Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

[133] fierce as in this. President Pierce sent a body of troops into Kansas, and by force of arms dispersed the “free settlers” government. This exercise of executive power was very repugnant to the majority of the free States, and so great was the opposition raised by it that his administration was only enabled to keep itself alive in passing the necessary appropriations for its existence, by a majority of three votes.

Meanwhile came on the election of 1856, and Fremont was put in nomination by the Republican party, under which name were arrayed all who were dissatisfied with the administration on the slavery question. The Democrats nominated James Buchanan, and he was elected by a very meagre majority, if at all, for I have always believed that he owed his election to a fraudulent return or count in the State of Pennsylvania.

John Brown's Fort.

On the slavery question the administration of Buchanan did literally nothing except to endeavor to keep the peace among the several factions, without much success. At the same time the Southern States were holding conventions, passing resolutions, and declaring for the right of secession. In many of the States the proposition of secession was defeated only upon the ground that the time had not come for it.

The next important event was the incursion of John Brown, known as Pottowattomie Brown, of Kansas, into the State of Virginia with his sixteen men, with intent to raise an insurrection of the negroes, and thus overthrow slavery. He took possession of Harper's Ferry and captured nineteen persons, principal men of the town, whom he took with him into the engine house of the United States Arsenal, as prisoners.

The State of Virginia did not prove itself able to dispossess him, but two companies of United States Marines, consisting of fifty men each, were very anomalously put under the command of Lieut.-Col. Robert E. Lee, of the United States Army, and sent to Harper's Ferry by the President to capture Brown and his handful of men who were making