James Abbott recalled his experiences as a free state activist who participated in several Kansas Territory conflicts. In this account, he related a brief history of the Kansas Territory's political conflicts between free state and proslavery men, and recounted the events of his own trip back East to secure funds and rifles for the free state cause. His purchases included a mountain howitzer and 117 Sharp's rifles, all of which were smuggled under cover of disguise back to Kansas Territory and into the arms of free state militia. [This transcribed version of the events is either a copy of an original handwritten manuscript, or a compilation based on a personal oral interview.]
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
James B. Abbott, account of obtaining Sharp's rifles for Free State militia - p. 7