Frederick Brown's Contribution

Frederick Brown was instrumental in tricking Pate into surrendering. After his father ordered the horses to be shot, he realized that Pate was trapped. His actions convinced Pate that he was surrounded and had no choice but to surrender to Brown. Frederick Brown was often kept out of the fighting due to health concerns, but he was as committed to abolition as his father and brothers.

Brown had come to Kansas because many of his sons had moved there and were heavily involved in the abolitionist movement. Brown left his wife and some of his children at home in North Elba, New York to support his sons in Kansas. Over the course of his two marriages, Brown had twenty children and eleven lived into adulthood. His children remember him as a kind and funny father who could be stern when necessary. Frederick Brown, was his fourth child with his first wife, Dianthe Lusk. Frederick experienced seizures and severe headaches, so he was assigned to watch the horses behind the creek while the others were fighting. Frederick was kept out of the shooting in case he suffered a seizure due to the noise and chaos. But when he saw the horses being killed, he knew what his father’s plan was, and he decided to apply more pressure on Pate. On horseback, Frederick rode through the field, on the southern high ground that was between the two branches of the creek. He swung his broadsword and shouted, “ Father, we have them

surrounded and have cut off their lines of communication.” He meant to scare Pate into surrender, and it worked. Without horses to help them travel out of the area, and believing they were surrounded, Pate decided to negotiate. He sent two prisoners with a white flag over to speak to Brown. 

Frederick Brown was shot and killed a couple of months later on August, 30, 1856, by Reverend Martin White while standing in front of his uncle, Samuel Adair’s home just outside Osawatomie. He is buried with four others who were involved in the Osawatomie Incident.

Altenbernd, Kerry. Interview. Conducted by Amy Lukert. 2 November 2022.

DeCaro, L. A. (1970, January 1). John Brown's brother: Frederick Brown supports the Greeley campaign of 1872. John Brown's Brother: Frederick Brown Supports the Greeley Campaign of 1872. Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://abolitionist-john-brown.blogspot.com/2018/11/john-browns-brother-frederick-brown.html