Date Created:
Year Created: 1859
Collection this Document is Affiliated with:
Description: In this letter written by General Robert E. Lee on October 18th, 1859, he demands that John Brown and his forces surrender from the armory buildings at Harper's Ferry, VA. He stated that he would take the buildings with force if necessary. The federal troops eventually took back the buildings later that same day, leading to Brown's surrender and subsequent trial and execution.
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Transcription:
Lee's Demand that Brown's Forces Surrender (Oct. 18, 1859)
Headquarters Harper’s Ferry
October 18, 1859.
Colonel Lee, United States army, commanding the troops sent by the President of the United States to suppress the insurrection at this place, demands the surrender of the persons in the armory buildings. If they will peaceably surrender themselves and restore the pillaged property, they shall be kept in safety to await the orders of the President. Colonel Lee represents to them, in all frankness, that it is impossible for them to escape; that the armory is surrounded on all sides by troops; and that if he is compelled to take them by force he cannot answer for their safety.
R.E. Lee Colonel Commanding United States Troops
Citation: “American Originals: Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877) John Brown and Harpers Ferry.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/demand.html. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.