Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/761

 border. A detachment of Atchison's army, under Gen. Reid, numbering about three hundred men, with one piece of artillery, attacked Osawattomie on the 30th of August. Brown was in command at the time, and, having only between thirty and forty men, he retreated to the timber on the river or creek known as Marias Des Cygnes. The battle which ensued lasted about three hours, Brown having a decided advantage. He was overpowered, however, by superior numbers, and driven to the river, in crossing which he suffered some loss from the enemy. After the retreat of Brown, Reid's forces burned some twenty or thirty houses, robbed the post office and stores, took possession of all the horses, cattle, and wagons in town, and committed many other depredations. They found a man named Garrison concealed in the woods, whom they killed, and wounded another by the name of Cutter, whom they supposed to be dead, but who has since recovered. A Mr. Williams, a pro-slavery man, was murdered by them in mistake.

On the day of the battle at Osawattomie, Lane, with about three hundred men, marched in pursuit of Atchison, who was encamped with the main body of his army on Bull Creek. Atchison would not stop to fight, but retreated into Missouri, and Lane on the following day returned to Lawrence. Whilst these things were occurring, a party of pro-slavery men entered the Quaker Mission, on the Lawrence road, near Westport, plundered it of everything worth carrying away, and brutally treated the occupants. At the same time, Woodson's "territorial militia," were amusing themselves by burning the houses of the free state settlers between Lecompton and Lawrence. Seven buildings were destroyed, among which were the dwellings of Capt. Walker and Judge Wakefield. Because of these outrages, and the seizure of some free state prisoners, Lane, with a large force, proceeded to Lecompton, on September 4th, and before any intimation was received by the citizens, his cannon was frowning upon their houses from the summit of Court House hill. Gen. Richardson, who was in command of the pro-slavery forces, refused to defend the town, having no confidence in the courage of the inhabitants, who were flying in all directions, in confusion and alarm, and he therefore resigned his commission. Gen. Marshall being next in command, held a parley with Lane, who demanded the liberation of free state prisoners. This was agreed to. Lane returned to Lawrence, and the next day the prisoners came down with an escort of United States dragoons. At Leavenworth and vicinity, outrages had been renewed, and were being committed, if possible, with increased ferocity. As Governor Shannon afterwards remarked, "the roads were literally strewn with dead bodies." A United States officer discovered a number of slaughtered men, thirteen, it is stated, lying unburied, who had been seized and brained, some of them being shot in the forehead, and others down through the top of the skull, whilst some were cut with hatchets, and their bodies shockingly and disgustingly mutilated. On the first of September, Capt. Frederick Emory, a United States mail contractor, rendered himself conspicuous in Leavenworth, at the head of a band of ruffians, mostly from Western Missouri. They entered houses, stores, and dwellings of free state people, and, in the