The massacre that pushed Kansas to civil war: John Brown’s bloody night

John Brown’s Midnight Revenge at Pottawatomie Creek

John Brown took the law into his own hands on a dark May night in 1856.

Rage burned in him after pro-slavery mobs trashed Lawrence and beat Senator Sumner bloody on the Senate floor. Brown, four sons, and three friends struck back with cold fury.

They dragged five pro-slavery men from their homes along Pottawatomie Creek in Kansas. The victims died by gunshot and sword, though none owned slaves.

This bloody night lit the fuse for “Bleeding Kansas” and killed 29 more people in revenge raids.

The story of these brutal killings awaits at Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area, where a simple marker stands at the spot that many call the first shots of the Civil War.

Rage Boiled Over After News From Lawrence Reached Brown

John Brown and his Pottawatomie Rifles got angry news that 800 pro-slavery fighters had trashed Lawrence on May 21, 1856. The mob knocked down the Free State Hotel and broke two antislavery newspaper offices.

People also talked about Senator Charles Sumner getting beaten with a cane by Congressman Preston Brooks right in the Senate. Brown’s men rushed toward Lawrence but got there too late to help.

Brown walked angrily around camp, telling his followers, “Something must be done to show these barbarians that we, too, have rights.

A Secret Team Forms For Bloody Revenge

On May 23, Brown picked his attack team: four sons (Frederick, Owen, Oliver, Watson), his son-in-law Henry Thompson, plus Theodore Wiener and James Townsley. His son John Jr.

didn’t like the plan but gave in, warning, “Father, be careful and commit no rash act. ” Townsley brought his wagon, and the group left camp around 2 PM.

While traveling, Brown finally told the men his real goal – to “sweep the Pottawatomie of all Pro-slavery men living on it. ” The others looked at each other in shock.

Hidden Between Ravines, The Men Prepared Their Weapons

The group camped between two ravines about a mile above Dutch Henry’s crossing on Pottawatomie Creek. Townsley tried to back out, refusing to show Brown where the pro-slavery settlers lived.

Brown wouldn’t let him leave. The men stayed hidden through May 24, sharpening short swords and checking their pistols.

They waited for darkness, talking quietly about what was coming. As night fell, Brown gave final orders for the attack.

A Mother’s Desperate Plea Saves One Doyle Son

Around 10 PM on May 24, Brown’s gang reached James Doyle’s cabin. They banged on the door, claiming to be the “Northern Army” taking prisoners.

The Doyles, woken from sleep, saw armed men at their door.

When Mahala Doyle watched them drag out her husband James and sons William (22) and Drury (20), she fell to her knees begging Brown to spare her youngest, 16-year-old John. Brown nodded and left the boy behind.

The three Doyle men walked into the darkness, pushed along at gunpoint.

Broadswords Hacked The First Victims To Death

Just yards from the cabin, Brown pulled out his gun and shot James Doyle in the head. Frederick, Owen, and Oliver Brown swung their broadswords, cutting William and Drury Doyle to death.

Blood soaked the dirt road as the bodies lay cut up under the moonlight. Mahala Doyle, listening from inside, heard the sounds of killing but felt too scared to look.

Later, she told officials the leader was a tall, narrow-faced man wearing dirty clothes and a straw hat – John Brown.

Sick Wife Watched Helplessly As Husband Was Taken

The killers moved half a mile to Allen Wilkinson’s cabin after midnight. Wilkinson worked as the local postmaster and served in the pro-slavery government.

His wife Louisa Jane lay in bed with measles while their two children slept nearby. Brown’s men hit the door, ordering Wilkinson outside.

Louisa begged them to leave her husband, saying she was too sick to care for the children alone. They ignored her.

Henry Thompson and Theodore Wiener dragged Wilkinson away and cut him down with their swords.

Creek Crossing Led To The Final Target

The group crossed Pottawatomie Creek at Dutch Henry’s ford around 1 AM on May 25. They walked to James Harris’s cabin where several men stayed as guests.

Brown lined up everyone inside and asked them: “What do you think about slavery? Were you in Lawrence last week?”

Harris and his guest Jerome Glanville gave answers that Brown liked. But William Sherman, brother of known pro-slavery leader “Dutch Henry” Sherman, caught Brown’s eye.

His answers about supporting slavery sealed his fate.

Blood Flowed Into Pottawatomie Creek

Thompson, Wiener, and Brown’s sons grabbed Sherman by the arms. They pulled him fighting from the cabin toward the creek bank.

The other men inside stayed still, afraid to step in. At the water’s edge, the broadswords came down again and again.

Sherman’s body fell, cut open in many places. The killers pushed his body into Pottawatomie Creek, where the current caught it.

Blood spread in the water as Sherman’s body floated downstream in the darkness.

Dawn Revealed Bloody Weapons As Killers Rejoined Their Company

After washing blood from their swords in the creek, Brown’s party slipped into the night. Townsley drove the wagon back toward their camp while the others walked alongside.

They reached the Pottawatomie Rifles by midnight on May 25.

The men tried to act normal, but when morning came, other company members spotted blood and hair still stuck to their weapons. Word of the night’s events began to spread through whispers among the men.

Brown himself said nothing about what they had done.

Kansas Territory Exploded Into Brutal Civil War

News of the killings spread across Kansas Territory, shocking settlers on both sides. Pro-slavery forces started a big manhunt, burning Brown family homes and attacking his relatives.

They caught and badly beat John Brown Jr. and his brother Jason, even though neither joined the killing party.

Frederick Brown died in a revenge attack. For three months, Kansas burned with fighting.

Twenty-nine people died in the back-and-forth violence that followed the Pottawatomie killings.

The Truth Came Out Years Later

Eastern abolitionists first denied Brown had anything to do with the killings, trying to protect their movement from being linked to such violence.

But in 1879, James Townsley finally told the whole story, confirming Brown personally led and took part in the murders. None of the five men killed at Pottawatomie actually owned slaves themselves.

The massacre turned “Bleeding Kansas” into a true civil war within the territory.

Many historians now point to that bloody night on Pottawatomie Creek as the first shots of what would become the American Civil War.

Visiting Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area, Kansas

You can visit the historical marker for John Brown’s Pottawatomie Creek Massacre at the southeast corner of Virginia Road and W 5th Street in Lane, Kansas.

The site is about an hour from Lawrence and free to visit with roadside parking.

This area was called Dutch Henry’s Crossing when Brown and his sons killed five pro-slavery settlers in May 1856. For more context, schedule an appointment at Freedom’s Frontier’s gallery in Lawrence’s Carnegie Building.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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