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The Abolitionist and the Spy: A Father, a Son, and Their Battle for the Union
An abolitionist and a spy, father and son, in the forgotten Western theater of the Civil War.
The abolitionist legacies of Orville Brown and his son, Spencer, live on in this historic and daring 19th-century account. Journeying apart from each other, but with similar passion, Orville and Spencer's stories span virtually every major abolitionist from the battles of Bleeding Kansas and the establishment of the free-soil movement to the river wars of Memphis, Vicksburg, and Shiloh. Listeners will follow Orville west as he strikes out for Kansas Territory to help ensure its entry as a free state. But the life of his precocious eldest son, Spencer, serves as an eventful accompaniment to Orville's own adventures.
As a young navy recruit in the Civil War's Western theater, Spencer volunteered to go behind enemy lines on numerous occasions. With his bold sleuthing and detailed diaries, Spencer's life unfolds vividly against the exciting backdrop of the Union and Confederate battle for control of the Mississippi River. The lives of these daring men are a fortifying record of American perseverance.
The abolitionist legacies of Orville Brown and his son, Spencer, live on in this historic and daring 19th-century account. Journeying apart from each other, but with similar passion, Orville and Spencer's stories span virtually every major abolitionist from the battles of Bleeding Kansas and the establishment of the free-soil movement to the river wars of Memphis, Vicksburg, and Shiloh. Listeners will follow Orville west as he strikes out for Kansas Territory to help ensure its entry as a free state. But the life of his precocious eldest son, Spencer, serves as an eventful accompaniment to Orville's own adventures.
As a young navy recruit in the Civil War's Western theater, Spencer volunteered to go behind enemy lines on numerous occasions. With his bold sleuthing and detailed diaries, Spencer's life unfolds vividly against the exciting backdrop of the Union and Confederate battle for control of the Mississippi River. The lives of these daring men are a fortifying record of American perseverance.
288 pages, Paperback
Published August 18, 2020
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February 28, 2021
Fascinating, well-written history of father Orville Brown and son Spencer Kellogg Brown. The father was am ardent abolitionist who moved his family to combat slavery.
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When Kansas was opened as a Territory, the divided US Congress left its future status as a Slave or Free state up to future voters there. That attracted the most fanatical pro-slavery and abolitionist elements.
Violence was inevitable. Orville Brown was unrelated to abolitionist John Brown, but John established a homestead six miles from the free soil town Orville established. John's bellicosity and pro-slavery zealots clashed, fuelling the Bleeding Kansas civil war. The Browns' paths crossed with great consequence for Orville. Son Spencer soon volunteered for the Union Army and embraced danger as a spy behind Confederate lines.
.
When Kansas was opened as a Territory, the divided US Congress left its future status as a Slave or Free state up to future voters there. That attracted the most fanatical pro-slavery and abolitionist elements.
Violence was inevitable. Orville Brown was unrelated to abolitionist John Brown, but John established a homestead six miles from the free soil town Orville established. John's bellicosity and pro-slavery zealots clashed, fuelling the Bleeding Kansas civil war. The Browns' paths crossed with great consequence for Orville. Son Spencer soon volunteered for the Union Army and embraced danger as a spy behind Confederate lines.
Displaying 1 of 1 review