Record Data
Source citation
Spencer Kellogg Brown, Diary of Spencer Kellogg Brown, 1856?, Spencer Kellogg Brown, His Life in Kansas and His Death as a Spy, 1842-1863, As Disclosed in His Diary, Smith, George Gardner, editor, New York, NY: D. Appleton & Co., 1903, p. 380.
Type
Diary
Date Certainty
Estimated
Transcriber
Michael Blake
Transcription date
Transcription
The following text is presented here in complete form, as it originally appeared in print. Spelling and typographical errors have been preserved as in the original.
"Then came the war in Kansas, so well known to every one," runs the "journal." "In May the `Pottawatomie Massacre' took place. The attack on Lawrence, and the sacking of Osawatomie on the 6th of June followed. On the morning of August 30th, Rocky, Brennan, and I were getting breakfast. Father was in Lawrence. Mother and the other children had gone to the East because of the war. Our house was occupied by some young men set for the defence of the town. I was setting the table, Rock was cutting the beefsteak, and Brennan was attending to the fire and coffee, when, hearing a shot and looking out, he hollowed -- `Spencer, the Missourians are coming!'
"I immediately ran to the door, and seeing them I called to Rock. Brennan began to search for his arms, and I, seizing my hat, started for town. My first plan was to go down and look at the safe in Father's office and then go over the river. I ran as fast as I could, and met, or rather overtook, Holmes at the foot of the hill. My desire was to inform the people. The first house I came to was Lake's. They were eating breakfast. Hearing the news his wife began to cry. I then met Mr. Merritt, who said the enemy were forming on the hill and numbered about two hundred -- but I afterward learned there were nearly four hundred. Finding the office locked, I got into the window and saw the safe was all right. Got a rifle belonging to my cousin, W., and hid it in a cornfield. Just then the battle commenced and I jumped upon a pile of logs to see the fight. I did not look long, but soon went to the `Block-House' and asked if they wanted a gun. They told me to bring it along, which I did, running as fast as possible, as I had to go very close to the Missourians. When I got back to the `Block-House' all the men left it and went down to the woods, and I with them. I separated from them and went to the house of Mr. Sears, who was in the fight.
Finding a horse tied near the house, I brought it and helped his wife to go over the river out of the dangers of the battle. After getting her trunks out, into the bushes, I went back to where they were fighting. I mixed freely among the Missourians, talking, until a man named Taggart, who knew me, took me prisoner. I will acknowledge my blood grew cold when he told me to follow him. I did not say anything, however. He took me to a house where they had fourteen other prisoners. They afterward took four others, Dutch Charley, Fuller, Reynolds, and Thomas. Soon they began to question me -- wanted to know how many Free-State men there were, and if I was `Old John Brown's son.' I told them I did not know how many Free-State men there were -- thought about fifty at the most, but doubted if there were as many. They told me that I lied -- that there were two hundred and fifty. I said that I was not Captain Brown's son. Then I heard the word given to burn the town, which made a very hot fire.
After that they loaded the wagon with the goods plundered from the houses. One of them ordered me to put the chairs on the wagon, which I did not do, whereupon he came running at me with his bayonet, cursing, and threatening to `stick' me if I did not do it. I remember that two of the prisoners had chills, so they asked and got permission to stand on the sunny side of the house. Several of the Missourians were very badly wounded. On their retreat from the town they stopped at our house, which they plundered and then burnt. . . . They attempted to get out the piano, but in the excitement, and the heat of the rapidly spreading flames, they were compelled to drop it in the doorway. Two partly burnt legs and the iron frame, only, remained to tell the story of its end. Here I noticed one of the wounded enemy shot in the mouth, and another had been shot through the lungs. The few Free-State men, under the cover of the timber, led by Captain Brown, had an excellent chance to use their Sharpe's rifles upon the enemy, who came down the hill in half-moon shape and closed in upon the boys in their hidden position.
All this time I was without shoes or stockings. They allowed me, before the burning, to get from the house some things. I met a man with my violin, which I got from him, but not without some trouble. I found two or three suits of clothes and underwear, as they had just come from the washer-woman, and I got a pair of moccasins. One man gave me my fish-hook and line, another my saddle, which I could not take. I walked out to the road, where I saw a man take our horse. They made me ride her a little way. There was a fire raging in one of the chambers when I first reached home, and soon all was in a blaze. After I had ridden a little way, they put me in a wagon, but I soon gave it up to a sick man for the horse, which I continued to ride the rest of the way -- nearly forty miles. I had nothing to eat that day until late in the afternoon, when we stopped and got a little dinner. All this time I had been in charge of a man named John Hancock, from Howard County, Missouri.
After that, we left the road and cut across the prairie. Between there and camp, Martin White and his brother overtook us. I heard the old man tell how he murdered poor Fred Brown, whose dead body I saw lying alongside of the road. Poor Fred! His grave is only marked by a plain board. William Garrison was murdered at the same time. When we got within four or five miles of the camp, a man came to hurry us up, as General Lane had drawn up his men to fight, near the c& so after that we rode at full speed. Once, when very tired, and out of breath by riding so hard, I poked my hat so that it sat lightly on my head, and the wind blew it off; so my guard had to stop and get it, and I got a chance to breathe. When we got close to camp he said I could get off and stop there if I would promise not to run away; but I preferred to go on. When we got to camp he went out to fight, and I got a piece of bread -- which was very tough. That night I slept, or tried to sleep, in a tent with ten or twelve men.
