June 1858Brown arrives back inKansas from Canada

after the ChathamConvention.

July 12, 1858Harpers Ferry Raider

Charles P. Tidd,joins Shubel

Morgan’s Company.

� �16

Marais des Cygnes Massacre

Articles ofAgreementfor ShubelMorgan’sCompanyKSHS

KSHS

KSHS

“They had no regular

commander, any more than at

Bunker Hill; but the

famous ‘Old Captain

Brown’ moved

among them, saying,

‘Fire low, boys; be

sure to bring your

eye down to the hin-

der sight of your rifle,

and aim at the feet rather than the

head.’” Thomas Wentworth Higginson, writing in the New York Tribune,October 8, 1856, from Lawrence, K.T.

Aug. 15-Sept.15,1858At Adair Cabin forfour weeks. [#49 AdairCabin] Old Brownwrote to John Jr. thathe had been “entirelylaid up with ague andchill fever. Was nevermore sick.”

Dec. 16, 1858Raid on Ft. Scott. [#75] Brown recruitsHarpers Ferry RaidersJeremiah G.Anderson andAlbert Hazlett,during this period.

Dec. 20, 1858Brown leads a raidinto Missouri to freeeleven slaves, killingone slaveholder.[#74 Vernon County, Mo.,#76 BushwhackerMuseum]

� �17

JamesMontgomery

SamuelHarper, one of elevenAfricanAmericansfreed byBrown fromMissourislaveholders. KSHS

Portrait ofFlorella Adair,Brown’s half-sister; along withJohn Kagi, shenursed Brownduring his sickness.

BiblefromCapitolmuralKSHS

KSHSKSHS

KSHS

KSHS

� 1857 �Brown, using the alias

of Nelson Hawkins, returned to Kansas Territory briefly inNovember of 1857. Arriving nearLawrence on the 5th, he gatheredtogether a group of men at theEdmund B. Whitman farm, [#22 Whitman Farm] and at the DanielSheridan Farm [#16 Sheridan Farm] nearTopeka, telling people he wasraising funds and recruiting forKansas when in fact he had hissights on Harpers Ferry. Thesemen, including John E. Cook,Aaron D. Stevens and John H. Kagi,were Brown’s first recruits for hisplanned raid on Harpers Ferry.

“Our ultimate destination is theState of Virginia,” Brown told themafter their arrival from Kansas inTabor, Iowa [#1 Nebraska City, NE,

#2 Tabor, IA]. John Brown’s bold plan tofree the slaves was taking shape,though he had one more grandadventure left in Kansas.

Dec. 21, 1858-Feb. 1, 1859

Underground Railroadjourney through

Kansas.

“We are on the eve of one of thegreatest wars in

history, and I fear slavery will

triumph, andthere will be an

end of allaspirations for

human freedom.For my part,

I drew my swordin Kansas whenthey attacked us,and I will neversheathe it until

this war is over.”Quote from William Phillips’

last interview of Brown [#25 Whitney House Site]

Jan. 7, 1859Desk of AugustusWattles at which

John Brown wrote his famous

“Parallels” justifyinghis Missouri raid. [#49 Adair Cabin &

John Brown Museum]

Jan. 31, 1859Battle of the Spurs

� �18

REWARD offeredfor capture of

John Brown, by the Gov. of Missouri

and PresidentBuchanan.

Last photographic portrait of John Brown—with beard—taken by J.B. Heywood, May,1859, in Boston, Mass., as he appeared whilepreparing for the raid on Harpers Ferry. KSHS

� 1858 �“Our ‘warrior of

the Lord

and of Gideon’—the

renowned

Old Brown—has

just arrived in

Lawrence. He leaves

tomorrow morning

to visit Capt. Montgomery.”

Oct. 16-18, 1859John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry,Va.—Kansas Raiders,Kagi, Leeman and J. G. Anderson, alongwith Brown’s sonsOliver and Watson,are among thosekilled during the raid.

Oct. 25-Nov. 2, 1859Trial and sentencingof John Brown inCharlestown, Va.

� �19

“Storming of theEngine House,”Harpers Ferry, Oct. 18, 1859

Headline from the LawrenceRepublican, October 20, 1859 about the Harpers Ferry Raid.

Harpers Ferry Raider“Emperor”Shields Green,a friend ofFrederickDouglass.

Col. Robert E. Lee (as heappeared in1859) was thecommander of the Federalforces thatcapturedBrown and his men atHarpers Ferry.KSHS

Harpers Ferry RaiderDangerfieldNewby is amongthose killed.

