http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_are_the_Knights_of_the_golden_circle
A: Knights of the Golden Circle secret order of Southern sympathizers in the North during the Civil War. Its members were known asCopperheads . Dr. George W. L. Bickley, a Virginian who had moved to Ohio, organized the first "castle," or local branch, in Cincinnati in 1854 and soon took the order to the South, where it was enthusiastically received. Its principal object was to provide a force to colonize the northern part of Mexico and thus extend proslavery interests, and the Knights became especially active in Texas. Secession and the outbreak of the Civil War prompted a shift in its aims from filibustering in Mexico to support of the new Southern government. Appealing to the South's friends in the North, particularly in areas that were suffering economic dislocation, the order soon spread to Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri. Its membership in these states, where it became strongest, was largely composed of Peace Democrats, who felt that the Civil War was a mistake and that the increasing power of the federal government was leading toward tyranny. They did not, however, at this time engage in any treasonable activity. In late 1863 the Knights of the Golden Circle was reorganized as the Order of American Knights and again, early in 1864, as the Order of the Sons of Liberty, with Clement L. Vallandigham , most prominent of the Copperheads, as its supreme commander. Only a minority of its membership was radical enough---in some localities---to discourage enlistments, resist the draft, and shield deserters. Numerous peace meetings were held. A few extreme agitators, some of them encouraged by Southern money, talked of a revolt in the Old Northwest, which, if brought about, would end the war. Southern newspapers wishfully reported stories of widespread disaffection, and John Hunt Morgan's raid (1863) into Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio was undertaken in the expectation that the disaffected element would rally to his standard. Gov. Oliver P. Morton of Indiana and Gen. Henry B. Carrington effectively curbed the Sons of Liberty in that state in the fall of 1864. With mounting Union victories late in 1864, the order's agitation for a negotiated peace lost appeal, and it soon dissolved. source:http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle.aspx
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure maps 14
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure maps 14
Underground Discovery & Exploration
http://undergrounddiscovery.com/23/knights-of-the-golden-circle-treasure-maps-14
(Editors note: Underground Discovery & Exploration did not publish an article entitled KGCT maps 13.)
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure maps and the signs to get to KGC cache sights is the current topic we are reviewing. The last article encouraged you to begin to watch landmarks, both currently known and those that are now forgotten due to changes in our lifestyles. I collect old maps and many times the landmarks that are now forgotten are on there. The old topographical maps from the 60’s even have archaeological sites on them that are no longer placed on the maps to keep people from knowing where they are. Please, do not disturb any archeological site, but notice the landmarks that are no longer shown. Perhaps you should start your search there.
We then moved on to hoot owl trees. Hoot owl trees are an invaluable source of information, generally directional information and even divisional information. I have never seen one that gave everything I needed to locate a treasure.
The next thing you should look for is rocks that are carved into shapes. In the areas of the large repository I have many times found huge stones carved into animals. The Spanish did the same thing (i.e. the poodle, the Santa Fe horse, etc.). Perhaps those of you working on the Peralta stones should reconsider the significance of the sight. Perhaps it is Spanish and perhaps it is Spanish that is reworked by the KGC.
To help you understand the importance of these stones, I have included a photo of one of the most common animals carved by the Spanish. Lo and behold, it is a Spanish turtle that stands about 12’ tall. This has been altered by the KGC with a map carved on it. The KGC signs, no matter what they are, must always be considered under with their thought patterns. Look carefully as to whether the turtle has legs, tail, etc. If it has no tail, of course it is the head that does the pointing. If it has no legs, it can’t walk anywhere so look close. Are the eyes open or shut? This particular turtle is massive and the photo has been cropped to not show location and certain sign to. Watch for every detail. These animals give tremendous information concerning the treasure. Further sign will be discussed in the next article.
The Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure maps symbols and signs mentioned in this article may be difficult to interpret due to time, erosion, and an untrained eye. Dr. Melancon is a foremost authority on Spanish and KGC treasure maps, symbols and signs. Email or call for help on your Spanish or Knights of the Golden Circle project. 480-463 6579
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com
Underground Discovery & Exploration
http://undergrounddiscovery.com/23/knights-of-the-golden-circle-treasure-maps-14
(Editors note: Underground Discovery & Exploration did not publish an article entitled KGCT maps 13.)
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure maps and the signs to get to KGC cache sights is the current topic we are reviewing. The last article encouraged you to begin to watch landmarks, both currently known and those that are now forgotten due to changes in our lifestyles. I collect old maps and many times the landmarks that are now forgotten are on there. The old topographical maps from the 60’s even have archaeological sites on them that are no longer placed on the maps to keep people from knowing where they are. Please, do not disturb any archeological site, but notice the landmarks that are no longer shown. Perhaps you should start your search there.
We then moved on to hoot owl trees. Hoot owl trees are an invaluable source of information, generally directional information and even divisional information. I have never seen one that gave everything I needed to locate a treasure.
The next thing you should look for is rocks that are carved into shapes. In the areas of the large repository I have many times found huge stones carved into animals. The Spanish did the same thing (i.e. the poodle, the Santa Fe horse, etc.). Perhaps those of you working on the Peralta stones should reconsider the significance of the sight. Perhaps it is Spanish and perhaps it is Spanish that is reworked by the KGC.
To help you understand the importance of these stones, I have included a photo of one of the most common animals carved by the Spanish. Lo and behold, it is a Spanish turtle that stands about 12’ tall. This has been altered by the KGC with a map carved on it. The KGC signs, no matter what they are, must always be considered under with their thought patterns. Look carefully as to whether the turtle has legs, tail, etc. If it has no tail, of course it is the head that does the pointing. If it has no legs, it can’t walk anywhere so look close. Are the eyes open or shut? This particular turtle is massive and the photo has been cropped to not show location and certain sign to. Watch for every detail. These animals give tremendous information concerning the treasure. Further sign will be discussed in the next article.
The Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure maps symbols and signs mentioned in this article may be difficult to interpret due to time, erosion, and an untrained eye. Dr. Melancon is a foremost authority on Spanish and KGC treasure maps, symbols and signs. Email or call for help on your Spanish or Knights of the Golden Circle project. 480-463 6579
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com
Monday, June 14, 2010
Civil War Roundtable
Monthly gathering brings together fans of Civil War and U.S. history
BY KREG ROBINSON • Correspondent • May 29, 2010
http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/article/20100529/NEWS01/5290311/1002
Excerpt: "Mingus got the crowd laughing when he spoke of the Knights of the Golden Circle. This consisted of two men from Brooklyn who hoodwinked the citizens of York County, Pa. The two men sold golden tickets and gestures to the York farmers with the assurance that if shown the gestures and tickets, the Confederates would not loot their farms. Despite the gestures and tickets, York still lost much of its wealth."
ZANESVILLE -- History came alive Monday as Zanesville hosted its monthly Civil War Roundtable at the Stone Academy.
Don Moody, the president of the Muskingum County Civil War Administration, headed the event. Moody has been coordinating the roundtables for five years. Along with help from fellow association members, he find speakers for the roundtable and organizes historical events in the Zanesville community.
Moody thinks the roundtable has taken off in the few years that he has been involved.
"Local interest has grown," he said. "We only started with about 20 people. I use the Internet and e-mail to keep people up to date on the meetings. The local media outlets are also a big help."
Moody brings in speakers, who often come to the events for little or no pay. They come simply for their love of history and the Civil War.
"We've been very fortunate, we get some local people who will come three or four times a year," he said. "We can't fly people in. Many people will come for the gas money we can give them."
The Stone Academy, 115 Jefferson St., is an ideal location for the roundtable. The building, built in 1809, originally was erected to lure the state capital to Putnam. It now is the home of the Pioneer and Historical Society. The presentation took place in a small room decorated with old paintings and antique pottery and glassware adorned the mantle pieces of the historic site.
Guests piled into the academy, where there were barely enough room for all who chose to attend. Young and old alike gathered at the academy to partake in the roundtable, but all in attendance shared a love of history.
The roundtable's featured guest was Scott Mingus, a native of southeast Ohio, who is a scientist, inventor and author of seven books about the Civil War. Mingus also writes for Gettysburg Magazine, one of the top Civil War-related magazines, and is a tour guide for Civil War sites in York County, Pa.
The main theme of Mingus's presentation was the Confederate attempted seizure of Harrisburg, Pa., right before the Battle of Gettysburg. Mingus used colorful anecdotes to bring life to the presentation for the overflowing crowd.
Mingus brought such characters to life as Jubal Early, a Confederate leader from Georgia who led the assault on Maryland and Pennsylvania. Mingus described Early as Robert E. Lee's "Bad old man." Early, after the Confederate defeat, never took the oath of citizenship to the United States for as long as he lived.
Mingus also described John Brown Gordon, another Confederate from Georgia. Gordon was almost killed when he was shot five times at the Battle of Antietam. Gordon almost drowned in his own blood in his hat until a shot punctured the hat and saved his life. Gordon went on to become a governor and senator in Georgia and founded the Ku Klux Klan in the state.
Mingus rarely took a breath as he described the Confederate march through Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania. He spoke of a Confederate soldier's description of Pennsylvania, "Ripe cherries, ugly women and mean Dutch farmers."
Mingus got the crowd laughing when he spoke of the Knights of the Golden Circle. This consisted of two men from Brooklyn who hoodwinked the citizens of York County, Pa. The two men sold golden tickets and gestures to the York farmers with the assurance that if shown the gestures and tickets, the Confederates would not loot their farms. Despite the gestures and tickets, York still lost much of its wealth.
Mingus, who was interrupted several times during the interview by people complimenting his presentation, was very appreciative for the opportunity to speak at the roundtable.
"Civil War roundtables exist in many small towns," he said. "There are about 700 or 800 around the country. It's great because there is usually no charge for people to attend and talk about some aspect of the Civil War. It's great for dialogue. People can share their own Civil War stories, many that are first hand, passed down from their grandparents."
Mingus' grandmother, who told him stories about his family's involvement in the Civil War, helped foster his love of history. Mingus also is involved in Civil War miniature gaming, which is played on dioramas of battlefields created by Mingus. He described the game as "chess on steroids."
The roundtable, which was the final meeting of the season that resumes in September, is not the only event history buffs can attend. The Pioneer Society is planning a 200th celebration of Zanesville as the capital of Ohio scheduled for July 4. At the celebration, there will be a monument dedicated as well as a performance by the Zanesville Municipal Band and an ice cream social.
