John Brown, Soldier of Fortune: A CritiqueWilson, Hill Peebles
History
John Brown, Soldier of Fortune: A Critique
Wilson, Hill Peebles
Brown, John, 1800-1859
Leaving Peterboro on the 24th, Brown began a tour among the colored
people to unite them in support of his campaign. February 26th, to March
3d, he was at Brooklyn at the home of Dr. and Mrs. J. N. Gloucester,
wealthy colored people, and sought their assistance. From Brooklyn he
went to Boston. From there, March 4th, he wrote to his son John:[295]
"As it may require some time to hunt out friends at Bedford,
Chambersburg, Gettysburg, Hagerstown, Md. _or even Harper's Ferry, Va._,
I would like to have you arrange your business so as to set out very
soon." March 6th, he was again at Boston, and on the 15th, at
Philadelphia again, where he met Rev. Stephen Smith, Frederick Douglass,
Rev. Henry H. Garnett, William Sill, and other colored men. His son John
met him there by appointment and thence they went to New York, New
Haven, and to North Elba, where they arrived March 23d. April 2d, they
were at Peterboro for consultation with Gerrit Smith, and from there
they went to Rochester, where they separated. From Rochester, Brown went
to St. Catherine, Canada, in company with a colored man--J. W.
Loguen--where they met, by appointment, Mrs. Harriet Tubman, colored,
known as the "Moses of her People." Brown was cordially received by the
Canadian negroes. They listened to his statement of the things that he
intended to do for their race, and gave him encouragement to believe
that many of them would enter his service.
Believing the money which had been pledged would be promptly furnished,
Brown launched his enterprise, and called a constitutional convention to
meet at Chatham, Canada, to formally adopt a "Provisional Constitution
and Ordinances, for the people of the United States." He then proceeded
to Springdale to report the situation to his captains.
The war party left Springdale April 27th, and arrived at Chatham on the
29th, Brown stopping at the home of James M. Bell, a colored man.
Notices calling the convention were immediately sent out; the form, as
drawn by Cook, was as follows:
Chatham, May -- 1859.
Mr. ----.: Dear Sir:--We have issued a call for a very
_quiet_ Convention at this place, to which we shall be
very happy to see any true friends of freedom and to which
you are most earnestly invited to give your attendance.
Yours respectfully,
JOHN BROWN.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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