Whereas, Slavery throughout its entire existence in the United States is none other than a most barbarous, unprovoked, and unjustifiable war of one portion of its citizens upon another portion the only conditions of which are perpetual imprisonment and hopeless servitude or absolute extermination; in utter disregard and violation of those eternal and self-evident truths set forth in our Declaration of Independence: Therefore, we the citizens of the United States, and the Oppressed People, who, by a decision of the Supreme Court are declared to have no rights which the White Man is bound to respect; together with all other people degraded by the laws thereof, Do, for the time being ordain and establish for ourselves, the following PROVISIONALCONSTITUTION AND ORDINANCES, the better to protect our Persons, Property, Lives and Liberties and to govern our actions.
Article Forty-six reads:
The foregoing articles shall not be construed so as in any way to encourage the overthrow of any State Government or of the general government of the United States; and look to no dissolution of the Union, but simply to Amendment and Repeal.And our flag shall be the same that our Fathers fought under in the Revolution.
In Article Forty, "profane swearing, filthy conversation, and indecent behavior" are forbidden.The document indicates an obvious intention to effect a revolution by a restrained and regulated use of force.
Mobilization of forces began in June, 1859.Cook, one of the original party, had spent the year in the region of Harper's Ferry.In July the Kennedy farm, five miles from Harper's Ferry, was leased.The Northern immigrants posed as farmers, stock-raisers, and dealers in cattle, seeking a milder climate.To assist in the disguise, Brown's daughter and daughter-in-law, mere girls, joined the community.Even so it was difficult to allay troublesome curiosity on the part of neighbors at the gathering of so many men with no apparent occupation.Suspicion might easily have been aroused by the assembling of numerous boxes of arms from the West and the thousand pikes from Connecticut.Late in August, Floyd, Secretary of War, received an anonymous letter emanating from Springdale, Iowa, giving information which, if acted upon, would have led to an investigation and stopped the enterprise.
The 24th of October was the day appointed for taking possession of Harper's Ferry, but fear of exposure led to a change of plan and the move was begun on the 16th of October.Six of the party who would have been present at the later date were absent.The march from Kennedy farm began about eight o'clock Sunday evening.
Before midnight the bridges, the town, and the arsenal were in the hands of the invaders without a gun having been fired.Before noon on Monday some forty citizens of the neighborhood had been assembled as prisoners and held, it was explained, as hostages for the safety of members of the party who might be taken.
During the early forenoon Kagi strongly urged that they should escape into the mountains; but Brown, who was influenced, as he said, by sympathy for his prisoners and their distressed families, refused to move and at last found himself surrounded by opposing forces.Brown's men, having been assigned to different duties, were separated.Six of them escaped; others were killed or wounded or taken prisoners.Brown himself with six of his men and a few of his prisoners made a final stand in the engine-house.This was early in the afternoon.All avenues of escape were now closed.Brown made two efforts to communicate with his assailants by means of a flag of truce, sending first Thompson, one of his men, with one of his prisoners, and then Stevens and Watson Brown with another of the prisoners.Thompson was received but was held as a prisoner; Stevens and Watson Brown were shot down, the first dangerously wounded and the other mortally wounded.Later in the afternoon Brown received a flag of truce with a demand that he surrender.He stated the conditions under which he would restore the prisoners whom he held, but he refused the unconditional surrender which was demanded.
About midnight Colonel Robert E.Lee arrived from Washington with a company of marines.He took full command, set a guard of his own men around the engine-house and made preparation to effect a forcible entrance at sunrise on Tuesday morning in case a peaceable surrender was refused.Lee first offered to two of the local companies the honor of storming the castle.These, however, declined to undertake the perilous task, and the honor fell to Lieutenant Green of the marines, who thereupon selected two squads of twelve men each to attempt an entrance through the door.To Lee's aide, Lieutenant Stuart, who had known Brown in Kansas, was committed the task of making the formal demand for surrender.Brown and Stuart, who recognized each other instantly upon their meeting at the door, held a long parley, which resulted, as had been expected, in Brown's refusal to yield.
Stuart then gave the signal which had been agreed upon to Lieutenant Green, who ordered the first squad to advance.Failing to break down the door with sledge-hammers, they seized a heavy ladder and at the second stroke made an opening near the ground large enough to admit a man.Green instantly entered, rushed to the back part of the room, and climbed upon an engine to command a better view.Colonel Lewis Washington, the most distinguished of the prisoners, pointed to Brown, saying, "This is Osawatomie."Green leaped forward and by thrust or stroke bent his light sword double against Brown's body.Other blows were administered and his victim fell senseless, and it was believed that the leader had been slain in action according to his wish.
