Brown, John

(1744-178), of Ma achusetts, aided in the capture of Ticonderoga and took Fort Chambly in 1775. He served under Montgomery at Quebec. In 1777 he captured Ticonderoga together with Jarge supplies. Brown, John [of O awatomie] (1800-1859), was born at Torrington, Conn., and early removed his home to Ohio. He was engaged in the wool busine and farming, and developed into an ardent and uncompromising abolitionist. On the outbreak of the Kansas troubles he settled near O awatomie in 1855, and took an active part in the desultory warfare in that region, including the ‘‘ Pottawatomie Ma acre ” of 1856. He had many sympathizers in the Northern States, and by 1859 his plans to liberate the slaves were matured. Having collected a small force, well armed, he suddenly on October 16, 1859, seized the arsenal at Harper's Ferry in Virginia. He was immediately blockaded, captured after a desperate resistance, tried by a Virginia court, and executed at Charles town, Va., December 2, 1859. The effect of this abortive undertaking was immeasurable. It helped to ‘‘ clear the air’’ both in the North and South and was an important link in the chain of events leading up to the war. Brown became a hero in the songs of the Northern armies. His life is written by F. B. Sanborn.