. Abraham Lincoln and men of war-times. Some personal recollections of war and politics during the Lincoln administration . one of the most beautiful valleys of thecountry, and among a people exceptionally comfortableand forming one of the most delightful communities ofthe State. The first distant murmurs of the coming warwere heard in Chambersburg in October, 1859, whenJohn Brown and his few insane followers attempted theconquest of Virginia by assaulting Harpers Ferry. Al-though Brown had made Chambersburg his base of ope-rations for some weeks before he moved upon HarpersFerry, freely mingl
. Abraham Lincoln and men of war-times. Some personal recollections of war and politics during the Lincoln administration . one of the most beautiful valleys of thecountry, and among a people exceptionally comfortableand forming one of the most delightful communities ofthe State. The first distant murmurs of the coming warwere heard in Chambersburg in October, 1859, whenJohn Brown and his few insane followers attempted theconquest of Virginia by assaulting Harpers Ferry. Al-though Brown had made Chambersburg his base of ope-rations for some weeks before he moved upon HarpersFerry, freely mingling with the citizens of the town andknown only as Dr. Smith, who was ostensibly en-gaged in mining pursuits in Maryland, there was not asingle resident of Chambersburg who had any concep-tion or suspicion of his purpose; but when the startlingnews came that actual conflict had been precipitated atHarpers Ferry by the stubborn fanatic fresh from theKansas battles, it appalled the community, as it seemedto be the precursor of civil war. In little more than ayear thereafter the people of the town were again startled 362. (Photo by Brady, Washington.) GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE, 1865. BORDER-LIFE IN WAR-TIMES. 363 by Lieutenant Jones and straggling members of his com-mand reaching there, exhausted and footsore, to announcethat he had been compelled to abandon Harpers Ferr}-,where he was in command, and had blown up the worksas far as he was able to accomplish it. This was one ofthe first of the many thrilling events of the great warthat was soon to burst upon us. From that time, throughfour long years of bloody battle until the end came atAppomattox, there was not a day nor an hour of absolutepeace in the border counties. Clianibersburg was within a nights ride of the Con-federate lines during the whole war, and not only therepeated raids made into that community by the Con-federate commanders, but the constant sense of insecurityand the multiplied reports of incursions from the enemy,
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