John Brown, Soldier of Fortune: A CritiqueWilson, Hill Peebles
History
John Brown, Soldier of Fortune: A Critique
Wilson, Hill Peebles
Brown, John, 1800-1859
inner consciousness to meet that necessity. It may therefore be assumed
that, under cover of discussing the generalities contained in the tract,
Brown hoped to make acquaintances among the enlisted men of the army in
whom he could confide, and who would serve his purpose by fomenting the
revolt.
In projecting his campaign, Brown was a law unto himself, untrammelled
by the accepted usages of war. The excess of his ardor and enthusiasm
led him to believe that he could corrupt the rank and file of the army.
In his philosophy, the daring, dangerous, adventurous men who largely
composed the enlisted men of the army at that time, having no hope of
promotion in the service, would become eager listeners to his proposal.
Before them, he would throw open the storehouses of his prospective
empire, that they might behold the volume of his treasures, and select
that which they desired. His army was to be created; he had the men in
view--the slaves whom he would set free--but not the officers to command
them. If the enlisted men would desert from their service singly or _en
masse_, and thus temporarily paralyze the United States forces, and join
him, they could immediately become commissioned officers in his army and
share with him the honors, the booty, and the beauty of the rich country
he intended to ravage. By means of these "mighty and soul satisfying
rewards" he hoped to "seduce the soldiery of the Union." The campaign of
education was a stratagem.
It is not apparent that Forbes, at any time, showed a desire to quit
Brown's service, or any disinclination to follow him westward. It is
true that he was in arrears at one time with his literary work, but
that was due to an incidental diversion of his activities in other
directions--soliciting contributions and collecting money from various
benevolent persons, including Mr. Greeley and Mr. Gerrit Smith. Forbes
also had been making necessary arrangements for the comfort of his
family--a wife and a daughter. The former being in Paris, and the latter
in New York, he wisely decided, in view of the character of the pending
military operations, to have the latter return to the care of her
mother. Brown, who was paying the price, required results rather than
explanations. It appears that Forbes had not prepared the "Manual"
within the time in which he had led his impetuous chief to believe it
would be forthcoming; and this had aroused an unwarranted suspicion in
his mind that his subordinate was lagging. It is also true that Forbes
had been indiscreet from a "military" point of view. He had talked, as
one having authority, or knowingly, about the situation in Kansas, and
had committed the very serious mistake of expressing a doubt that their
services would be needed there before winter, which would have a
tendency to discourage contributions to the "cause of freedom." In
addition to all this, Brown became suspicious that the "Colonel" was
ambitious, and aspired to supersede him in command; or, it may be that
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account