The Good Lord Bird

A blizzard begins shortly after the army leaves Pikesville. They ride towards Iowa and are soon being followed by a federal company outside of Nebraska City. After three days the patrol sends a man with a white flag to speak with Brown. Brown refuses to surrender or agree to terms and sends the man away.

Brown’s sons Jason and John have left the army to go back to their homes, but his sons Watson, Oliver, Salmon, and Owen are still with him. They all ride east for two months, freeing slaves as they go. In the town of Tabor they are denied lodging by the townspeople, who have read fearsome reports about Brown in the newspaper. The army sells some of their goods to farmers in another nearby town in exchange for shelter. Brown announces that he is going to Boston to raise funds for their cause, and is taking Henry with him, “to bring the Negro to the fore for his own liberation” (210).

Brown and Henry take a train from Chicago to Boston. On the third day, Brown decides that they are getting off at Pittsburgh. He believes there might be a spy in his group that he left behind, and wants to change plans in case anyone has notified the authorities about his trip.