BY KREG ROBINSON • Correspondent • May 29, 2010
http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/article/20100529/NEWS01/5290311/1002
Excerpt: "Mingus got the crowd laughing when he spoke of the Knights of the Golden Circle. This consisted of two men from Brooklyn who hoodwinked the citizens of York County, Pa. The two men sold golden tickets and gestures to the York farmers with the assurance that if shown the gestures and tickets, the Confederates would not loot their farms. Despite the gestures and tickets, York still lost much of its wealth."
ZANESVILLE -- History came alive Monday as Zanesville hosted its monthly Civil War Roundtable at the Stone Academy.
Don Moody, the president of the Muskingum County Civil War Administration, headed the event. Moody has been coordinating the roundtables for five years. Along with help from fellow association members, he find speakers for the roundtable and organizes historical events in the Zanesville community.
Moody thinks the roundtable has taken off in the few years that he has been involved.
"Local interest has grown," he said. "We only started with about 20 people. I use the Internet and e-mail to keep people up to date on the meetings. The local media outlets are also a big help."
Moody brings in speakers, who often come to the events for little or no pay. They come simply for their love of history and the Civil War.
"We've been very fortunate, we get some local people who will come three or four times a year," he said. "We can't fly people in. Many people will come for the gas money we can give them."
The Stone Academy, 115 Jefferson St., is an ideal location for the roundtable. The building, built in 1809, originally was erected to lure the state capital to Putnam. It now is the home of the Pioneer and Historical Society. The presentation took place in a small room decorated with old paintings and antique pottery and glassware adorned the mantle pieces of the historic site.
Guests piled into the academy, where there were barely enough room for all who chose to attend. Young and old alike gathered at the academy to partake in the roundtable, but all in attendance shared a love of history.
The roundtable's featured guest was Scott Mingus, a native of southeast Ohio, who is a scientist, inventor and author of seven books about the Civil War. Mingus also writes for Gettysburg Magazine, one of the top Civil War-related magazines, and is a tour guide for Civil War sites in York County, Pa.
The main theme of Mingus's presentation was the Confederate attempted seizure of Harrisburg, Pa., right before the Battle of Gettysburg. Mingus used colorful anecdotes to bring life to the presentation for the overflowing crowd.
Mingus brought such characters to life as Jubal Early, a Confederate leader from Georgia who led the assault on Maryland and Pennsylvania. Mingus described Early as Robert E. Lee's "Bad old man." Early, after the Confederate defeat, never took the oath of citizenship to the United States for as long as he lived.
Mingus also described John Brown Gordon, another Confederate from Georgia. Gordon was almost killed when he was shot five times at the Battle of Antietam. Gordon almost drowned in his own blood in his hat until a shot punctured the hat and saved his life. Gordon went on to become a governor and senator in Georgia and founded the Ku Klux Klan in the state.
Mingus rarely took a breath as he described the Confederate march through Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania. He spoke of a Confederate soldier's description of Pennsylvania, "Ripe cherries, ugly women and mean Dutch farmers."
Mingus got the crowd laughing when he spoke of the Knights of the Golden Circle. This consisted of two men from Brooklyn who hoodwinked the citizens of York County, Pa. The two men sold golden tickets and gestures to the York farmers with the assurance that if shown the gestures and tickets, the Confederates would not loot their farms. Despite the gestures and tickets, York still lost much of its wealth.
Mingus, who was interrupted several times during the interview by people complimenting his presentation, was very appreciative for the opportunity to speak at the roundtable.
"Civil War roundtables exist in many small towns," he said. "There are about 700 or 800 around the country. It's great because there is usually no charge for people to attend and talk about some aspect of the Civil War. It's great for dialogue. People can share their own Civil War stories, many that are first hand, passed down from their grandparents."
Mingus' grandmother, who told him stories about his family's involvement in the Civil War, helped foster his love of history. Mingus also is involved in Civil War miniature gaming, which is played on dioramas of battlefields created by Mingus. He described the game as "chess on steroids."
The roundtable, which was the final meeting of the season that resumes in September, is not the only event history buffs can attend. The Pioneer Society is planning a 200th celebration of Zanesville as the capital of Ohio scheduled for July 4. At the celebration, there will be a monument dedicated as well as a performance by the Zanesville Municipal Band and an ice cream social.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
What Is The ILLUMINATI? Are They Real?
Caveat Lector
What Is The ILLUMINATI? Are They Real?
http://hubpages.com/hub/What-Is-The-ILLUMINATI-Are-They-Real
Excerpt: "Freemasons - The Freemasons first appeared in Scotland and England
late in the seventeenth century. They have always been a very secretive
society using a pyramidal, hierarchical structure They engage in secret
rituals, and seem to proficiently use magical and mysterious Symbols.
There were other Secret Societies that were founded in the United States and
elsewhere. These groups could usually be found to be connected with the
Masons. George Bickley's Knights of the Golden Circle, who promoted the idea
of Southern secession which helped ignite the Civil War.
There are rumors that people involved in the Confederate Secret Service were
members of the Knights of the Golden Circle. Rumour also has Jesse James and
John Wilkes Booth as being members of these societies. The Knights of the
Golden Circle became the Ku Klux Klan after the end of the Civil War."
What Is The ILLUMINATI? Are They Real?
http://hubpages.com/hub/What-Is-The-ILLUMINATI-Are-They-Real
Excerpt: "Freemasons - The Freemasons first appeared in Scotland and England
late in the seventeenth century. They have always been a very secretive
society using a pyramidal, hierarchical structure They engage in secret
rituals, and seem to proficiently use magical and mysterious Symbols.
There were other Secret Societies that were founded in the United States and
elsewhere. These groups could usually be found to be connected with the
Masons. George Bickley's Knights of the Golden Circle, who promoted the idea
of Southern secession which helped ignite the Civil War.
There are rumors that people involved in the Confederate Secret Service were
members of the Knights of the Golden Circle. Rumour also has Jesse James and
John Wilkes Booth as being members of these societies. The Knights of the
Golden Circle became the Ku Klux Klan after the end of the Civil War."
KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. Jay Longley and Colin Eby
KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE.
Jay Longley and Colin Eby
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/KK/vbk1.html
The Knights of the Golden Circle or K.G.C. had its beginnings in the
formation of Southern Rights Clubs in various southern cities in the
mid-1830s. These clubs were inspired by the philosophies of John C. Calhoun
(1782-1850). Calhoun had an illustrious political career serving as a
congressman from his home state of South Carolina, a state legislator, vice
president under the administrations of both John Quincy Adams and Andrew
Jackson, and a U. S. senator. In addition to the Southern Rights Clubs,
which advocated the re-establishment of the African slave-trade, some of the
inspiration for the Knights may have come from a little-known secret
organization called the Order of the Lone Star, founded in 1834, which
helped orchestrate the successful Texas Revolution resulting in Texas
independence from Mexico in 1836. Even before that, the K.G.C.'s roots went
back to the Sons of Liberty of the American Revolutionary period.
The Knights of the Golden Circle was reorganized in Lexington, Kentucky, on
July 4, 1854, by five men, whose names have been lost to history, when
Virginia-born Gen. George W. L. Bickley (1819-1867) requested they come
together. Strong evidence suggests that Albert Pike (1809-1891) was the
genius behind the influence and power of the Masonic-influenced K.G.C.,
while Bickley was the organization's leading promoter and chief organizer
for the K.G.C. lodges, what they called "Castles," in several states. During
his lifetime, Boston-born Pike was an author, educator, lawyer, Confederate
brigadier general, newspaper editor, poet, and a Thirty-third Degree Mason.
From its earliest roots in the Southern Rights Clubs in 1835, the Knights of
the Golden Circle was to become the most powerful secret and subversive
organization in the history of the United States with members in every state
and territory before the end of the Civil War. The primary economic and
political goal of this organization was to create a prosperous,
slave-holding Southern Empire extending in the shape of a circle from their
proposed capital at Havana, Cuba, through the southern states of the United
States, Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. The
plan also called for the acquisition of Mexico which was then to be divided
into fifteen new slave-holding states which would shift the balance of power
in Congress in favor of slavery. Facing the Gulf of Mexico, these new states
would form a large crescent. The robust economy the KGC hoped to create
would be fueled by cotton, sugar, tobacco, rice, coffee, indigo, and mining.
These seven industries would employ slave labor (see SLAVERY).
In early 1860 newspapers across the country reported that the Knights of the
Golden Circle were recruiting troops in numerous cities to send to
Brownsville, Texas, for the planned invasion of Mexico. History is unclear
about what went wrong with this invasion, but most historians agree that the
well-laid plans never materialized and the invasion never happened. Some say
that it failed because George Bickley was unable to provide adequate troops
and supplies, but with a civil war looming on the horizon, the invasion's
failure may have been caused by the K.G.C. leaders believing they could not
go to war on two fronts simultaneously. They called off their plans for
Mexico and started preparing for war with the North.
When tensions between the North and South were at a breaking point and the
Civil War had not yet begun, the Knights of the Golden Circle held their
convention in Raleigh, North Carolina, from May 7-11, 1860. George W. L.
Bickley, as president of the K.G.C., presided at this historic event. The
records of this convention have survived until the present day and provide
an excellent view of this order's divisions or degrees, goals,
accomplishments, and size.
The K.G.C.'s first division was described as being "absolutely a Military
Degree." The first division is further divided into two classes: the Foreign
and Home Guards. The Foreign Guards class was the K.G.C.'s army and was
composed of those who wanted "to participate in the wild, glorious and
thrilling adventures of a campaign in Mexico." Those of the second class or
Home Guards had two functions: to provide for the army's needs and "to
defend us from misrepresentation during our absence."
The second division or class was also divided into two classes which were
the Foreign and Home Corps. The Foreign Corps was to become the order's
commercial agents, postmasters, physicians, ministers, and teachers and to
perform the other occupations that were vital to the achievement of K.G.C.
goals. The second class of this degree was the Home Corps. Their job was to
advise and to forward money, arms, ammunition, and other necessary
provisions needed by the organization and its army and to send recruits as
rapidly as possible.
The two classes of the third division or degree were the Foreign and Home
Councils. The third division is described in the convention's records as
being "the political or governing division." The responsibilities of the
Foreign Council were governmental, and it was divided into ten departments
similar to those of the United States federal government.
