Details
LEE, ROBERT E., General, C.S.A. Autograph letter signed ("R.E. Lee") to Colonel S. Cooper, Adjt. Genl. U.S. Army in Washington, D.C.; Hapers Ferry, 30 November 1859. 1 1/4 page, 4to. Fine condition.
LEE FROM HARPER'S FERRY, TWO DAYS BEFORE JOHN BROWN'S EXECUTION
A letter rich in historical implication, written in the wake of John Brown's bloody attempt to arouse a slave insurrection by capturing the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry and arming the local slaves. "Colonel, I have the honour to report, that in obedience to the instructions of the Secy. of War [John B. Floyd of Virginia] of yesterday's date, I directed the four Comp[anie]s from Fort Monroe on their arrival this am at Bellemore, to proceed to this place. They reached here about 12 AM. & I have quartered them within the Armory. They are [Lee lists the four companies and names their acting commanders: Captains Ord, Howe, Carlisle and Sargeant Fry.] Capt. Ord reports that they are rationed to the 5th...& the Comp[anie]s average about 60 men.
"I could not see Capt. Blair, Asst. Comm[ande]r in Baltimore, but wrote to him, requesting he would forward sufficient supplies for the four Comp[anie]s which I have no doubt he will do. The troops brought with them 40 rounds of Cartridges per man, but I observe there are a great many recruits, that require to be instructed in all the exercises, & I particularly desire to practice them in target shooting, & therefore request that 1000 ball cartridges be forw[arde]d for their use.
"The town & vicinity seem to be quiet, & I notice no excitement among the citizens...."
John Brown and a band of followers had rented a farmhouse near Harpers Ferry, a quiet river town with few slaves or slave-owners, in which a Federal armory was situated. On the night of October 16, they forcibly seized the armory and several bridges, taking a number of citizens hostage. A very few local slaves joined the uprising, but "it is one of the tragic ironies of the affair that the first man killed should have been a respectable free negro who was discharging his duty as baggage-master at the railroad station" (DAB). News of the affair spread rapidly. Local militia and troops assembled, preventing Brown's escape. On October 17, Secretary of War Floyd ordered Lee and a detachment of Marines to proceed to Harper's Ferry to suppress the insurrection. Lee and his men arrived at night on the 17th and quickly surrounded Brown's band. Lee sent Lieutenant J.E.B. Stuart, under flag of truce, to negotiate with Brown for the surrender of the hostages, but it was soon apparent that discussions were futile. On Lee's orders his troops mounted a sudden assault, described in Lee's diary as follows: "Waited until daylight, as a number of citizens were held as hostages whose lives were threatened. Tuesday about sunrise, with twelve marines under Lieutenant Green, broke in the door..., secured the insurgents, and released the prisoners unhurt. All the insurgents killed or mortally wounded but four..." (see Memoirs of Robert E. Lee, ed. A.L. Long, p.86). Brown was turned over to civil authorities by Lee, and was quickly indicted for treason and conspiring with slaves, tried and sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out on 2 December, two days after the present letter was written. In the meantime Lee commanded the garrison at Harpers Ferry and watched closely for any signs of a renewal of armed revolt. As he reports in the present letter, Brown's brand of radical abolitionism found few adherants among the local slaves, but the fears aroused by the incident among the slave-holding population, especially when Northern abolitionists were implicated in the plot, played a key role in exacerbating the already dangerous divisions between North and South.
LEE FROM HARPER'S FERRY, TWO DAYS BEFORE JOHN BROWN'S EXECUTION
A letter rich in historical implication, written in the wake of John Brown's bloody attempt to arouse a slave insurrection by capturing the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry and arming the local slaves. "Colonel, I have the honour to report, that in obedience to the instructions of the Secy. of War [John B. Floyd of Virginia] of yesterday's date, I directed the four Comp[anie]s from Fort Monroe on their arrival this am at Bellemore, to proceed to this place. They reached here about 12 AM. & I have quartered them within the Armory. They are [Lee lists the four companies and names their acting commanders: Captains Ord, Howe, Carlisle and Sargeant Fry.] Capt. Ord reports that they are rationed to the 5th...& the Comp[anie]s average about 60 men.
"I could not see Capt. Blair, Asst. Comm[ande]r in Baltimore, but wrote to him, requesting he would forward sufficient supplies for the four Comp[anie]s which I have no doubt he will do. The troops brought with them 40 rounds of Cartridges per man, but I observe there are a great many recruits, that require to be instructed in all the exercises, & I particularly desire to practice them in target shooting, & therefore request that 1000 ball cartridges be forw[arde]d for their use.
"The town & vicinity seem to be quiet, & I notice no excitement among the citizens...."
John Brown and a band of followers had rented a farmhouse near Harpers Ferry, a quiet river town with few slaves or slave-owners, in which a Federal armory was situated. On the night of October 16, they forcibly seized the armory and several bridges, taking a number of citizens hostage. A very few local slaves joined the uprising, but "it is one of the tragic ironies of the affair that the first man killed should have been a respectable free negro who was discharging his duty as baggage-master at the railroad station" (DAB). News of the affair spread rapidly. Local militia and troops assembled, preventing Brown's escape. On October 17, Secretary of War Floyd ordered Lee and a detachment of Marines to proceed to Harper's Ferry to suppress the insurrection. Lee and his men arrived at night on the 17th and quickly surrounded Brown's band. Lee sent Lieutenant J.E.B. Stuart, under flag of truce, to negotiate with Brown for the surrender of the hostages, but it was soon apparent that discussions were futile. On Lee's orders his troops mounted a sudden assault, described in Lee's diary as follows: "Waited until daylight, as a number of citizens were held as hostages whose lives were threatened. Tuesday about sunrise, with twelve marines under Lieutenant Green, broke in the door..., secured the insurgents, and released the prisoners unhurt. All the insurgents killed or mortally wounded but four..." (see Memoirs of Robert E. Lee, ed. A.L. Long, p.86). Brown was turned over to civil authorities by Lee, and was quickly indicted for treason and conspiring with slaves, tried and sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out on 2 December, two days after the present letter was written. In the meantime Lee commanded the garrison at Harpers Ferry and watched closely for any signs of a renewal of armed revolt. As he reports in the present letter, Brown's brand of radical abolitionism found few adherants among the local slaves, but the fears aroused by the incident among the slave-holding population, especially when Northern abolitionists were implicated in the plot, played a key role in exacerbating the already dangerous divisions between North and South.