Spencer Kellogg Brown
Encyclopedia
Spencer Kellogg Brown was born August 17, 1842 in Kansas
. His family moved to Missouri
.
In retaliation for what was known as the Pottawatomie Massacre
, pro-slavery
forces sacked Osawatomie on August 30, 1856 August. Spencer's family house was burned to the ground during the raid, and Spencer was captured and taken to Lafayette County
, Missouri
, for several weeks..
"In January 1861 Spencer, using the name Spencer Kellogg to avoid suspicion, enlisted in the Union Army
. In September he was discharged from the regular Army so he could be John C. Fremont
's recruiting officer in Saint Louis
, in charge of enlisting volunteers into the "Lyon Legion," part of the 12th Regiment, Missouri Volunteers. This appointment lasted only a few weeks until Fremont was replaced and Spencer dismissed. He then enlisted as a sailor on the Essex, a Union vessel in the Mississippi River
. The Essex played a pivotal role in the destruction of the Confederate Navy along the Mississippi, most notably in the disabling of the Confederate ironclad Arkansas.".
"While in the Army Spencer found himself very adept at espionage
, at one time spending many weeks behind enemy lines in Kentucky
, Mississippi, and Tennessee
, and observing the battles of Corinth
and Fort Pillow
from the Confederate
side. After the latter conflict he escaped across the Tennessee River
to rejoin the Union forces. During his expedition in the South he was twice invited to join Confederate units. The first time he was able to decline without arousing any suspicion, but on the second invitation he was obliged to go so far as to don a Confederate uniform, though he never took an oath or participated in any actual enrollment.".
"During a furlough from the Essex in June of 1862 he married Mary Manahan whom he had met during his earlier residence in Saint Louis."
"While ashore from the Essex on surveillance duty he was captured by Southern troops and eventually was sent to Jackson, Mississippi
. Because of his affability, and because the charge of spying was not a serious one, he was allowed some freedom of movement in the city. Unfortunately while on one of these trips he was spotted by a Confederate soldier who remembered him as a Southern serviceman from his previous espionage mission in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. This man alerted the authorities that Spencer was a deserter, a much more serious charge. Although technically he never enlisted in the Confederate Army, Spencer was charged with desertion and spying. When General Ulysses S. Grant
's forces converged on Jackson, Spencer and other prisoners were moved to Montgomery, Alabama
, and ultimately Richmond. After over a year in confinement Spencer was finally tied and condemned to death. His execution took place in Richmond on 25 September 1863."
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. His family moved to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
In retaliation for what was known as the Pottawatomie Massacre
Pottawatomie Massacre
The Pottawatomie Massacre occurred during the night of May 24 and the morning of May 25, 1856. In reaction to the sacking of Lawrence by pro-slavery forces, John Brown and a band of abolitionist settlers killed five settlers north of Pottawatomie Creek in Franklin County, Kansas...
, pro-slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
forces sacked Osawatomie on August 30, 1856 August. Spencer's family house was burned to the ground during the raid, and Spencer was captured and taken to Lafayette County
Lafayette County
Lafayette County may refer to several locations in the United States:* Lafayette County, Arkansas* Lafayette County, Florida* Lafayette County, Mississippi* Lafayette County, Missouri* Lafayette County, Wisconsin* Lafayette Parish, Louisiana...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, for several weeks..
"In January 1861 Spencer, using the name Spencer Kellogg to avoid suspicion, enlisted in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
. In September he was discharged from the regular Army so he could be John C. Fremont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
's recruiting officer in Saint Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, in charge of enlisting volunteers into the "Lyon Legion," part of the 12th Regiment, Missouri Volunteers. This appointment lasted only a few weeks until Fremont was replaced and Spencer dismissed. He then enlisted as a sailor on the Essex, a Union vessel in the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. The Essex played a pivotal role in the destruction of the Confederate Navy along the Mississippi, most notably in the disabling of the Confederate ironclad Arkansas.".
"While in the Army Spencer found himself very adept at espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
, at one time spending many weeks behind enemy lines in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Mississippi, and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and observing the battles of Corinth
Battle of Corinth
The Battle of Corinth may refer to a Roman battle, or to one of two American Civil War Battles:* The Battle of Corinth * The Siege of Corinth, Mississippi , also known as the First Battle of Corinth, during the American Civil War* The Second Battle of Corinth...
and Fort Pillow
Battle of Fort Pillow
The Battle of Fort Pillow, also known as the Fort Pillow Massacre, was fought on April 12, 1864, at Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River in Henning, Tennessee, during the American Civil War. The battle ended with a massacre of surrendered Federal black troops by soldiers under the command of...
from the Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
side. After the latter conflict he escaped across the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
to rejoin the Union forces. During his expedition in the South he was twice invited to join Confederate units. The first time he was able to decline without arousing any suspicion, but on the second invitation he was obliged to go so far as to don a Confederate uniform, though he never took an oath or participated in any actual enrollment.".
"During a furlough from the Essex in June of 1862 he married Mary Manahan whom he had met during his earlier residence in Saint Louis."
"While ashore from the Essex on surveillance duty he was captured by Southern troops and eventually was sent to Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. Because of his affability, and because the charge of spying was not a serious one, he was allowed some freedom of movement in the city. Unfortunately while on one of these trips he was spotted by a Confederate soldier who remembered him as a Southern serviceman from his previous espionage mission in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. This man alerted the authorities that Spencer was a deserter, a much more serious charge. Although technically he never enlisted in the Confederate Army, Spencer was charged with desertion and spying. When General Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
's forces converged on Jackson, Spencer and other prisoners were moved to Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, and ultimately Richmond. After over a year in confinement Spencer was finally tied and condemned to death. His execution took place in Richmond on 25 September 1863."