One little-known historical fact that is presented in the records from the
1860 K.G.C. convention is that the Knights had their own well-organized army
in 1860, before the Civil War had even begun, so they were prepared in the
event of war with the North. In May of 1860 the Knights of the Golden Circle
reported a total membership of 48,000 men from the North, who supported "the
constitutional rights of the South," as well as men from the South, with an
army of "less than 14,000 men" and new recruits joining at a rapid rate.
Shortly before the Civil War began, the state of Texas was the greatest
source of this organization's strength. Texas was home for at least
thirty-two K.G.C. castles in twenty-seven counties, including the towns of
San Antonio, Marshall, Canton, and Castroville. Evidence suggests that San
Antonio may have served as the organization's national headquarters for a
time.
The South began to secede from the Union in January 1861, and in February of
that year, seven seceding states ratified the Confederate Constitution and
named Jefferson Davis as provisional president. The Knights of the Golden
Circle became the first and most powerful ally of the newly-created
Confederate States of America.
Before the Civil War officially started on April 12, 1861, when shots were
fired on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, and before Texas had held its election
on the secession referendum on February 23, 1861, Texas volunteer forces,
which included 150 K.G.C. soldiers under the command of Col. Ben McCulloch,
forced the surrender of the federal arsenal at San Antonio that was under
the command of Bvt. Maj. Gen. David E. Twiggs on February 15, 1861. Knights
of the Golden Circle who were involved in this mission included Capt.
Trevanion Teel, Sgt. R. H. Williams, John Robert Baylor, and Sgt. Morgan
Wolfe Merrick. Following this quick victory, volunteers who were mostly from
K.G.C. companies, forced the surrender of all federal posts between San
Antonio and El Paso.
Perhaps the best documentation as to the power and influence of the Knights
of the Golden Circle during the Civil War is The Private Journal and Diary
of John H. Surratt, The Conspirator which was written by John Harrison
Surratt and later edited by Dion Haco and published by Frederic A. Brady of
New York in 1866. In this journal, Surratt goes into great detail when
describing how he was introduced to the K.G.C. in the summer of 1860 by
another Knight, John Wilkes Booth, and inducted into this mysterious
organization on July 2, 1860, at a castle in Baltimore, Maryland. Surratt
describes the elaborate and secret induction ceremony and its rituals and
tells that cabinet members, congressmen, judges, actors, and other
politicians were in attendance. Maybe the most significant revelation of
Surratt's diary is that the Knights of the Golden Circle began plotting to
kidnap Abraham Lincoln in 1860, before Lincoln was even inaugurated in 1861,
and continued throughout the Civil War, resulting in President Lincoln's
assassination by fellow Knight Booth on April 14, 1865.
After trying unsuccessfully to peacefully resolve the conflicts between
North and South, the Knights of the Golden Circle threw its full support
behind the newly-created Confederate States of America and added its trained
military men to the Confederate States Army. Several Confederate military
groups during the Civil War were composed either totally or in large part of
members of the Knights of the Golden Circle. One notable example of K.G.C.
military participation in the Civil War included the Confederate's Western
Expansion Movement of 1861 and 1862 led by Lt. Col. John Robert Baylor and
Gen. Henry Hopkins Sibley (see MESILLA, BATTLE OF; VALVERDE, BATTLE OF;
SIBLEY CAMPAIGN).
In 1861 Albert Pike travelled to Indian Territory and negotiated an alliance
with Cherokee Chief Stand Watie. Prior to the beginning of hostilities, Pike
helped Watie to become a Thirty-second Degree Scottish Rite Mason. Watie was
also in the K.G.C., and he was later commissioned a colonel in command of
the First Regiment of Cherokee Mounted Rifles. In May 1864 Chief Watie was
promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the Confederate States Army
making him the only Native American of this rank in the Confederate Army.
Watie's command was to serve under CSA officers Albert Pike, Benjamin
McCulloch, Thomas Hindman, and Sterling Price. They fought in engagements in
Indian Territory, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, and Missouri.
One of the most feared organizations of all Confederates, whose members were
in large part Knights of the Golden Circle, was what was called Quantrill's
Guerrillas or Quantrill's Raiders. The Missouri-based band was formed in
December 1861 by William Clark Quantrill and originally consisted of only
ten men who were determined to right the wrongs done to Missourians by Union
occupational soldiers. Their mortal enemies were the Kansas Jayhawkers and
the Red Legs who were the plague of Missouri. As the war raged on in
Missouri and neighboring states, Quantrill's band attracted hundreds more
men into its ranks. Quantrill's Guerrillas became an official arm of the
Confederate Army after May 1862, when the Confederate Congress approved the
Partisan Ranger Act. Other leaders of Quantrill's Guerrillas included
William "Bloody Bill" Anderson, David Pool, William Gregg, and George Todd.
Some of the major engagements this deadly guerrilla force participated in
included the Lawrence, Kansas, raid on August 21, 1863, the battle near
Baxter Springs, Kansas, in October 1863, and two battles at and near
Centralia in Missouri in September of 1864. The bulk of Quantrill's band
wintered in Grayson County, Texas, from 1861 through 1864.
The K.G.C. played the major role in what is referred to as the Northwest
Conspiracy. The Confederate plan was to use the great numbers of Knights in
the Northern states to foster a revolution that would spread across Indiana,
Illinois, New York, Ohio, and any other state in the North where it was
feasible. The Baker-Turner Papers, part of the U.S. War Department's
conspiracy files, revealed much of the history of this widespread movement
but were kept sealed for ninety years. James D. Horan, the first person ever
allowed access to the U.S. War Department's Civil War conspiracy files and
the Baker-Turner Papers in the early 1950s, published Confederate Agent: A
Discovery in History in 1954, which details the Northwest Conspiracy. His
work used these previously-sealed documents and information gathered by
numerous investigators, including the private papers of Capt. Thomas H.
Hines, C.S.A., of Kentucky, who was the mastermind behind the huge
conspiracy.
Throughout the Civil War, one of the Knights of the Golden Circle's most
important roles came in its infiltration of Union forces. Nowhere in the
country was this influence more apparent than in the state of Missouri where
K.G.C. members filled the ranks of the Enrolled Missouri Militia which was
commonly known as the Paw Paw Militia. A newspaper article from the Daily
Times of Leavenworth, Kansas, July 29, 1864, serves as a good example in
their interview with a member of the Paw Paw named Andrew E. Smith. Smith
said:
I am 22 years old and live in Platte county, about two miles west of Platte
City I was a member of Captain Johnston's company of Pawpaw militia, under
Major Clark, and served about six months.... I am a member of the Knights of
the Golden Circle. I joined them at Platte City, and was sworn in by David
Jenkins of that place. All of the Pawpaw militia, so far as I know, belong
to them....
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia at
Appomattox on April 9, 1865. Most historians accept this date of surrender
as the official end of the Civil War. The Knights of the Golden Circle as an
organization, however, continued to work to achieve their goals, which
included a prosperous South, for many decades after the Civil War. What had
been a secret society adapted to changing conditions and, after the war,
became even more secretive than ever before.
In October 1864 U. S. Judge Advocate Joseph Holt submitted a detailed
warning to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton about the dangers posed by the
Knights of the Golden Circle that was, by that time, operating under various
aliases. This document is commonly called the Holt Report, but its real
title is A Western Conspiracy in aid of the Southern Rebellion.
After the war's end, the K.G.C. went underground and used many aliases to
hide their activities which included making preparations for a second civil
war should that option be necessary. Some K.G.C. members accompanied
Confederate Gen. Joseph O. Shelby to Mexico (see SHELBY EXPEDITION). Some
soldiers returned to their homes, while others relocated to more remote
frontier areas like West Texas where they could help build towns and cities
that conformed to their ideals. Some Knights like Jesse Woodson James, older
brother Frank James, and Cole Younger turned to robbing Northern-owned
railroads, businesses, and banks after the Civil War.
The Knights of the Golden Circle, according to most authorities, ceased its
operations in 1916 for two primary reasons. The United States had entered
World War I, and by that time most of the old Knights of the Golden Circle
had died.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: An Authentic Exposition of the "K.G.C." "Knights of the Golden
Circle," or, A History of Secession from 1834 to 1861, by A Member of the
Order (Indianapolis, Indiana: C. O. Perrine, Publisher, 1861). Donald S.
Frazier, Blood & Treasure: Confederate Empire in the Southwest (College
Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1996). Warren Getler and Bob Brewer,
Rebel Gold: One Man's Quest to Crack the Code Behind the Secret Treasure of
the Confederacy (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004). Dion Haco, ed., The
Private Journal and Diary of John H. Surratt, The Conspirator (New York:
Frederic A. Brady, Publisher, 1866). Joseph Holt, Report of the Judge
Advocate General on "The Order of American Knights," alias "The Sons of
Liberty." A Western Conspiracy in aid of the Southern Rebellion (Washington,
D.C.: Union Congressional Committee, 1864). James D. Horan, Confederate
Agent: A Discovery in History (New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1954).
Jesse Lee James, Jesse James and the Lost Cause (New York: Pageant Press,
1961). K.G.C., Records of the KGC Convention, 1860, Raleigh, N.C.
(http://gunshowonthenet/AfterTheFact/KGC/KGC0571860.html), accessed May 5,
2010. Dr. Roy William Roush, The Mysterious and Secret Order of the Knights
of the Golden Circle (Front Line Press, 2005).
Jay Longley and Colin Eby
Jay Longley and Colin Eby
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/KK/vbk1.html
The Knights of the Golden Circle or K.G.C. had its beginnings in the
formation of Southern Rights Clubs in various southern cities in the
mid-1830s. These clubs were inspired by the philosophies of John C. Calhoun
(1782-1850). Calhoun had an illustrious political career serving as a
congressman from his home state of South Carolina, a state legislator, vice
president under the administrations of both John Quincy Adams and Andrew
Jackson, and a U. S. senator. In addition to the Southern Rights Clubs,
which advocated the re-establishment of the African slave-trade, some of the
inspiration for the Knights may have come from a little-known secret
organization called the Order of the Lone Star, founded in 1834, which
helped orchestrate the successful Texas Revolution resulting in Texas
independence from Mexico in 1836. Even before that, the K.G.C.'s roots went
back to the Sons of Liberty of the American Revolutionary period.
