Col. Robert E. Lee's
Report Concerning the Attack at Harper's Ferry
October 19, 1859
Colonel
Lee to the Adjutant General
HEADQUARTERS
HARPER'S FERRY
COLONEL: I have the honor to report, for the
information of the
Secretary of War, that on arriving here on the night of the 17th
instant, in
obedience to Special Orders No. 194 of that date from your office, I
learn that
a party of insurgents, about 11 p. m. on the 16th, had seized the
watchmen
stationed at the armory, arsenal, rifle factory, and bridge across the
Potomac,
and taken possession of those points. They then dispatched six men,
under one
of their party, called Captain Aaron C. Stevens, to arrest the
principal
citizens in the neighborhood and incite the negroes to join in the
insurrection. The party took Colonel L. W. Washington from his bed
about 1-~ a.
m. on the 17th, and brought him, with four of l]is servants, to this
place. Mr.
J. H. Allstadt and six of his servants were in the same manner seized
about 3
a. m., and arms placed in the hands of the Negroes. Upon their return here, John E. Cook, one of the party
sent to Mr.
Washington's, was dispatched to Maryland, with Mr. Washington's
wagon, two of his servants, and three of Mr. Allstadt's, for arms and
ammunition, &c. .As day advanced, and the citizens of Harper's
Ferry
commenced their usual avocations, they were separately captured, to the
number
of forty, as well as I could learn, and confined in one room of the
fire engine
house of the armory, which seems early to have been selected as a point
of
defense. About 11 a. m. the volunteer companies from Virginia
began to arrive, and the Jefferson Guards and volunteers from Charlestown,
under Captain J. W. Rowen, I
understood, were first on the ground. The Hamtramck Guards, Captain V.
M.
Butler; the Shepherdstown troop, Captain Jacob Rienahart; and Captain
Alburtis's company from Martinsburg arrived in the afternoon. These
companies,
under the direction of Colonels R. W. Baylor and John T. Gibson, forced
the
insurgents to abandon their positions at the bridge and in the village,
and to
withdraw within the armory enclosure, where they fortified themselves
in the
fire-engine house, and carried ten of their prisoners for the purpose
of
insuring their safety and facilitating their escape, whom they termed
hostages,
and whose names are Colonel L. W. Washington, of Jefferson county,
Virginia;
Mr. J. H. Allstadt, of Jefferson
county,
Virginia; Mr. Israel Russell, justice of the peace, Harper's Ferry; Mr.
John
Donahue, clerk of Baltimore and Ohio railroad; Mr. Terence Byrne, of
Maryland;
Mr. George D. Shope, of Frederick, Maryland; Mr. Benjamin Mills, master
armorer, Harper's Ferry arsenal; Mr. A. M. Ball, master machinist,
Harper's
Ferry arsenal; Mr. J. E. P. Dangerfield, paymaster's clerk, Harper's
Ferry
arsenal; Mr. J. Burd, armorer, Harper's Ferry arsenal. After sunset
more troops
arrived. Captain B. B. Washington's company from Winchester
and three companies from Fredericktown,
Maryland, under
Colonel Shriver.
Later in the evening the companies from Baltimore,
under General Charles C. Edgerton, second light brigade, and a
detachment of
marines, commanded by Lieutenant J. Green accompanied by Major Russell,
of that
corps, reached Sandy Hook, about one and a half mile east of Harper's
Ferry. At
this point I came up with these last-named troops, and leaving General
Edgerton
and his command on the Maryland
side of the river for the night, caused the marines to proceed to
Harper's
Ferry, and placed them within the armory grounds to prevent the
possibility of
the escape of the insurgents. Having taken measures to halt, in Baltimore, the artillery companies ordered from Fort Monroe,
I made preparations to attack the insurgents at daylight. But for the
fear of
sacrificing the lives of some of the gentlemen held by them as
prisoners in a
midnight assault, I should have ordered the attack at once.
Their safety was the
subject of painful consideration, and to prevent, if possible,
jeopardizing
their lives; I determined to summon the insurgents to surrender. As
soon after
daylight as the arrangements were made Lieutenant J. E. B. Stewart, 1st
cavalry, who had accompanied me from Washington as staff officer, was
dispatched, under a flag, with a written summons, (a copy of which is
hereto
annexed, marked A.) Knowing the character of the leader of the
insurgents, I did not expect it would be accepted. I had therefore
directed
that the volunteer troops, under their respective commanders, should be
paraded
on the lines assigned them outside the armory, and had prepared a
storming
party of twelve marines, under their commander, Lieutenant Green, and
had placed
them close to the engine-house, and secure from its fire. Three marines
were
furnished with sledge-hammers to break in the doors, and the men were
instructed how to distinguish our citizens from the insurgents; to
attack with
the bayonet, and not to injure the blacks detained in custody unless
they
resisted. Lieutenant Stewart was also directed not to receive from the
insurgents any counter propositions. If they accepted the terms
offered, they
must immediately deliver up their arms and release their prisoners. If
they did
not, he must, on leaving the engine-house, give me the signal. My
object was,
with a view of saving our citizens, to have as short an interval as
possible
between the summons and attack. The summons, as I had anticipated, was
rejected.