� �20

Dec. 2, 1859John Brown hanged

for “crimes of murder,treason and slave

insurrection” againstthe state of Virginia.

“So perish all such enemies of

Virginia! All suchenemies of the

Union! All suchfoes of the

human race!”Col. J.T.L. Preston,

December 2, 1859, upon theexecution of John Brown

“John Brown’scareer for the last

six weeks of hislife was meteor-

like, flashingthrough the

darkness in whichwe live. I know

of nothing somiraculous in

our history.”Henry David Thoreau—

“The Last Days of John Brown”

“Old John Brown has just

been executed fortreason against

the state. Wecannot object,

even though heagreed with us in

thinking slaverywrong. That

cannot excuseviolence,

bloodshed, and treason. It

could avail himnothing that he

might thinkhimself right.”

Abraham Lincoln, speaking in Leavenworth, Kansas

Territory, on Dec. 3, 1859.Lincoln nonetheless felt

Brown had “shown great courage, and

rare unselfishness.”

New York Tribune, July 8, 1858, James Redpath, SpecialCorrespondent, writing from Lawrence, June 27, 1858. [#25 Whitney House]

Following the Marais desCygnes Massacre [#68 Linn Co. Museum, #65

Trading Post Museum, #64 Marais des Cygnes State

Historical Site,] of May 19, 1858, whenfive Free State men were shot todeath, John Brown returned toKansas. While at the ChathamConvention in Canada, where hewas refining plans for the HarpersFerry raid, the plan was betrayedby Brown’s military advisor, HughForbes, to officials in Washington.Thinking it best to delay the raiduntil rumors had settled down (andhearing of the massacre), Brownarrived in Kansas with a flowingwhite beard and a new alias:Shubel Morgan. After passingthroughLawrence,he went tosoutheasternKansas [#66

Augustus Wattles’,

Moneka, #72 Fort

Bain, #73 Fort

Brown, #69 Fort

Broadside announcingJohn Brown execution,“Anti-Slavery MassMeeting.” [#26 Miller’s Hall]

“Last Moments of John Brown” by T. Hovenden.“Even now as I write, theyare leading old John Brown to executionin Virginia for attempting to rescueslaves! This is sowing the wind to reapthe whirlwind, which will come soon.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, December 2, 1859.

KSHS

Met

ropo

litan

Mus

eum

of A

rt, N

YC

Montgomery/Fort Brown, #70 Reconstructed Fort

Montgomery, #64 Fort Snyder] to meet upwith James Montgomery, one of themost prominent Free State chieftains. John Brown once again established his presence in the thick of thetroubles, building a fort [#64 Fort Snyder]

near the site of the massacre, “in full view for miles around

in Missouri.”On December 20, Brown led

a daring raid into Missouri [#74 Vernon

County, Mo.] to free eleven enslavedAfrican Americans. For over amonth Brown escorted the freedAfrican Americans through Kansasalong theUndergroundRailroad, [#’s 73, 72, 69, 66, 65, 57, 56,

55, 54, 49, 45, 39, 37, 34, 31,

27, 35, 16, 15, 12, 11, 9, 8, 5,

3, 4] and eventually

to Canada.A child bornduring thisescape tofreedom

was named Captain

Melodeon[#49 Adair Cabin]Played at JohnBrown’s funeral.Given by JohnBrown to his daughter Ruth.

“History will date Virginiaemancipationfrom Harper’sFerry. True, theslave is still there.So when thetempest uproots a pine on yourhills, it looks greenfor months —ayear or two. Still,it is timber, not atree. John Brownhas loosened theroots of the slavesystem; it onlybreathes,—it does not live,—hereafter.”Eulogy delivered at North Elba, NY by Wendell Phillips, December 8, 1859

Dec. 16, 1859Four raiders, J. Copeland, Green, E. Coppoc and Cook hanged atCharlestown, Va.

Mar. 16, 1860Kansas RaidersStevens and Hazletthanged atCharlestown, Va.

� �21

John Brown considered HarrietTubman, the famed underground railroad conductor, to be his “General.”Tubman considered Brown, notAbraham Lincoln, the true emancipator of her people.

Mary Leary Langston, 1910, widow of Harpers Ferry Raider Lewis S. Leary and Grandmother of Langston Hughes, is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lawrence.