The Knights of the Golden Circle was reorganized in Lexington, Kentucky, on
July 4, 1854, by five men, whose names have been lost to history, when
Virginia-born Gen. George W. L. Bickley (1819-1867) requested they come
together. Strong evidence suggests that Albert Pike (1809-1891) was the
genius behind the influence and power of the Masonic-influenced K.G.C.,
while Bickley was the organization's leading promoter and chief organizer
for the K.G.C. lodges, what they called "Castles," in several states. During
his lifetime, Boston-born Pike was an author, educator, lawyer, Confederate
brigadier general, newspaper editor, poet, and a Thirty-third Degree Mason.
From its earliest roots in the Southern Rights Clubs in 1835, the Knights of
the Golden Circle was to become the most powerful secret and subversive
organization in the history of the United States with members in every state
and territory before the end of the Civil War. The primary economic and
political goal of this organization was to create a prosperous,
slave-holding Southern Empire extending in the shape of a circle from their
proposed capital at Havana, Cuba, through the southern states of the United
States, Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. The
plan also called for the acquisition of Mexico which was then to be divided
into fifteen new slave-holding states which would shift the balance of power
in Congress in favor of slavery. Facing the Gulf of Mexico, these new states
would form a large crescent. The robust economy the KGC hoped to create
would be fueled by cotton, sugar, tobacco, rice, coffee, indigo, and mining.
These seven industries would employ slave labor (see SLAVERY).
In early 1860 newspapers across the country reported that the Knights of the
Golden Circle were recruiting troops in numerous cities to send to
Brownsville, Texas, for the planned invasion of Mexico. History is unclear
about what went wrong with this invasion, but most historians agree that the
well-laid plans never materialized and the invasion never happened. Some say
that it failed because George Bickley was unable to provide adequate troops
and supplies, but with a civil war looming on the horizon, the invasion's
failure may have been caused by the K.G.C. leaders believing they could not
go to war on two fronts simultaneously. They called off their plans for
Mexico and started preparing for war with the North.
When tensions between the North and South were at a breaking point and the
Civil War had not yet begun, the Knights of the Golden Circle held their
convention in Raleigh, North Carolina, from May 7-11, 1860. George W. L.
Bickley, as president of the K.G.C., presided at this historic event. The
records of this convention have survived until the present day and provide
an excellent view of this order's divisions or degrees, goals,
accomplishments, and size.
The K.G.C.'s first division was described as being "absolutely a Military
Degree." The first division is further divided into two classes: the Foreign
and Home Guards. The Foreign Guards class was the K.G.C.'s army and was
composed of those who wanted "to participate in the wild, glorious and
thrilling adventures of a campaign in Mexico." Those of the second class or
Home Guards had two functions: to provide for the army's needs and "to
defend us from misrepresentation during our absence."
The second division or class was also divided into two classes which were
the Foreign and Home Corps. The Foreign Corps was to become the order's
commercial agents, postmasters, physicians, ministers, and teachers and to
perform the other occupations that were vital to the achievement of K.G.C.
goals. The second class of this degree was the Home Corps. Their job was to
advise and to forward money, arms, ammunition, and other necessary
provisions needed by the organization and its army and to send recruits as
rapidly as possible.
The two classes of the third division or degree were the Foreign and Home
Councils. The third division is described in the convention's records as
being "the political or governing division." The responsibilities of the
Foreign Council were governmental, and it was divided into ten departments
similar to those of the United States federal government.
One little-known historical fact that is presented in the records from the
1860 K.G.C. convention is that the Knights had their own well-organized army
in 1860, before the Civil War had even begun, so they were prepared in the
event of war with the North. In May of 1860 the Knights of the Golden Circle
reported a total membership of 48,000 men from the North, who supported "the
constitutional rights of the South," as well as men from the South, with an
army of "less than 14,000 men" and new recruits joining at a rapid rate.
Shortly before the Civil War began, the state of Texas was the greatest
source of this organization's strength. Texas was home for at least
thirty-two K.G.C. castles in twenty-seven counties, including the towns of
San Antonio, Marshall, Canton, and Castroville. Evidence suggests that San
Antonio may have served as the organization's national headquarters for a
time.
The South began to secede from the Union in January 1861, and in February of
that year, seven seceding states ratified the Confederate Constitution and
named Jefferson Davis as provisional president. The Knights of the Golden
Circle became the first and most powerful ally of the newly-created
Confederate States of America.
Before the Civil War officially started on April 12, 1861, when shots were
fired on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, and before Texas had held its election
on the secession referendum on February 23, 1861, Texas volunteer forces,
which included 150 K.G.C. soldiers under the command of Col. Ben McCulloch,
forced the surrender of the federal arsenal at San Antonio that was under
the command of Bvt. Maj. Gen. David E. Twiggs on February 15, 1861. Knights
of the Golden Circle who were involved in this mission included Capt.
Trevanion Teel, Sgt. R. H. Williams, John Robert Baylor, and Sgt. Morgan
Wolfe Merrick. Following this quick victory, volunteers who were mostly from
K.G.C. companies, forced the surrender of all federal posts between San
Antonio and El Paso.
Perhaps the best documentation as to the power and influence of the Knights
of the Golden Circle during the Civil War is The Private Journal and Diary
of John H. Surratt, The Conspirator which was written by John Harrison
Surratt and later edited by Dion Haco and published by Frederic A. Brady of
New York in 1866. In this journal, Surratt goes into great detail when
describing how he was introduced to the K.G.C. in the summer of 1860 by
another Knight, John Wilkes Booth, and inducted into this mysterious
organization on July 2, 1860, at a castle in Baltimore, Maryland. Surratt
describes the elaborate and secret induction ceremony and its rituals and
tells that cabinet members, congressmen, judges, actors, and other
politicians were in attendance. Maybe the most significant revelation of
Surratt's diary is that the Knights of the Golden Circle began plotting to
kidnap Abraham Lincoln in 1860, before Lincoln was even inaugurated in 1861,
and continued throughout the Civil War, resulting in President Lincoln's
assassination by fellow Knight Booth on April 14, 1865.
After trying unsuccessfully to peacefully resolve the conflicts between
North and South, the Knights of the Golden Circle threw its full support
behind the newly-created Confederate States of America and added its trained
military men to the Confederate States Army. Several Confederate military
groups during the Civil War were composed either totally or in large part of
members of the Knights of the Golden Circle. One notable example of K.G.C.
military participation in the Civil War included the Confederate's Western
Expansion Movement of 1861 and 1862 led by Lt. Col. John Robert Baylor and
Gen. Henry Hopkins Sibley (see MESILLA, BATTLE OF; VALVERDE, BATTLE OF;
SIBLEY CAMPAIGN).
In 1861 Albert Pike travelled to Indian Territory and negotiated an alliance
with Cherokee Chief Stand Watie. Prior to the beginning of hostilities, Pike
helped Watie to become a Thirty-second Degree Scottish Rite Mason. Watie was
also in the K.G.C., and he was later commissioned a colonel in command of
the First Regiment of Cherokee Mounted Rifles. In May 1864 Chief Watie was
promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the Confederate States Army
making him the only Native American of this rank in the Confederate Army.
Watie's command was to serve under CSA officers Albert Pike, Benjamin
McCulloch, Thomas Hindman, and Sterling Price. They fought in engagements in
Indian Territory, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, and Missouri.
One of the most feared organizations of all Confederates, whose members were
in large part Knights of the Golden Circle, was what was called Quantrill's
Guerrillas or Quantrill's Raiders. The Missouri-based band was formed in
December 1861 by William Clark Quantrill and originally consisted of only
ten men who were determined to right the wrongs done to Missourians by Union
occupational soldiers. Their mortal enemies were the Kansas Jayhawkers and
the Red Legs who were the plague of Missouri. As the war raged on in
Missouri and neighboring states, Quantrill's band attracted hundreds more
men into its ranks. Quantrill's Guerrillas became an official arm of the
Confederate Army after May 1862, when the Confederate Congress approved the
Partisan Ranger Act. Other leaders of Quantrill's Guerrillas included
William "Bloody Bill" Anderson, David Pool, William Gregg, and George Todd.
Some of the major engagements this deadly guerrilla force participated in
included the Lawrence, Kansas, raid on August 21, 1863, the battle near
Baxter Springs, Kansas, in October 1863, and two battles at and near
Centralia in Missouri in September of 1864. The bulk of Quantrill's band
wintered in Grayson County, Texas, from 1861 through 1864.
The K.G.C. played the major role in what is referred to as the Northwest
Conspiracy. The Confederate plan was to use the great numbers of Knights in
the Northern states to foster a revolution that would spread across Indiana,
Illinois, New York, Ohio, and any other state in the North where it was
feasible. The Baker-Turner Papers, part of the U.S. War Department's
conspiracy files, revealed much of the history of this widespread movement
but were kept sealed for ninety years. James D. Horan, the first person ever
allowed access to the U.S. War Department's Civil War conspiracy files and
the Baker-Turner Papers in the early 1950s, published Confederate Agent: A
Discovery in History in 1954, which details the Northwest Conspiracy. His
work used these previously-sealed documents and information gathered by
numerous investigators, including the private papers of Capt. Thomas H.
Hines, C.S.A., of Kentucky, who was the mastermind behind the huge
conspiracy.
Throughout the Civil War, one of the Knights of the Golden Circle's most
important roles came in its infiltration of Union forces. Nowhere in the
country was this influence more apparent than in the state of Missouri where
K.G.C. members filled the ranks of the Enrolled Missouri Militia which was
commonly known as the Paw Paw Militia. A newspaper article from the Daily
Times of Leavenworth, Kansas, July 29, 1864, serves as a good example in
their interview with a member of the Paw Paw named Andrew E. Smith. Smith
said:
I am 22 years old and live in Platte county, about two miles west of Platte
City I was a member of Captain Johnston's company of Pawpaw militia, under
Major Clark, and served about six months.... I am a member of the Knights of
the Golden Circle. I joined them at Platte City, and was sworn in by David
Jenkins of that place. All of the Pawpaw militia, so far as I know, belong
to them....
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia at
Appomattox on April 9, 1865. Most historians accept this date of surrender
as the official end of the Civil War. The Knights of the Golden Circle as an
organization, however, continued to work to achieve their goals, which
included a prosperous South, for many decades after the Civil War. What had
been a secret society adapted to changing conditions and, after the war,
became even more secretive than ever before.
