Anonymous to John B. Floyd, August 20, 1859

Cincinnati, August 20.

Sir, — I have lately received information of a movement of so great importance, that I feel it my duty to impart it to you without delay. I have discovered the existence of a secret association, having for its object the liberation of the slaves at the South by a general insurrection. The leader of the movement is "old John Brown," late of Kansas. He has been in Canada during the winter, drilling the negroes there, and they are only waiting his word to start for the South to assist the slaves. They have one of their leading men (a white man) in an armory in Maryland, — where it is situated I have not been able to learn. As soon as everything is ready, those of their number who are in the Northern States and Canada are to come in small companies to their rendezvous, which is in the mountains in Virginia. They will pass down through Pennsylvania and Maryland, and enter Virginia at Harper's Ferry. Brown left the North about three or four weeks ago, and will arm the negroes and strike the blow in a few weeks; so that whatever is done must be done at once. They have a large quantity of arms at their rendezvous, and are probably distributing them already. As I am not fully in their confidence, this is all the information I can give you. I dare not sign my name to this, but trust that you will not disregard the warning on that account.¹

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¹ The envelope is directed, “Hon. Mr. Floyd, Secretary of War, Washington,” marked “private,” and postmarked Cincinnati, August 23, 1859. Although the information sent to Floyd was very exact, and one would have supposed a Virginian specially sensitive to such intelligence, it does not appear that he gave the matter more than a passing thought. He received the letter at a Virginian watering-place, but did not read it twice, although he laid it away at first as a paper of some moment. It has never been ascertained who wrote it, but perhaps a young man then connected with a Cincinnati newspaper. This person had become acquainted with a Hungarian refugee, formerly in the suite of Kossuth, then living in Kansas, and who, had fought on the side of the North, possibly under Brown, and had learned in some detail the plan of the Virginia campaign. This it is believed he communicated in an unguarded moment to the Cincinnati reporter, who could not contain the secret, but sat down at once and wrote to the Secretary of War. It is possible that the information came indirectly from Cook, who talked too freely. See p. 471.

SOURCE: Franklin B. Sanborn, The Life and Letters of John Brown, p. 543-4