THE ELEVEN ORDERS GIVEN BY CAPTAIN BROWN TO HIS MEN BEFORE SETTING OUT
FOR THE FERRY.
The orders given by Captain Brown, before departing from the Farm for
the Ferry, were:--
1. Captain Owen Brown, F. J. Merriam, and Barclay Coppic to remain at
the old house as sentinels, to guard the arms and effects till morning,
when they would be joined by some of the men from the Ferry with teams
to move all arms and other things to the old school-house before
referred to, located about three-quarters of a mile from Harper’s
Ferry--a place selected a day or two beforehand by the Captain.
2. All hands to make as little noise as possible going to the Ferry,
so as not to attract attention till we could get to the bridge; and to
keep all arms secreted, so as not to be detected if met by any one.
3. The men were to walk in couples, at some distance apart; and should
any one overtake us, stop him and detain him until the rest of our
comrades were out of the road. The same course to be pursued if we were
met by any one.
4. That Captains Charles P. Tidd and John E. Cook walk ahead of the
wagon in which Captain Brown rode to the Ferry, to tear down the
telegraph wires on the Maryland side along the railroad; and to do the
same on the Virginia side, after the town should be captured.
5. Captains John H. Kagi and A. D. Stevens were to take the watchman
at the Ferry bridge prisoner when the party got there, and to detain
him there until the engine house upon the Government grounds should be
taken.
6. Captain Watson Brown and Stewart Taylor were to take positions at
the Potomac bridge, and hold it till morning. They were to stand on
opposite sides, a rod apart, and if any one entered the bridge, they
were to let him get in between them. In that case, pikes were to be
used, not Sharp’s rifles, unless they offered much resistance, and
refused to surrender.
7. Captains Oliver Brown and William Thompson were to execute a similar
order at the Shenandoah bridge, until morning.
8. Lieutenant Jeremiah Anderson and Adolphus Thompson were to occupy
the engine house at first, with the prisoner watchman from the bridge
and the watchman belonging to the engine-house yard, until the one on
the opposite side of the street and the rifle factory were taken, after
which they would be reinforced, to hold that place with the prisoners.
9. Lieutenant Albert Hazlett and Private Edwin Coppic were to hold the
Armory opposite the engine house after it had been taken, through the
night and until morning, when arrangements would be different.
10. That John H. Kagi, Adjutant General, and John A. Copeland,
(colored,) take positions at the rifle factory through the night, and
hold it until further orders.
11. That Colonel A. D. Stevens (the same Captain Stevens who held
military position next to Captain Brown) proceed to the country with
his men, and after taking certain parties prisoners bring them to the
Ferry. In the case of Colonel Lewis Washington, who had arms in his
hands, he must, before being secured as a prisoner, deliver them into
the hands of Osborne P. Anderson. Anderson being a colored man, and
colored men being only _things_ in the South, it is proper that the
South be taught a lesson upon this point.
John H. Kagi being Adjutant General, was the near adviser of Captain
John Brown, and second in position; and had the old gentleman been
slain at the Ferry, and Kagi been spared, the command would have
devolved upon the latter. But Col. Stevens holding the active military
position in the organization second to Captain Brown, when order eleven
was given him, had the privilege of choosing his own men to execute it.
The selection was made after the capture of the Ferry, and then my duty
to receive Colonel Washington’s famous arms was assigned me by Captain
Brown. The men selected by Col. Stevens to act under his orders during
the night were Charles P. Tidd, Osborne P. Anderson, Shields Green,
John E. Cook, and Sherrard Lewis Leary. We were to take prisoners, and
any slaves who would come, and bring them to the Ferry.
A few days before, Capt. Cook had travelled along the Charlestown
turnpike, and collected statistics of the population of slaves and the
masters’ names. Among the masters whose acquaintance Cook had made,
Colonel Washington had received him politely, and had shown him a
sword formerly owned by Frederic the Great of Prussia, and presented
by him to Genl. Washington, and a pair of horse pistols, formerly
owned by General Lafayette, and bequeathed by the old General to Lewis
Washington. These were the arms specially referred to in the charge.
At eight o’clock on Sunday evening, Captain Brown said: “Men, get on
your arms; we will proceed to the Ferry.” His horse and wagon were
brought out before the door, and some pikes, a sledge-hammer and
crowbar were placed in it. The Captain then put on his old Kansas
cap, and said: “Come, boys!” when we marched out of the camp behind
him, into the lane leading down the hill to the main road. As we
formed the procession line, Owen Brown, Barclay Coppic, and Francis J.
Merriam, sentinels left behind to protect the place as before stated,
came forward and took leave of us; after which, agreeably to previous
orders, and as they were better acquainted with the topography of the
Ferry, and to effect the tearing down of the telegraph wires, C. P.
Tidd and John E. Cook led the procession. While going to the Ferry, the
company marched along as solemnly as a funeral procession, till we got
to the bridge. When we entered, we halted, and carried out an order to
fasten our cartridge boxes outside of our clothes, when every thing was
ready for taking the town.