In October 1864 U. S. Judge Advocate Joseph Holt submitted a detailed
warning to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton about the dangers posed by the
Knights of the Golden Circle that was, by that time, operating under various
aliases. This document is commonly called the Holt Report, but its real
title is A Western Conspiracy in aid of the Southern Rebellion.
After the war's end, the K.G.C. went underground and used many aliases to
hide their activities which included making preparations for a second civil
war should that option be necessary. Some K.G.C. members accompanied
Confederate Gen. Joseph O. Shelby to Mexico (see SHELBY EXPEDITION). Some
soldiers returned to their homes, while others relocated to more remote
frontier areas like West Texas where they could help build towns and cities
that conformed to their ideals. Some Knights like Jesse Woodson James, older
brother Frank James, and Cole Younger turned to robbing Northern-owned
railroads, businesses, and banks after the Civil War.
The Knights of the Golden Circle, according to most authorities, ceased its
operations in 1916 for two primary reasons. The United States had entered
World War I, and by that time most of the old Knights of the Golden Circle
had died.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: An Authentic Exposition of the "K.G.C." "Knights of the Golden
Circle," or, A History of Secession from 1834 to 1861, by A Member of the
Order (Indianapolis, Indiana: C. O. Perrine, Publisher, 1861). Donald S.
Frazier, Blood & Treasure: Confederate Empire in the Southwest (College
Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1996). Warren Getler and Bob Brewer,
Rebel Gold: One Man's Quest to Crack the Code Behind the Secret Treasure of
the Confederacy (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004). Dion Haco, ed., The
Private Journal and Diary of John H. Surratt, The Conspirator (New York:
Frederic A. Brady, Publisher, 1866). Joseph Holt, Report of the Judge
Advocate General on "The Order of American Knights," alias "The Sons of
Liberty." A Western Conspiracy in aid of the Southern Rebellion (Washington,
D.C.: Union Congressional Committee, 1864). James D. Horan, Confederate
Agent: A Discovery in History (New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1954).
Jesse Lee James, Jesse James and the Lost Cause (New York: Pageant Press,
1961). K.G.C., Records of the KGC Convention, 1860, Raleigh, N.C.
(http://gunshowonthenet/AfterTheFact/KGC/KGC0571860.html), accessed May 5,
2010. Dr. Roy William Roush, The Mysterious and Secret Order of the Knights
of the Golden Circle (Front Line Press, 2005).
Jay Longley and Colin Eby
"Knights of the Golden Circle" Rules Found on Alleged Robbers"
"Knights of the Golden Circle" Rules Found on Alleged Robbers"
Dallas Morning News By the Associated Press, December 8, 1921
Chicago, Ill., Dec 7.- Secrets of the 'Knights of the Golden Circle' or 'Big Four, Inc.,' were discovered today when three 'Knights' were arrested and books of rules and a charter were found upon them. The men were charged with an attempted holdup.
Some of the pledges contained in the books of rules were:
'We will never fail to help a brother in distress.'
'All money taken shall be divided equally and each shall receive an equal share, regardless of what part he performs.'
The rules included:
'No member permitted to work alone.'
'No drinking while working or pulling a stick-up.'
'Be careful with your tongue in public.'
The charter showed branches of the union are maintained in Chicago, New York and Toronto, Ont."
Dallas Morning News By the Associated Press, December 8, 1921
Chicago, Ill., Dec 7.- Secrets of the 'Knights of the Golden Circle' or 'Big Four, Inc.,' were discovered today when three 'Knights' were arrested and books of rules and a charter were found upon them. The men were charged with an attempted holdup.
Some of the pledges contained in the books of rules were:
'We will never fail to help a brother in distress.'
'All money taken shall be divided equally and each shall receive an equal share, regardless of what part he performs.'
The rules included:
'No member permitted to work alone.'
'No drinking while working or pulling a stick-up.'
'Be careful with your tongue in public.'
The charter showed branches of the union are maintained in Chicago, New York and Toronto, Ont."
PBS to air 'History Detectives' segment shot at Iowa Wesleyan
PBS to air 'History Detectives' segment shot at Iowa Wesleyan
Published: Friday, June 11, 2010 12:09 PM CDT
http://www.dailydem.com/articles/2010/06/11/news/news7.txt
Excerpt: "Henry Clay Dean was an ordained Methodist minister and attorney. He was appointed as Chaplain of the United States Senate. He was a nationally-recognized Copperhead and a member of the Knights of the Golden Circle. He was an outspoken opponent of Lincoln policy and the Civil War."
MOUNT PLEASANT - The PBS television series, "The History Detectives," will air an episode this month that was researched largely at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant.
The episode is scheduled to be broadcast on IPTV (Iowa Public Television Network) on Monday, June 28, at 7 p.m.
The segment explores the history of a Copperhead cane, said to have been owned by Henry Clay Dean.
Dean, a vocal opponent of the Civil War, was a member of a powerful anti-Lincoln group called the Peace Democrats. This group was nicknamed The Copperheads by political rivals. Although the cane was located in Missouri through a relative, Dean has strong links to Iowa Wesleyan College and southeast Iowa. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Mount Pleasant Collegiate Institute in the mid-1800s.
"The History Detectives" host Wes Cowan filmed interviews on and around the Iowa Wesleyan College campus in December as he researched the story. Joy Conwell, Circulation / Special Collections Associate for the Iowa Wesleyan Chadwick Library, served as a key source in the research.
During filming, Cowan said a possible link between Dean and the Copperhead cane "is a great story. The cane provides a window into a bigger historical issue."
"The cane research captured our interest because of the back story it provides on the peace movement during the Civil War. It is an important aspect of American History," said Cowan.
Cowan also promised that "We will have a definitive answer about the cane's history" in the television segment.
Henry Clay Dean was an ordained Methodist minister and attorney. He was appointed as Chaplain of the United States Senate. He was a nationally-recognized Copperhead and a member of the Knights of the Golden Circle. He was an outspoken opponent of Lincoln policy and the Civil War.
Commercials promoting the new History Detectives season include a segment filmed at the Iowa Wesleyan College Chadwick Library.
While on campus in December, the crew of "The History Detectives" filmed in the newly-restored Chapel, outside of Old Main and Pioneer buildings, and in Chadwick Library, including the Special Collections Room. In researching the cane, production staff visited a foundry in Kalona, Iowa; visited with Joy Lynn Conwell, Special Collections, Chadwick Library, Iowa Wesleyan College; and consulted with James McPherson, Civil War historian and Pulitzer Prize winning author.
On July 25, Conwell will be travelling to the Rebel's Cove Historical Society 30th Annual Meeting, to be held at Queen City, Mo. The Society preserves the history of and promotes research related to Henry Clay Dean, one of the leaders of the Copperhead Movement during the Civil War.
This year's annual meeting includes a gathering of the direct descendants of the Henry Clay Dean and a visit to the family homestead and cemetery, now a Missouri state conservation area and historic site. It will be the first time that Dean family members will be able to view the primary source research, provided by Conwell, that was used in the development of the show's story line.
Conwell's research, including her correspondence with Shervin Hess, producer of" The History Detectives," and LionTV will be available for general public viewing following the Rebel's Cove Historical Society's meeting at Special Collections, Chadwick Library by appointment only.
Published: Friday, June 11, 2010 12:09 PM CDT
http://www.dailydem.com/articles/2010/06/11/news/news7.txt
Excerpt: "Henry Clay Dean was an ordained Methodist minister and attorney. He was appointed as Chaplain of the United States Senate. He was a nationally-recognized Copperhead and a member of the Knights of the Golden Circle. He was an outspoken opponent of Lincoln policy and the Civil War."
MOUNT PLEASANT - The PBS television series, "The History Detectives," will air an episode this month that was researched largely at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant.
The episode is scheduled to be broadcast on IPTV (Iowa Public Television Network) on Monday, June 28, at 7 p.m.
The segment explores the history of a Copperhead cane, said to have been owned by Henry Clay Dean.
Dean, a vocal opponent of the Civil War, was a member of a powerful anti-Lincoln group called the Peace Democrats. This group was nicknamed The Copperheads by political rivals. Although the cane was located in Missouri through a relative, Dean has strong links to Iowa Wesleyan College and southeast Iowa. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Mount Pleasant Collegiate Institute in the mid-1800s.
"The History Detectives" host Wes Cowan filmed interviews on and around the Iowa Wesleyan College campus in December as he researched the story. Joy Conwell, Circulation / Special Collections Associate for the Iowa Wesleyan Chadwick Library, served as a key source in the research.
During filming, Cowan said a possible link between Dean and the Copperhead cane "is a great story. The cane provides a window into a bigger historical issue."
"The cane research captured our interest because of the back story it provides on the peace movement during the Civil War. It is an important aspect of American History," said Cowan.
Cowan also promised that "We will have a definitive answer about the cane's history" in the television segment.
Henry Clay Dean was an ordained Methodist minister and attorney. He was appointed as Chaplain of the United States Senate. He was a nationally-recognized Copperhead and a member of the Knights of the Golden Circle. He was an outspoken opponent of Lincoln policy and the Civil War.
Commercials promoting the new History Detectives season include a segment filmed at the Iowa Wesleyan College Chadwick Library.
While on campus in December, the crew of "The History Detectives" filmed in the newly-restored Chapel, outside of Old Main and Pioneer buildings, and in Chadwick Library, including the Special Collections Room. In researching the cane, production staff visited a foundry in Kalona, Iowa; visited with Joy Lynn Conwell, Special Collections, Chadwick Library, Iowa Wesleyan College; and consulted with James McPherson, Civil War historian and Pulitzer Prize winning author.
On July 25, Conwell will be travelling to the Rebel's Cove Historical Society 30th Annual Meeting, to be held at Queen City, Mo. The Society preserves the history of and promotes research related to Henry Clay Dean, one of the leaders of the Copperhead Movement during the Civil War.
This year's annual meeting includes a gathering of the direct descendants of the Henry Clay Dean and a visit to the family homestead and cemetery, now a Missouri state conservation area and historic site. It will be the first time that Dean family members will be able to view the primary source research, provided by Conwell, that was used in the development of the show's story line.
Conwell's research, including her correspondence with Shervin Hess, producer of" The History Detectives," and LionTV will be available for general public viewing following the Rebel's Cove Historical Society's meeting at Special Collections, Chadwick Library by appointment only.
