march by a little band of sixteen men under the leadership of John Brown. This was how he earned his name of "Osawatomie Brown." But it is not this little skirmish which has made him so famous, so honored. It is the raid on Harper's Ferry, the sublime daring and devotion that planned the deed, which has made the name of John Brown a landmark—as it were—in this too terrible history.
Brown had collected a few hundred dollars and a few men, and when he planned his attack on Harper's Ferry (Virginia) he thought the slaves would rise at once and fight for liberty. They were ready he believed, and needed but a head. October 24th, 1859, was fixed for the assault; but, fearing betrayal, the 16th was substituted, and in that way Brown deprived himself of some of his little force. At 10 p.m., fourteen white and five colored men under Brown's leadership entered the town, "took possession of the United States Armory Buildings, stopped the trains on the railroad, cut the telegraph wires, captured a number of citizens, liberated several slaves, and held the town for about thirty hours." This heroic little band was finally overcome by a detachment of the U.S. Marines. Brown was badly wounded, eight of his company were killed or mortally hurt——among these two of his sons—six were captured, and only five escaped. John Brown was tried and sentenced to execution. He died as only brave, true men know how to die, and Victor Hugo's words will well illustrate public opinion on his death. "Slaughtered," he wrote, "by the American Republic, the crime assumes the proportions of the nation which commits it." Stronger far in its effects than this rash attempt at freeing the bondmen of America was the nobility and grandeur of the mind that planned it. His life, his death made him a hero, and the "John Brown Song" was sung by many a regiment, when a year or two afterwards they fought against their own countrymen for freedom.
In 1859 the air was rife with sedition. South Carolina gave voice to the cry of "Slavery and Secession." Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, took up the note. In Congress the representative of Virginia bade the Northern members go home and repress the Abolition spirit. Another member demanded Southern rights: "As God is my judge, I would shatter this Republic from turret to foundation before I would take one tittle less." Another—the representative of Mississippi—cried out: "I raise the banner of secession, and I will fight under it as long as blood ebbs and flows in my veins."
Then came the Presidential election for 1860. The Republican Convention met in May, and selected as its candidates Mr. W. H. Seward and Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln's candidature was confirmed on the fourth ballot. There were other candidates representing extreme Southern and medium views. Mr. Seward
