wealth, luxury, and extravagance of this 'heaven-exalted' people, even the necessary supplies of the common soldier. 'How are the mighty fallen!'
"I am destitute of horses, baggage wagons, tents, harness, saddles, bridles, holsters, spurs, and belts; camp equipage, such as cooking and eating utensils, blankets, knapsacks, intrenching tools, axes, shovels, spades, mattocks, crowbars; have not a supply of ammunition; have not money sufficient to pay freight and traveling expenses; and left my family poorly supplied with common necessaries."[1]
Forbes also disappointed him by his delay, lingering in New York and not appearing in Iowa until August. Brown, who had been sick again, was nevertheless pushing matters among his Kansas friends. He wrote in June: "There are some half-dozen men I want a visit from at Tabor, Ia., to come off in the most quiet way; . . . I have some very important matters to confer with some of you about. Let there be no words about it."[2]
Arriving at Tabor early in August, Brown's first business was to secure the arms voted him. Because of a previous failure to equip emigrants at points farther east, the Massachusetts Kansas State Committee had sent 200 Sharps rifles to Tabor, Ia. Here they were stored in a minister's barn until John Brown called for and removed them. Hugh Forbes finally arrived August 9th, bringing with him copies of his "Manual for the Patriotic Vol-