Knights of the Golden Circle
Knights of the Golden Circle
http://the-bohemian-register.blogspot.com/2010/06/knights-of-golden-circle-ten-days-ago-i.html
Ten days ago I was invited to join a yahoogroup that discusses the Knights of the Golden Circle. When I did, and read about this pro-slavery group of terrorists, I wondered why I had been invited. Was this a case of mistaken identity? The person that invited me had joined my secessionist group that I founded in November of 2004 where the North secedes from the Union due to our Government being taken over by Evangelical Zionists - who want the Temple rebuilt on the Mount in Jerusalem so as to fulfill their Biblical Prophecy. This is fact, not fiction hatched by Dan Brown.
To make it easier for my reader to follow these facts, see them through the eyes of my racist brother, who would be a great candidate for any revision of the KGC, and even though he hates religion, he would be all for the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple if it put black people back in chains, and liberals out of power - for good. Then there is my brother-in-law, Garth Benton, I wondering if he is a secret member of some Masonic-like organization. His great grandfather saved Albert Pikes Libary and was the Grand Master of the Iowa Lodge.
What is truly astounding, it appears John Fremont, and the Jessie Scouts, were the main adversaries of the KGC who hated the Radical Republicans who played a big role in the reconstruction of the South.
The investigation of Alvin Green may reveal the covert involvement of neo-Confederate Secessionists who are in affect Body Snatchers, they replacing real Democratic Candidates with Dead Ringers that are not pro-Republcian, but, sub-par black candidates. This is aimed at disrupting the Democratic power structure in South Carolina. To do this and at the same time support pro-Israeli groups, borders on subversion.
Jon
In early 1862, the Order was in the national headlines when Radical Republicans in the Senate, aided by Secretary of State William H. Seward, suggested that former president Franklin Pierce, who was greatly critical of the Lincoln administration's war policies, was an active member of the Knights of the Golden Circle. Pierce, writing an angry letter to Seward, denied that he knew anything about the Knights of the Golden Circle, and then demanded that his letter be made public, which it subsequently was by California Senator Milton Latham, who entered the entire Pierce-Seward correspondence, which tended to exonerate the former president, into the Congressional Globe.
The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society originally founded to promote the interests of the Southern United States. It was to prepare the way for annexation of a golden circle of territories in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean to be included in the United States as slave states. Most members were recruited in the Southwest, in Texas, New Mexico Territory and California.[citation needed] During the American Civil War, some Southern sympathizers in the Northern states such as Ohio and Indiana and Iowa, were accused of belonging to the Knights of the Golden Circle. By 1863, numerous citizens and active politicians in areas bordering the north of the Ohio River were members or were in similar organizations influenced by it.[citation needed]
The association was founded by George W. L. Bickley, a Virginia-born doctor, editor, and "adventurer" who lived in Cincinnati. He organized the first castle, or local branch, in Cincinnati in 1854 and soon took the order to the South, where it was well received. It grew slowly until 1859 and reached its height in 1860.
Following the Mexican-American War of 1846, the group's original goal was to provide a force to colonize the northern part of Mexico and the West Indies. This would extend pro-slavery interests. The Knights became especially active in Texas. Bickley's main goal was the annexation of Mexico. Hounded by creditors, he left Cincinnati in the late 1850s and traveled through the East and South promoting an expedition to seize Mexico to establish a new territory for slavery. He found his greatest support in Texas. In a short time, he organized thirty-two chapters there.
In the spring of 1860, the group made the first of two attempts to invade Mexico from Texas. A small band reached the Rio Grande but failed otherwise
It is time for the Blue States to secede from the neo-Confederate theocratic rule of evangelico extremists. Karl Rove and the evangelicos have been working behind the scenes to destroy the two party system and turn our Democracy into a one party nation controlled by Christian fanatics. The Christian Coalition has been working in the South turning Democratic Southern States into Republican States reminding them that they were Democrats in opposition to the Republican Party founded by John Fremont as an anti-slavery party. Fremont wrote the first emancipation of the slaves of Missouri forcing Lincoln’s hand. The Evangelicos invented fraudulent moral values and issues in order to to counter the Civil Rights movement in America, and relieve Southerners of their guilt. At the same time the fundamentalists were promoting White and Christian supremacy. Katherine Yurica says this about this Dominion Theocracy that has captured America;Most Americans were completely unaware of the militantagenda being preached on a daily basis across the breadth and widthof America. Although it was called "Christianity" it can barely berecognized as Christian. It in fact was and is a wolf parading insheep's clothing: It was and is a political scheme to take over thegovernment of the United States and then turn that government intoan aggressor nation that will forcibly establish the United Statesas the ruling empire of the twenty-first century. It is subversive,seditious, secretive, and dangerous.[9]Dominionism "seeks to replace democracy with a theocratic elite that would govern by imposing their interpretation of `Biblical Law.'" He described the ulterior motive of Dominionism is to eliminate "…labor unions, civil rights laws, and public schools." Clarkson then describes thecreation of new classes of citizens:
No Conspiracy...Just plain facts of Networking toward Globalization, One World GovernmentTUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2010
Excerpt: "The reasons leading to this civil war were almost completely due to the actions and provocations of ROTHSCHILD AGENTS. One of those troublemakers was GEORGE BICKLEY, who had founded the “KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE”. The House of Rothschild then had Bickley and his knights extol the disadvantages of the Union for the Confederate States. In the remaining Union states the Rothschilds had J.P. Morgan and August Belmont praise the advantages of the Union.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Secessionist-Movement/message/1538
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5646.htm
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com/
The Knights of the Golden Circle
On April 22, 1973, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner publisheda report by Del Schrader under the headline "$100 billion inTreasure, the search for Rebel Gold." The story covered hisinterviews with several sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons oflong-dead members of the KGC.Schrader, now deceased, said he was shown several maps of KGCcaches. However, one of the decendents stated, "They won't doanybody much good. The maps are accurate as far as they go, butyou'd need the two or three transparent overlays, which each fillin a landmark, for the specifics. In most cases, a vital pointof reference is carved on a nearby rock."Another old-timer offered, "Quantrill and Jesse James (bothnotorious guerillas), along with 10 other members of the InnerCircle, vowed they would beg, borrow, or steal gold so that CivilWar II, if it ever came, could be fought on a cash and carrybasis... many former Confederate officers headed west, profitedand tithed up to 50% of their annual incomes."The original Knights of the Golden Circle formally disbanded theorganization and closed its books in 1916, but their descendantsstill maintain the vows of secrecy and silence taken by the oldConfederate veterans. This new generation, however, has vouchedthat the old veterans stashed away money and other treasure inmany states in the Union, and even in some Canadian provinces.They claim too, that most of these caches are booby trapped.It was on the eve of the Civil War. Washington was rampant withwar hysteria as the nation tottered on the abyss of the approachingconflict. To add to the increasing tension, the Capitol had beeninfiltrated by a wave of Confederate spies. Indeed, the Confederacy began the war with an espionage system and highly efficient, with tentacles reaching into secretareas of the Federal Department. Often the Rebels knew what theYankees were going to do almost as soon as the decision wasreached -- and long before Union troops began to move.
One of the most energetic and efficient of these espionage ringswas a well organized secret society, the KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDENCIRCLE, (KGC), which had both Northern and Southern Branches, closely cooperating with each other. During the Civil War the KGC not only acted as the secret agents and fomenters of civil disorder in the North, but it's members were smugglers of medical supplies,recruits, arms, uniforms and ammunition. After Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, the organization went underground and assumed a completely new mission-- the raising of funds to start a new Civil War, promoting the idea of "The South Will Rise Again!"
The Knights went about their new mission with little regard for the legal principles. Therewere many stories that the KGC amassed millions of dollars worth of gold, silver, and currency which is allegedly stashed in numerous caches around the United States. In 1984 document were found in a Antebellum home in Savannah Georgia, pertaining to a gold shipment buried by the KGC just before the city was invaded by Union troops. This was said to be gold transported from Texas. Perhaps you are wondering just how the Knights of the Golden Circle came into being and what happened to this organization in later years. The middle of the last century was a spawning ground for numerous secret societies of every description, with many persons holding simultaneous memberships in several organizations. Entering the scene in 1859, with his founding of the Knights of the Golden Circle, was George W.L. Bickley. His intentional aims for the secret society were to Americanize and ultimately annex Mexico, to settle the slavery question in favor of the South, and to promote his own fame and fortune.
What of the widespread secret society which Bickley had founded?
It continued to live on in several forms. Toward the end of the Civil War, many of its members transferred their allegiance to another organization, the Order of American Knights, which in turn evolved into the Sons of Liberty -- both of the latter dying from acute inertia at the end of the war. However, a hard-core group of die-hard Confederates preserved what remained of the Knights of the Golden Circle when the shooting stopped. During the great conflict, the society raised funds for the Confederate cause by both legal and illegal means -- considering Yankee banks, businesses and stagecoaches to be fair game for robbery. These men rationalized that their cause was only temporarily lost. As a consequence, they were determined to continue raising funds, by any and all means. This Inner Circle claimed such stalwarts as Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, Jesse James, Gen. Bud Dalton, Prof. B.E. Bedeczek, Gen. J.O. Shelby and others.
Reports have it that following Lee's surrender, the KGC amassed millions of dollars in gold, silver, and currency, awaiting the call to again bear arms -- a call which never came. As a result, these caches which reportedly remained unfound and untouched. Supposedly, many of these caches were booby trapped and could still be lethal for the unwary. Sometime after the war the secret KGC established headquarters in an old building on Fatherland Street in Nashville Tennessee. Reportedly, the old building stood where the "Grand Ole Opry" got its start. About 1884 the headquarters were moved to Colorado Springs. Verifying the old Confederates' tales of clandestine treasure hoards becomes very difficult when one realizes the KGC officially closed its books and disbanded in 1916.
In addition, through deaths and failing memories of the elderly Knights caused the locations of many caches to be lost in the maze of history, forthe relied upon memory rather than written records for identifyingtheir stashes. Speaking of Nashville, a rich KGC trove was supposedly hidden under an "ordinary looking mountain" somewhere off the old Nashville Pike. Allegedly, $600 million was stored there in a vault, in 1870. Later, more gold was said to have been added to this hoard. We have also heard tales of a KGC treasure having been secreted about 11 miles from Nashville. These two reports, however, maypertain to the same cache.
