Description:

JOHN BROWN'S RAID AS DESCRIBED BY THE ARMORY'S SUPERINTENDENT DAYS AFTER THE BATTLE
Historically important letter by the Superintendent of the Harpers Ferry Arsenal describing John Brown's famous raid and declaring that the attack had support from neither freedmen nor slaves in the surrounding region. ALFRED M. BARBOUR (1829-1866) was appointed the Superintendent at the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in January, 1859 and was present during John Brown's abortive attack on the armory in October of that year. Barbour later served as an aide to both Confederate generals Joseph E. Johnston and Leonidas Polk. Barbour's revelatory letter is 3pp. 4to., written to his brother from Harpers Ferry on Oct. 24, 1959 - only six days after Brown and the surviving attackers were captured by Col. Robert E. Lee. Much fine content, in part: "...In regard to the late tragedy, nobody could have anticipated it. There was not a single party here in it. It was conceived and matured in the North. We have mountains here in which ten thousand men might conceal themselves & nobody suspect...There is near this place on the Maryland side of the river, a swamp ten miles wide, uninhabited, in which any number of men might have been, and may now be secreted. Great blame has been cast upon our citizens and armorers. It is unjust. Nobody could have contemplated such a thing, and unarmed could not fight armed men with Sharps rifles able to shoot 1,000 yds. The armorers...fought gallantly. The men of the armory killed every man who was killed. They ran the rest into the Engine House & would have blown them up in ten minutes, but for their hostages. The insurgents were a desperate set thoroughly drilled in Kansas & would have taken Richmond City. It is highly creditable to this city that they could get no recruits of any color. My old friend [Mayor Fontaine] Beckham foolishly lost his life. It is said he lost his senses first. He was demented by the tragedy. He walked right out where they were firing and a ball struck him killing him dead in an instant. The insurgents expressed great regret at having shot him...". Very good. Actually, townspeople became quite involved in the fiasco. After drinking all day during an unofficial holiday, many spent the afternoon shooting at the body of raider William Leeman in the Potomac. Others engaged in a gun battle with the holed-up abolitionists, along with local militiamen. Additionally, two local slaves held hostage with their masters may have taken up arms, but townspeople later denied their involvement. Mayor Beckham was killed as he was viewing the siege from railroad tracks on the grounds of the armory, though Barbour's letter indicates that there may be more to his death than the historical record shows. A most important letter!

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September 11, 2013 11:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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