The Secret Six: The True Tale of the Men Who Conspired with John Brown (review)

BOOK REVIEWS265 important concern is one of Powers's major conclusions that "the vigor with which black Charlestonians pursued their equal rights as citizens stemmed from the same determination that led them to form a cohesive community" (7). This work shows that the community was not as cohesive as Powers argues. Blacks had not only to contend with white supremacy, but also with "complexional differences" (187) within the race, lack of worker solidarity, particularly among black longshoremen (132), and hostility between city blacks and "country Negroes" (134). Still, these observations do not critically reduce the overall importance of this book. Powers has made a significant contribution to scholarship and points the way to underexplored areas of black urban Reconstruction history. Black Charlestonians should be in paperback where it could enjoy a good run in the advanced undergraduate and graduate student markets. Harry McKinley Williams Carleton College The Secret Six: The True Tale of the Men Who Conspired with John Brown. By Edward J. Renehan, Jr. (New York: Crown Publishers, 1995. Pp. 308. $25.00.) Edward Renehan's lively narrative history ofJohn Brown and the Secret Six is based on impressive archival research. Through his imaginative use ofconspirators ' correspondence, the author pulls readers into the lives and machinations of Brown and his wealthy antislavery supporters. The Secret Six offers illuminating portraits—often with surprisingly intimate details—of Gerrit Smith, Theodore Parker, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Franklin Sanborn, Samuel Gridley Howe, and George Luther Stearns. Weaving in and out of their lives, John Brown is depicted as a complex and contradictory figure, "a troubling blend of the martyr and the murderer, a puzzle to remain forever unsolved" (274). With ample literary flourishes, Renehan skillfully recounts this dramatic story, yet he is less successful in explaining its significance. The author's reluctance to step outside of this secret circle and their labyrinth of letters ultimately renders a constricted perspective of Brown, his supporters, and Brown's actions first in "Bleeding Kansas" and later at Harpers Ferry. The Secret Six is not so much a work of social or political history as it is a collective biography of interconnected people. Given his extensive research, however, Renehan might have offered more insights about his subjects. For example, what did these men share in their religious views, their concepts of honor or manhood, their acceptance of antislavery violence, or their attitudes toward African Americans? By presenting a more systematic and critical assessment of the Secret Six, Renehan might have created a book with more scholarly appeal. As his text, bibliography, and endnotes attest, Renehan makes thorough use of a wide variety of materials. Missing, unfortunately, are some historical studies that might have enlarged or sharpened the author's perspective. Perhaps 266CIVIL WAR HISTORY the most troublesome omission is that of Jeffery Rossbach's Ambivalent Conspirators : John Brown, the Secret Six, and a Theory ofSlave Violence (1982). Although Rossbach lacks Renehan's literary polish, he uses many of the same sources to focus on the Secret Six and offers some provocative notions about the motivations and aspirations of Brown's backers. The Secret Six would benefit, in addition, by the inclusion of at least one map to highlight locations of significant events or to diagram the wanderings of the peripatetic Brown. This is a fine book, make no mistake. The author and the publisher clearly took pains to produce a handsome publication that is laced with appropriate photographs and attractive embellishments. With its wealth of details both petty and profound, Renehan's "true tale" of John Brown and the Secret Six is unlikely to be surpassed, its merit magnified by the author's exhaustive primary research and graceful prose. Earl F. Mulderink III Southern Utah University The Image of War: The Pictorial Reporting of the American Civil War. By William F. Thompson. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1994. Pp. 248. $12.95.) This paperback reissue offers a new generation of readers the chance to enjoy a minor classic in Civil War historiography. William F. Thompson's enthusiastic but balanced examination of the art and adventures of the sketch artists for journals like Frank Leslie's, Harper's Weekly and the Illustrated News moves briskly through the major...