TREASON IN INDIANA.; Expose of the Sons of Liberty Official Report of Gen. Carrington Interesting Details. OFFICIAL REPORT OF GEN. CARRINGTON.I. NATURE OF THE ORDER.II. PRINCIPLES OF THE ORDER.III. EXTENT OF THE ORDER.OFFICERS FOR 1864, AS REPORTED. OFFICERS.IV. OPERATIONS OF THE ORDER.V. PURPOSES OF THE ORDER.REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.REPORT OF THE GRAND SECRETARY.
New York TimesAugust 2, 1864
The Indianapolis Journal publishes a series of documents, occupying no less than fourteen columns, exposing an organization known as the "Sons of Liberty," which is alleged to be in existence in that State. It seems to be substantially identical with the "Order of American Knights," regarding which we have already published a full statement from the St. Louis Democrat. The most interesting of the documents published by the Journal is the following: HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF INDIANA, NORTHERN DEPARTMENT, INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., June28, 1864.GOVERNOR: In compliance with your request, I place in your hands a partial outline of the nature, work and extent of a disloyal society or order, now operating in the State of Indiana, under the name of "Sons of Liberty."1. It is both civil and military.
In its first relation it declares principles of ethics and politics, for adoption and dissemination, that are hostile to the Government of the United States. In the latter relation it assumes to organize armies for "actual service" in support of those principles, treating the United States Government as their enemy, and that of the rebellion as their friend.2. It is secret and oath-bound.3. It is despotic and absolute. The penalties of disobedience to its officers are unlimited, including the death penalty itself.1. Absolute, inherent State Sovereignty.2. The Union of the States as but voluntary and temporary, and revocable at the will of any individual State, so far as concerns that State.3. Denies the General Government the power to enforce its laws, and, if it bethe choice of a State, to reject them.4. Recognizes the existing rebellion as legitimate, legal and just.5. Holds revolution against the present Government not only right, but a duty.6. Holds obligations to the order as paramount, to those due a single State, orthe United States.7. Declares its purpose to stop this war, treat with rebels, and make a treatybased upon the recognition of grades of civilization and race.8. Declares a law of races, one of Caucasian supremacy, and one of Africanservitude.9. Pledges a crusade in favor of all peoples attempting to establish newgovernments of their own choice, as against existing rulers or authorities.10. Accepts the creed of the rebellion, its logic, its plans and its principles,as the nominal theory of democracy, and its own bond of coherence and ultimatesuccess.Exhibits are furnished as follows:Exhibt A. "Constitution of Supreme Council of the States," that is, of allStates that may join, recognizing the primary independence of each State. "TheSupreme Commander of this Council is Commander-in-Chief of all military forcesbelonging to the order, in the various states, when called into actual service."-- See sec. 8.
POSTED BY JON PRESCO AT 6:51 AM
http://the-bohemian-register.blogspot.com/2010/06/knights-of-golden-circle-ten-days-ago-i.html
Ten days ago I was invited to join a yahoogroup that discusses the Knights of the Golden Circle. When I did, and read about this pro-slavery group of terrorists, I wondered why I had been invited. Was this a case of mistaken identity? The person that invited me had joined my secessionist group that I founded in November of 2004 where the North secedes from the Union due to our Government being taken over by Evangelical Zionists - who want the Temple rebuilt on the Mount in Jerusalem so as to fulfill their Biblical Prophecy. This is fact, not fiction hatched by Dan Brown.
To make it easier for my reader to follow these facts, see them through the eyes of my racist brother, who would be a great candidate for any revision of the KGC, and even though he hates religion, he would be all for the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple if it put black people back in chains, and liberals out of power - for good. Then there is my brother-in-law, Garth Benton, I wondering if he is a secret member of some Masonic-like organization. His great grandfather saved Albert Pikes Libary and was the Grand Master of the Iowa Lodge.
What is truly astounding, it appears John Fremont, and the Jessie Scouts, were the main adversaries of the KGC who hated the Radical Republicans who played a big role in the reconstruction of the South.
The investigation of Alvin Green may reveal the covert involvement of neo-Confederate Secessionists who are in affect Body Snatchers, they replacing real Democratic Candidates with Dead Ringers that are not pro-Republcian, but, sub-par black candidates. This is aimed at disrupting the Democratic power structure in South Carolina. To do this and at the same time support pro-Israeli groups, borders on subversion.
Jon
In early 1862, the Order was in the national headlines when Radical Republicans in the Senate, aided by Secretary of State William H. Seward, suggested that former president Franklin Pierce, who was greatly critical of the Lincoln administration's war policies, was an active member of the Knights of the Golden Circle. Pierce, writing an angry letter to Seward, denied that he knew anything about the Knights of the Golden Circle, and then demanded that his letter be made public, which it subsequently was by California Senator Milton Latham, who entered the entire Pierce-Seward correspondence, which tended to exonerate the former president, into the Congressional Globe.
The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society originally founded to promote the interests of the Southern United States. It was to prepare the way for annexation of a golden circle of territories in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean to be included in the United States as slave states. Most members were recruited in the Southwest, in Texas, New Mexico Territory and California.[citation needed] During the American Civil War, some Southern sympathizers in the Northern states such as Ohio and Indiana and Iowa, were accused of belonging to the Knights of the Golden Circle. By 1863, numerous citizens and active politicians in areas bordering the north of the Ohio River were members or were in similar organizations influenced by it.[citation needed]
The association was founded by George W. L. Bickley, a Virginia-born doctor, editor, and "adventurer" who lived in Cincinnati. He organized the first castle, or local branch, in Cincinnati in 1854 and soon took the order to the South, where it was well received. It grew slowly until 1859 and reached its height in 1860.
Following the Mexican-American War of 1846, the group's original goal was to provide a force to colonize the northern part of Mexico and the West Indies. This would extend pro-slavery interests. The Knights became especially active in Texas. Bickley's main goal was the annexation of Mexico. Hounded by creditors, he left Cincinnati in the late 1850s and traveled through the East and South promoting an expedition to seize Mexico to establish a new territory for slavery. He found his greatest support in Texas. In a short time, he organized thirty-two chapters there.
In the spring of 1860, the group made the first of two attempts to invade Mexico from Texas. A small band reached the Rio Grande but failed otherwise
It is time for the Blue States to secede from the neo-Confederate theocratic rule of evangelico extremists. Karl Rove and the evangelicos have been working behind the scenes to destroy the two party system and turn our Democracy into a one party nation controlled by Christian fanatics. The Christian Coalition has been working in the South turning Democratic Southern States into Republican States reminding them that they were Democrats in opposition to the Republican Party founded by John Fremont as an anti-slavery party. Fremont wrote the first emancipation of the slaves of Missouri forcing Lincoln’s hand. The Evangelicos invented fraudulent moral values and issues in order to to counter the Civil Rights movement in America, and relieve Southerners of their guilt. At the same time the fundamentalists were promoting White and Christian supremacy. Katherine Yurica says this about this Dominion Theocracy that has captured America;Most Americans were completely unaware of the militantagenda being preached on a daily basis across the breadth and widthof America. Although it was called "Christianity" it can barely berecognized as Christian. It in fact was and is a wolf parading insheep's clothing: It was and is a political scheme to take over thegovernment of the United States and then turn that government intoan aggressor nation that will forcibly establish the United Statesas the ruling empire of the twenty-first century. It is subversive,seditious, secretive, and dangerous.[9]Dominionism "seeks to replace democracy with a theocratic elite that would govern by imposing their interpretation of `Biblical Law.'" He described the ulterior motive of Dominionism is to eliminate "…labor unions, civil rights laws, and public schools." Clarkson then describes thecreation of new classes of citizens:
No Conspiracy...Just plain facts of Networking toward Globalization, One World GovernmentTUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2010
Excerpt: "The reasons leading to this civil war were almost completely due to the actions and provocations of ROTHSCHILD AGENTS. One of those troublemakers was GEORGE BICKLEY, who had founded the “KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE”. The House of Rothschild then had Bickley and his knights extol the disadvantages of the Union for the Confederate States. In the remaining Union states the Rothschilds had J.P. Morgan and August Belmont praise the advantages of the Union.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Secessionist-Movement/message/1538
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5646.htm
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com/
The Knights of the Golden Circle
On April 22, 1973, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner publisheda report by Del Schrader under the headline "$100 billion inTreasure, the search for Rebel Gold." The story covered hisinterviews with several sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons oflong-dead members of the KGC.Schrader, now deceased, said he was shown several maps of KGCcaches. However, one of the decendents stated, "They won't doanybody much good. The maps are accurate as far as they go, butyou'd need the two or three transparent overlays, which each fillin a landmark, for the specifics. In most cases, a vital pointof reference is carved on a nearby rock."Another old-timer offered, "Quantrill and Jesse James (bothnotorious guerillas), along with 10 other members of the InnerCircle, vowed they would beg, borrow, or steal gold so that CivilWar II, if it ever came, could be fought on a cash and carrybasis... many former Confederate officers headed west, profitedand tithed up to 50% of their annual incomes."The original Knights of the Golden Circle formally disbanded theorganization and closed its books in 1916, but their descendantsstill maintain the vows of secrecy and silence taken by the oldConfederate veterans. This new generation, however, has vouchedthat the old veterans stashed away money and other treasure inmany states in the Union, and even in some Canadian provinces.They claim too, that most of these caches are booby trapped.It was on the eve of the Civil War. Washington was rampant withwar hysteria as the nation tottered on the abyss of the approachingconflict. To add to the increasing tension, the Capitol had beeninfiltrated by a wave of Confederate spies. Indeed, the Confederacy began the war with an espionage system and highly efficient, with tentacles reaching into secretareas of the Federal Department. Often the Rebels knew what theYankees were going to do almost as soon as the decision wasreached -- and long before Union troops began to move.
One of the most energetic and efficient of these espionage ringswas a well organized secret society, the KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDENCIRCLE, (KGC), which had both Northern and Southern Branches, closely cooperating with each other. During the Civil War the KGC not only acted as the secret agents and fomenters of civil disorder in the North, but it's members were smugglers of medical supplies,recruits, arms, uniforms and ammunition. After Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, the organization went underground and assumed a completely new mission-- the raising of funds to start a new Civil War, promoting the idea of "The South Will Rise Again!"