Libr

ary

of C

ongr

ess

KSHS

Rampersad

John Brown Daniels. [#55

Wadsworth Cabin & Mound Site]

“Remember them that are inbonds, as bound

with them.”Hebrews 13:3, A favorite biblical quotation of John Brown

Nov. 6, 1860Abraham Lincoln

elected president.

Jan. 29, 1861Kansas admitted

to the Union as a Free State.

Mar. 4, 1861Inauguration of

President Lincoln.

Apr. 12-13, 1861Fort Sumter fired upon,

Civil War begins.

“John Brown’sBody lies a

mouldering in the grave. But

his soul goesmarching on.

Glory, gloryHallelujah.”

Famous battle hymn of the American Civil War

� �22

Statue of John Brown, 1910,Western University, [#60] atQuindaro, 27th & Sewell, KansasCity, Kansas. Inscription: “Erectedto the Memory of John Brown by a Grateful People.”

“If we look over the dates, placesand men, for which this honor isclaimed, we shall find that notCarolina, but Virginia—not FortSumter, but Harper’s Ferry and the arsenal—not Col. Anderson, but John Brown began the warthat ended American slavery and made this a free Republic.”

Frederick Douglass, 1881

French Medallionof John Brown given to the Brown family by Victor Hugo and theFrench Republicans. [#13]KSHS

� �23

Brown’s surveyingequipment—Brownworked periodicallyas a surveyor inKansas Territory in 1856. [#13 KansasMuseum of History]KSHS

Johnson’s Missouri & Kansas, ca. 1860

� �24

Site IndexPublic sites are listed by their region on the

maps for ease of travel. Private sites are includedto provide the reader with a more completeaccount of the John Brown of Kansas story.Please respect the privacy of property owners.

A1b Nebraska City, NE

c Tabor, IA

d Cave at Pony Creek Lake

e Plymouth/Pony Creek*

f Albany Museum

A2g Lane Trail Marker

h Brown Co. Gen. Soc.

i Charles Smith Home Site*

j Battle of the Spurs Marker

1) Jackson Co. Hist. Museum

1! Holton Hotel Site

A31@ Packard/Owen House*

1# Ks. State Hist. Soc./Ks. Museum of Hist.

1$ Constitution Hall, Topeka

1% John Ritchie House

1^ Sheridan Farm*

1& Camp Sackett*

1* Fort Titus*

1( Big Springs

B32) Constitution Hall, Lecompton

2! Lane Museum

B42@ Whitman Farm*

2# Free State Brewery Plaque

2$ Free State Hotel Site

2% Whitney House Site*

2^ Miller's Hall

2& Eastern House Site

2* Watkins Museum

2( Mount Oread

3) Oread Cemetery

3! Grover Barn

3@ Franklin*

3# Blanton's Crossing*

3$ James Abbott Farm*

3% Clinton Lake Museum

3^ Augustus Wattles' Farm, Bloomington

3& Major Abbott Home Site*

3* Fort Saunders*

3( Soule Home Site*

4) Coal Creek Library

4! Signal Oak

4@ Old Castle Museum

4# Battle of Black Jack Park & Granite Marker

4$ Middle Ottawa Creek (Camp Brown)*

4% Ottawa "Tauy" Jones' Farm*

4^ Old Depot Museum

B54& Brown's Station*

4* Osawatomie State Hospital

4( Adair Cabin & John Brown Museum

5) Soldiers’ Monument, Battle ofOsawatomie

5! Osawatomie History Museum

5@ Pottawatomie Massacre Sites*

5# Plaque at Lane

5$ Hanway House*

5% Wadsworth Cabin & Mound Site*

5^ Gerth Cabin

5& McClure Hill & Cabin Site*

5* South Middle Creek, Battle Hill*

5( Anderson Co. Museum

C36) Statue of John Brown-Quindaro

Western University, KC, Ks

6! Wyandotte Co. Hist. Soc. & Museum

6@ Johnson Co. Hist. Soc. & Museum

C46# Miami Co. Hist. Soc. & Museum

C56$ Marais des Cygnes Massacre State

Hist. Site/Fort Snyder

6% Trading Post Museum

6^ Augustus Wattles, Moneka*

6& Woodland Cemetery

6* Linn County Museum

6( Fort Montgomery/Fort Brown*

7) Reconstructed Fort Montgomery

C67! Osaga Hist. Soc.

7@ Fort Bain*

7# Fort Brown*

7$ Brown's Missouri Raid Sites, VernonCounty, MO*

7% Fort Scott National Historic Site

7^ Bushwhacker Museum VernonCounty, MO

* On Private Property