At the concerted signal the storming party moved quickly to the door
and
commenced the attack. The fire-engines within the house had been placed
by the
besieged close to the doors. The doors were fastened by ropes, the
spring of
which prevented their being broken by the blows of the hammers. The men
were
therefore ordered to drop the hammers, and, with a portion of the
reserve, to
use as a battering-ram a heavy ladder, with which they dashed in a part
of the
door and gave admittance to the storming party. The fire of the
insurgents up
to this time had been harmless. At the threshold one marine fell
mortally
wounded. The rest, led by Lieutenant Green and Major Russell, quickly
ended the
contest. The insurgents that resisted were bayoneted. Their
leader, John
Brown, was cut down by the sword of Lieutenant Green, and our citizens
were
protected by both officers and men. The whole was over in a few minutes.
After our citizens were liberated and the
wounded cared for, Lieutenant
Colonel S. S. Mills, of the 53d Maryland regiment, with the Baltimore
Independent Greys, Lieutenant B. F. Simpson commanding, was sent on the
Maryland side of the river to search for John E. Cook, and to bring in
the
arms, &c., belonging to the insurgent party, which were said to be
deposited in a school-house two and a half miles distant. Subsequently,
Lieutenant J. E. B. Stewart, with a party of marines, was dispatched to
the
Kennedy farm, situated in Maryland, about four and a half miles from
Harper's
Ferry, which had been rented by John Brown, and used as the depot for
his men
and munitions. Colonel Mills saw nothing of Cook, but found the boxes
of arms,
(Sharp's carbines and belt revolvers,) and recovered Mr. Washington's
wagon and horses. Lieutenant
Stewart found also at the Kennedy farm a number of sword pikes,
blankets,
shoes, tents, and all the necessaries for a campaign. These articles
have been
deposited in the government storehouse at the armory.
From the information derived from the papers
found upon the persons
and among the baggage of the insurgents, and the statement of those now
in
custody, it appears that the party consisted of nineteen men-fourteen
white and
five black. That they were headed by John Brown, of some notoriety in
Kansas,
who in June last located himself in Maryland, at the Kennedy farm,
where he has
been engaged in preparing to capture the United States works at
Harper's Ferry.
He avows that his object was the liberation of the slaves of Virginia, and
of the whole South; and
acknowledges that he has been disappointed in his expectations of aid
from the
black as well as white population, both in the Southern and Northern
States.
The blacks, whom he forced from their homes in this neighborhood, as
far as I
could learn, gave him no voluntary assistance. The servants of Messrs.
Washington and Allstadt, retained at the armory, took no part in the
conflict,
and those carried to Maryland
returned to their homes as soon as released. The result proves that the
plan
was the attempt of a fanatic or madman, who could only end in
failure; and its
temporary success, was owing to the panic and confusion he succeeded in
creating by magnifying his numbers. I append a list of the
insurgents, (marked
B.) Cook is the only man known to have escaped. The other survivors of
the
expedition, viz: John Brown, A. C. Stevens, Edwin Coppic, and Green
Shields, (alias
S. Emperor,) I have delivered into the hands of the marshal
of the western
district of Virginia and the sheriff of Jefferson county. They were
escorted to
Charlestown
by
a detachment of marines, under Lieutenant Green. About nine
o'clock this
evening I received a report from Mr. Moore, from Pleasant Valley,
Maryland,
that a body of men had, about sunset, descended from the mountains,
attacked
the house of Mr. Gennett, and from the cries of murder and the screams
of the
women and children, he believed the residents of the valley were being
massacred. The alarm and excitement in the village
of Harper's Ferry was
increased by the
arrival of families from Sandy Hook,
fleeing
for safety. The report was, however, so improbable that I could give no
credence to it, yet I thought it possible that some atrocity might have
been
committed, and I started with twenty-five marines, under Lieutenant
Green,
accompanied by Lieutenant Stewart, for the scene of the alleged
outrage, about
four and a half miles distant. I was happy to find it a false alarm.
The inhabitants
of Pleasant
Valley were
quiet and unharmed, and Mr.
Gennett and his family safe and asleep.
I will now, in obedience to your dispatch of
this date, direct the
detachment of marines to return to the navy-yard at Washington in
the train that passes here at
I am to-night, and will myself take advantage of the same train to
report to
you in person at the War Department. I must also ask to express my
thanks to
Lieutenant Stewart, Major Russell, and Lieutenant Green, for the aid
they
afforded me, and my entire commendation of the conduct of the
detachment of
marines, who were at all times ready and prompt in the execution of any
duty.
The promptness with which the volunteer
troops repaired to the scene of
disturbance, and the alacrity they displayed to suppress the gross
outrage
against law and order, I know will elicit your hearty approbation.
Equal zeal
was shown by the president and officers of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad
Company in their transportation of the troops and in their readiness to
furnish
the facilities of their well ordered road.
A list of the killed and wounded, as far as
came to my knowledge, is
herewith annexed, (marked C;) and I enclose a copy of the" Provisional
Constitution
and ordinances for the people of the United States," of which there
were a
large number prepared for issue by the insurgents.
I am, very
respectfully, your obedient servant,
R.
E. LEE, Colonel Commanding.
Colonel S. COOPER, Adjutant General U.
S. Army, Washington
City, D. C
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Lee's Demand that
Brown's Forces Surrender (Oct. 18, 1959)
Headquarters
Harper’s Ferry
October 18,
1859.
Colonel Lee, United
States army, commanding the troops sent
by the President of the United States to suppress
the insurrection at this
place, demands the surrender of the persons in the armory buildings. If
they
will peaceably surrender themselves and restore the pillaged property,
they
shall be kept in safety to await the orders of the President. Colonel
Lee
represents to them, in all frankness, that it is impossible for
them to
escape; that the armory is surrounded on all sides by troops; and that
if he is
compelled to take them by force he cannot answer for their safety.
R.E.
Lee
Colonel Commanding United States
Troops
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