Washington City
Dec 19. 1859.
Dear Sir,
I recd. yours of the 16th inst. 
You say "the people of Vermont cannot 
realize how 15 whites & 3 negroes can frighten 
the nation, & Virginia in particular." 
The people of Virginia & South are 
not alarmed & excited by what was done
 by John Brown & his associates. Indeed 
the circumstances & results were essentially 
calculated to give them confidence & 
security. It showed that their slaves are
 not inclined to revolt & that when taken 
away by force they run back to their mas-
ters. In the next place it shows that 
men who engage in such attempts, relying 
on the cooperation of the slaves, meet
 only disappointment & death. 
The matter of their excitement and


and alarm is this. They found Brown 
had there new Sharps Rifles & pistols to the
amount in value of eight or ten thousand 
dollars & near 1000 pikes & money. Now all 
this implies countenance; support, and 
"immaterial aid," exclusive & effective, including 
wealth & numbers. With this they are 
alarmed, and they have become anxious 
to know who has been & who is willing to con-
tribute to a civil & servile war. It seems 
but just that instead of leaving the whole
law abiding people of the north to lay 
under this imputation that those, if any, 
who have really & intentionally promoted 
such a transaction should be disclosed. 
(I much doubt whether any who have given him contribution
understood he was to apply it in the way he did.) 
This is what is professed to be affected & 
you see the whole Republicans in the Senate
voted in favor of the investigation. 
So long as it is pursued to this end we 
shall not embarrass it. It may be 
possible that another sinister purpose 
may be entertained by some, that is,


to make of it political capitol for
 the Presidential election. against that we 
must, as far as practicable, guard; but
I must in candor & sincerity say to you
 this was an untimely as well as criminal 
affair & can do our party no good, unless
 it appear that it was not promoted, 
aided, advised or approved by the 
Republican party. I shall use my best exer-
tions to this, because I believe it true. 
I have heard no suggestion yet of sending
 to Vermont for witnesses.
I am, respectfully, 
Your Humble Servt
J. Collamer
C. H. Chapman, Esquire