Lincoln John Brown's Raid, two stories and a question.

[19thOhio]

I really enjoyed the Zoom presentation this evening on John Brown's Raid by Jon-Erik Gilot and Kevin Pawlak.

The 19th Ohio had a direct link to two of his raiders. They are brothers Edwin Coppock and Barclay Coppock from Salem Ohio area. Both were alluded to in the zoom presentation.

Edwin Coppock was taken prisoner along with Shields Green (fugitive slave) , John Copeland (free black) and the wounded son of John Brown, Watson Brown. Watson died under the comfort of Edwin: "I pulled off my coat and put it under him and placed his head on my lap, and in that position he died . . ." Coppock and Green were the two that tried to escape. The were hanged at 12:30 on December 16, hooded and hand-in-hand they met their doom. Edwin was buried in Salem in a grave eight feet deep with big stones over the coffin to prevent grave robbery.

Barclay was assigned a rear guard at the Kennedy farm. He was able to escape to join the Union Army in Kansas. He was killed when the train in which he was riding wrecked while going over a bridge under which the Confederate forces had cut many of the supporting members.

Question: I have the story that Lee was at Harpers Ferry in a blue uniform. However, I think I heard during the presentation that he was in his civilian cloths. Am I missing something?

 

[Scott1967]

Lee and Stuart were in Uniform as were the detachment of Marines they came with.

 

[Kurtlg]

Lee was in civilian clothes when he was urgently summoned to the war department. He may have subsequently changed into a uniform but he and Stuart were on leave at the time.

 

[Kurtlg]

I have found a couple of sources indicating Lee was not in uniform at Harper's Ferry. I think that would make some sense based on the urgency of the situation. Of course there may be sources saying he was in uniform. Ultimately it doesn't really matter.

 

[observator]

IN PHillip Van Doren biography of Robert E Lee he suggests Lee is 3rd from left:

File:John Brown being interrogated.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

He appwears to be in civilian clothing but is wearing a sword

 

[MAREE]

I really enjoyed the Zoom presentation this evening on John Brown's Raid by Jon-Erik Gilot and Kevin Pawlak.

The 19th Ohio had a direct link to two of his raiders. They are brothers Edwin Coppock and Barclay Coppock from Salem Ohio area. Both were alluded to in the zoom presentation.

Edwin Coppock was taken prisoner along with Shields Green (fugitive slave) , John Copeland (free black) and the wounded son of John Brown, Watson Brown. Watson died under the comfort of Edwin: "I pulled off my coat and put it under him and placed his head on my lap, and in that position he died . . ." Coppock and Green were the two that tried to escape. The were hanged at 12:30 on December 16, hooded and hand-in-hand they met their doom. Edwin was buried in Salem in a grave eight feet deep with big stones over the coffin to prevent grave robbery.

Barclay was assigned a rear guard at the Kennedy farm. He was able to escape to join the Union Army in Kansas. He was killed when the train in which he was riding wrecked while going over a bridge under which the Confederate forces had cut many of the supporting members.

Question: I have the story that Lee was at Harpers Ferry in a blue uniform. However, I think I heard during the presentation that he was in his civilian cloths. Am I missing something?

todayincthistory.com
Today in Connecticut History
May 9: The Rural Roots of the Controversial Abolitionist John Brown

Maree Cadet

 

[Borderruffian]

Lee and Stuart were in Uniform as were the detachment of Marines they came with.

The USMC detachment was commanded by Israel Greene who later resigned his commissioned in the CSMC.

 

[scooter748driver]

My understand from reading Volume 1 of the 4 volume set by Douglas Southall Freeman is that Lee was summoned urgently to Harpers Ferry and was in civilian attire throughout the ordeal.

 

[Scott1967]

The USMC detachment was commanded by Israel Greene who later resigned his commissioned in the CSMC.

I did not know that.

 

[observator]

Israel C. Greene (1824-1909) - Find a Grave...

United States Marine Corps Officer. As a Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, he led the storming party that captured abolitionist John Brown in the enginehouse at Harper's Ferry, Virginia.

www.findagrave.com

File:John Brown, 1800-1859, full-length portrait, lying wounded on floor beside his son LCCN2005687548.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

Manifest Destiny (1859-1914) - Issuu

� Manifest Destiny (1859-1914)

issuu.com

 

[Pollaco]

Why were US Marines being commanded by US Army officers?

 

[Borderruffian]

Why were US Marines being commanded by US Army officers?

Not the first or last time that happened. Lee because of his billet at time Stuart was an ad-hoc aide for the Operation. The assault on the arsenal was a major breech of National Security at the time and the USMC were closets available troops, but Greene as a Lieutenant was a junior officer. The situation was thought to be sensitive enough to rate a more senior officer.

 

[OpnCoronet]

Why were US Marines being commanded by US Army officers?

Lee was a Col. in the U.S. Army and Israel Greene the commander of the Marine detachment was only a Lt. and according to the Bio provided on this thread Greene was the one who led the storming party. If this true, then Lee was probably behind the lines during attack by the Marines. Leading an attack against civilians, while dressed in civilian clothes would be highly dangerous in a melee'

 

[bartlett84]

Why were US Marines being commanded by US Army officers?

To add on, Lee was the highest ranking field officer in DC at the time and served as a sort of mini theater commander, coordinating the response between the Marines and the militias from Maryland and Virginia.