a voice from Harper's Ferry, Excerpt...

“After these incidents, time passed away till the arrival of the United States troops, without any further attack upon us. The cowardly Virginians submitted like sheep, without resistance, from that time until the marines came down. “Meanwhile, Captain [John] Brown, who was considering a proposition for release from his prisoners, passed back and forth from the Armory to the bridge, speaking words of comfort and encouragement to his men. “Hold on a little longer, boys,” he said, “until I get matters arranged with the prisoners.” “The tardiness on the part of our brave leader was sensibly felt to be an omen of evil by some of us, and was eventually the cause of our defeat. It was no part of the original plan to hold on to the Ferry, or to parley with prisoners; but by so doing, time was afforded to carry the news of its capture to several points, and forces were thrown into place, which surrounded us. “At eleven o'clock, Captain Brown dispatched William Thompson from the Ferry up to Kentucky Farm, with the news that we had peaceable possession of the town, and with the directions to the men to continue on moving the things. He went; but, before he could get back, troops had begun to pour in, and the general encounter commenced.” A VOICE FROM HARPER'S FERRY, 1859, “Osborne Anderson's Narrative,” by Osborne P. Anderson, pp.98-99 (World View Forum, New York, NY: 1861, 2000)