I said that Lane had drawn up his men to fight. So when I got to camp all was commotion. The Missourians had formed their men, in number twelve hundred, under the command of General McLean, with six cannon to resist two hundred and fifty Free-State men. There was no fighting, however, on account, probably, of each waiting for the other to commence. The Missouri picket-guards were troubled very much by the Free-State men shooting them in the night.
"I immediately ran to the door, and seeing them I called to Rock. Brennan began to search for his arms, and I, seizing my hat, started for town. My first plan was to go down and look at the safe in Father's office and then go over the river. I ran as fast as I could, and met, or rather overtook, Holmes at the foot of the hill. My desire was to inform the people. The first house I came to was Lake's. They were eating breakfast. Hearing the news his wife began to cry. I then met Mr. Merritt, who said the enemy were forming on the hill and numbered about two hundred -- but I afterward learned there were nearly four hundred. Finding the office locked, I got into the window and saw the safe was all right. Got a rifle belonging to my cousin, W., and hid it in a cornfield. Just then the battle commenced and I jumped upon a pile of logs to see the fight. I did not look long, but soon went to the `Block-House' and asked if they wanted a gun. They told me to bring it along, which I did, running as fast as possible, as I had to go very close to the Missourians. When I got back to the `Block-House' all the men left it and went down to the woods, and I with them. I separated from them and went to the house of Mr. Sears, who was in the fight.
Finding a horse tied near the house, I brought it and helped his wife to go over the river out of the dangers of the battle. After getting her trunks out, into the bushes, I went back to where they were fighting. I mixed freely among the Missourians, talking, until a man named Taggart, who knew me, took me prisoner. I will acknowledge my blood grew cold when he told me to follow him. I did not say anything, however. He took me to a house where they had fourteen other prisoners. They afterward took four others, Dutch Charley, Fuller, Reynolds, and Thomas. Soon they began to question me -- wanted to know how many Free-State men there were, and if I was `Old John Brown's son.' I told them I did not know how many Free-State men there were -- thought about fifty at the most, but doubted if there were as many. They told me that I lied -- that there were two hundred and fifty. I said that I was not Captain Brown's son. Then I heard the word given to burn the town, which made a very hot fire.
After that they loaded the wagon with the goods plundered from the houses. One of them ordered me to put the chairs on the wagon, which I did not do, whereupon he came running at me with his bayonet, cursing, and threatening to `stick' me if I did not do it. I remember that two of the prisoners had chills, so they asked and got permission to stand on the sunny side of the house. Several of the Missourians were very badly wounded. On their retreat from the town they stopped at our house, which they plundered and then burnt. . . . They attempted to get out the piano, but in the excitement, and the heat of the rapidly spreading flames, they were compelled to drop it in the doorway. Two partly burnt legs and the iron frame, only, remained to tell the story of its end. Here I noticed one of the wounded enemy shot in the mouth, and another had been shot through the lungs. The few Free-State men, under the cover of the timber, led by Captain Brown, had an excellent chance to use their Sharpe's rifles upon the enemy, who came down the hill in half-moon shape and closed in upon the boys in their hidden position.
All this time I was without shoes or stockings. They allowed me, before the burning, to get from the house some things. I met a man with my violin, which I got from him, but not without some trouble. I found two or three suits of clothes and underwear, as they had just come from the washer-woman, and I got a pair of moccasins. One man gave me my fish-hook and line, another my saddle, which I could not take. I walked out to the road, where I saw a man take our horse. They made me ride her a little way. There was a fire raging in one of the chambers when I first reached home, and soon all was in a blaze. After I had ridden a little way, they put me in a wagon, but I soon gave it up to a sick man for the horse, which I continued to ride the rest of the way -- nearly forty miles. I had nothing to eat that day until late in the afternoon, when we stopped and got a little dinner. All this time I had been in charge of a man named John Hancock, from Howard County, Missouri.
After that, we left the road and cut across the prairie. Between there and camp, Martin White and his brother overtook us. I heard the old man tell how he murdered poor Fred Brown, whose dead body I saw lying alongside of the road. Poor Fred! His grave is only marked by a plain board. William Garrison was murdered at the same time. When we got within four or five miles of the camp, a man came to hurry us up, as General Lane had drawn up his men to fight, near the c& so after that we rode at full speed. Once, when very tired, and out of breath by riding so hard, I poked my hat so that it sat lightly on my head, and the wind blew it off; so my guard had to stop and get it, and I got a chance to breathe. When we got close to camp he said I could get off and stop there if I would promise not to run away; but I preferred to go on. When we got to camp he went out to fight, and I got a piece of bread -- which was very tough. That night I slept, or tried to sleep, in a tent with ten or twelve men.
I said that Lane had drawn up his men to fight. So when I got to camp all was commotion. The Missourians had formed their men, in number twelve hundred, under the command of General McLean, with six cannon to resist two hundred and fifty Free-State men. There was no fighting, however, on account, probably, of each waiting for the other to commence. The Missouri picket-guards were troubled very much by the Free-State men shooting them in the night.