BROWN, John (1800-1859). Autograph Letter Signed to a Business Partner. Troy, NY, 27th Feby. 1852. Addressed ?Simon Perkins Esq." Signed by Brown at bottom. On plain white paper, text on recto, Perkins' address in New York and cancel on verso. Approximately 9 ? x 7 ?". Two vertical and three horizontal creases, some toning, soiling (especially on verso). Fine. Brown writes to Perkins, whose flocks and farms were managed by Brown and his sons during this period. Brown asks Perkins for various sums to settle some accounts, presumably for Perkins' properties. Brown was a Christian fundamentalist, famous for his fervent abolitionism. Brown fought in the ?Bleeding Kansas" crisis in an effort to make sure Kansas entered the union as a free state. In 1859, he conducted a raid on Harpers Ferry in Virgina, to secure weapons for a slave revolt against the South; Brown was captured and eventually hanged. The Harpers Ferry raid is considered to be the opening salvo of the Civil War. Brown's death was the basis of the Union soldier's song, John Brown's Body, which, in turn, inspired Julia Ward Howe's famous Battle Hymn of the Republic. From the renowned personal collection of Dr. George D. Lacy.Measurements: 10"L x 8"W x 1"H.