The Knights went about their new mission with little regard for the legal principles. Therewere many stories that the KGC amassed millions of dollars worth of gold, silver, and currency which is allegedly stashed in numerous caches around the United States. In 1984 document were found in a Antebellum home in Savannah Georgia, pertaining to a gold shipment buried by the KGC just before the city was invaded by Union troops. This was said to be gold transported from Texas. Perhaps you are wondering just how the Knights of the Golden Circle came into being and what happened to this organization in later years. The middle of the last century was a spawning ground for numerous secret societies of every description, with many persons holding simultaneous memberships in several organizations. Entering the scene in 1859, with his founding of the Knights of the Golden Circle, was George W.L. Bickley. His intentional aims for the secret society were to Americanize and ultimately annex Mexico, to settle the slavery question in favor of the South, and to promote his own fame and fortune.
What of the widespread secret society which Bickley had founded?
It continued to live on in several forms. Toward the end of the Civil War, many of its members transferred their allegiance to another organization, the Order of American Knights, which in turn evolved into the Sons of Liberty -- both of the latter dying from acute inertia at the end of the war. However, a hard-core group of die-hard Confederates preserved what remained of the Knights of the Golden Circle when the shooting stopped. During the great conflict, the society raised funds for the Confederate cause by both legal and illegal means -- considering Yankee banks, businesses and stagecoaches to be fair game for robbery. These men rationalized that their cause was only temporarily lost. As a consequence, they were determined to continue raising funds, by any and all means. This Inner Circle claimed such stalwarts as Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, Jesse James, Gen. Bud Dalton, Prof. B.E. Bedeczek, Gen. J.O. Shelby and others.
Reports have it that following Lee's surrender, the KGC amassed millions of dollars in gold, silver, and currency, awaiting the call to again bear arms -- a call which never came. As a result, these caches which reportedly remained unfound and untouched. Supposedly, many of these caches were booby trapped and could still be lethal for the unwary. Sometime after the war the secret KGC established headquarters in an old building on Fatherland Street in Nashville Tennessee. Reportedly, the old building stood where the "Grand Ole Opry" got its start. About 1884 the headquarters were moved to Colorado Springs. Verifying the old Confederates' tales of clandestine treasure hoards becomes very difficult when one realizes the KGC officially closed its books and disbanded in 1916.
In addition, through deaths and failing memories of the elderly Knights caused the locations of many caches to be lost in the maze of history, forthe relied upon memory rather than written records for identifyingtheir stashes. Speaking of Nashville, a rich KGC trove was supposedly hidden under an "ordinary looking mountain" somewhere off the old Nashville Pike. Allegedly, $600 million was stored there in a vault, in 1870. Later, more gold was said to have been added to this hoard. We have also heard tales of a KGC treasure having been secreted about 11 miles from Nashville. These two reports, however, maypertain to the same cache.
TREASON IN INDIANA.; Expose of the Sons of Liberty Official Report of Gen. Carrington Interesting Details. OFFICIAL REPORT OF GEN. CARRINGTON.I. NATURE OF THE ORDER.II. PRINCIPLES OF THE ORDER.III. EXTENT OF THE ORDER.OFFICERS FOR 1864, AS REPORTED. OFFICERS.IV. OPERATIONS OF THE ORDER.V. PURPOSES OF THE ORDER.REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.REPORT OF THE GRAND SECRETARY.
New York TimesAugust 2, 1864
The Indianapolis Journal publishes a series of documents, occupying no less than fourteen columns, exposing an organization known as the "Sons of Liberty," which is alleged to be in existence in that State. It seems to be substantially identical with the "Order of American Knights," regarding which we have already published a full statement from the St. Louis Democrat. The most interesting of the documents published by the Journal is the following: HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF INDIANA, NORTHERN DEPARTMENT, INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., June28, 1864.GOVERNOR: In compliance with your request, I place in your hands a partial outline of the nature, work and extent of a disloyal society or order, now operating in the State of Indiana, under the name of "Sons of Liberty."1. It is both civil and military.
In its first relation it declares principles of ethics and politics, for adoption and dissemination, that are hostile to the Government of the United States. In the latter relation it assumes to organize armies for "actual service" in support of those principles, treating the United States Government as their enemy, and that of the rebellion as their friend.2. It is secret and oath-bound.3. It is despotic and absolute. The penalties of disobedience to its officers are unlimited, including the death penalty itself.1. Absolute, inherent State Sovereignty.2. The Union of the States as but voluntary and temporary, and revocable at the will of any individual State, so far as concerns that State.3. Denies the General Government the power to enforce its laws, and, if it bethe choice of a State, to reject them.4. Recognizes the existing rebellion as legitimate, legal and just.5. Holds revolution against the present Government not only right, but a duty.6. Holds obligations to the order as paramount, to those due a single State, orthe United States.7. Declares its purpose to stop this war, treat with rebels, and make a treatybased upon the recognition of grades of civilization and race.8. Declares a law of races, one of Caucasian supremacy, and one of Africanservitude.9. Pledges a crusade in favor of all peoples attempting to establish newgovernments of their own choice, as against existing rulers or authorities.10. Accepts the creed of the rebellion, its logic, its plans and its principles,as the nominal theory of democracy, and its own bond of coherence and ultimatesuccess.Exhibits are furnished as follows:Exhibt A. "Constitution of Supreme Council of the States," that is, of allStates that may join, recognizing the primary independence of each State. "TheSupreme Commander of this Council is Commander-in-Chief of all military forcesbelonging to the order, in the various states, when called into actual service."-- See sec. 8.
POSTED BY JON PRESCO AT 6:51 AM
Falkenstein Golden Circle
Falkenstein Golden Circle
The Knights of the Golden Circle
by Michael 2 wks ago
http://asmrb.pbworks.com/Falkenstein%20Golden%20Circle
While the South may have been lost the War Between the States at Appomattox in 1865, there are still Southern patriots who work to free their land from domination by carpetbaggers and Northern industrial interests. The 'Knights of the Golden Circle' is an organization of these Southerners, and includes such famous persons as Gen. Albert Pike, Jesse James, and William Quantrill. This organization has powerful friends such as Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, the Twenty Nations, the Bavarian Illuminati, the British 'Steam Lords', and of course the KKK and other Secessionist groups. Outside of the United States, there are many agents in Toronto, Canada; Mexico City, Mexico; St. George's, Bermuda; and London, England.
Masterminds
General Nathan Bedford Forrest (b. 1821) is a fierce and cruel man, dedicated to the cause of white Southern supremacy, and the driving force behind the Knights of the Golden Circle. His durability and cunning are legendary; his plantation near Memphis, Tennessee is the headquarters of the 'Golden Circle.' Melanie Forrest is a niece of this famous general, and one of the Secessionist’s most important agents in Europe.
General P. G. T. Beauregard (b. 1818), the “Little Creole”, always has an open mind regarding novel weapons and infernal devices. He employed or encouraged many of the more inventive Southerners during the War, and does the same now for the inventors who have offered their services to the Knights of the Golden Circle. Currently, he is the Louisiana state Adjutant-General, in charge of her militia, and also president of a railroad.
Captain Thomas E. Courtnay (b. 1822) commanded the Confederate Secret Service Corps of spies and saboteurs during the war. Originally an Irish-American cotton broker from St. Louis, he combined skill and ruthlessness in employing ‘infernal devices.’ His agents operate all over the globe. He is fond of paying his agents by ‘commission’ (a sort of prize money), and actually worked with gamblers during the war to finance his operations. The devious ‘coal torpedo’ was his invention. Now living with his family in London, England, he is in charge of the 'Golden Circle's' covert operations outside of the Americas. The United States government has not yet provided sufficient proof of Courtnay's crimes to have him arrested by the British government.
Judah P. Benjamin (b. 1811), held the offices of Secretary of War and (the final) Secretary of State in the Confederacy. His portrait appeared on two different issues of $2 Confederate notes! A Louisianan and a Sephardic Jew, he is now a high-priced barrister in England (minimum fee, 300 guineas), considered one of the most learned legal scholars in Britain. He was suspected of somehow being involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Covertly, he is the connection between the 'Golden Circle' and such influential persons as the Rothschilds, the 'Steam Lords', etc.; his contacts with Courtnay are very sub rosa. Separated from his wife, but his daughter sees him often (she was married in 1874). A member of the Junior Athenaeum club.
Agents
Jesse James (b. 1847) a Missourian who (along with his brother Frank) followed George Quantrill into battle; after the War, famous as a train and bank robber.
Captain James T. Calhoun of the Confederate Navy, a famous blockade runner. He has recently appeared as the owner of a magically-levitated steamboat, the 'Sumter Cannonball' (whose name alone indicates his allegiance to the South), and is a Masonic sorcerer of some skill.
General E. Kirby Smith (b. 1824) was the last commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department, and departed to Mexico at the end of the War. Working in Mexico with the tacit approval of Emperor Maximilian, Smith can organize a force of nearly a thousand veterans on short notice.
Inventors
General Gabriel J. Rains (b. 1803) invented a series of powerful electrically and automatically triggered ‘subterra shells’ (or land mines) for use in the War; he is a bitter anti-Yankee, ready to employ ‘terroristic’ weapons without notice. If a booby-trapped bomb is needed, with complicated chemical and mechanical fusing, Rains is the man to provide it. He lives in New Bern, North Carolina, and works at the U.S. Quartermaster Depot in Charleston -- as the chief clerk.
Captain Francis D. Lee (b. 1827), of a leading Charleston family, was an inventor of naval and military items for the South. He produced new explosives, fuzes, and the first ‘David’ type torpedo rams. He has been in the service of the French Empire, and was a great influence on French naval strategy, but now lives in St. Louis, employed as an architect. The ‘torpedo boat’ and the larger ‘torpedo boat destroyer’ are essentially his inventions.
Captain Matthew Fontaine Maury (b. 1811) of Virginia is a very reluctant supporter of the Underground. He is a famous scientist, oceanographer, and inventor (his electrically-fired mines caused much havoc among Federal vessels in the war). Since the war, he has served as Emperor Maximilian’s chief Admiralty scientist. If Mexico or the 'Golden Circle' develop a submersible, Captain Maury will no doubt be involved somehow.
Lieutenant Hunter Davidson (b. ca. 1821) was Maury’s chief aide during the War. He has been working for South American governments, inventing naval devices.
Dr. William Norris was a Major in the Confederate Army during the War, and the South’s leading practical inventor.
Captain Ambrose McEvoy, of the Army, was born in Ireland and came to the South before the War. He invented many ingenious and deadly weapons for the South -- artillery fuzes, electically fired mines, etc.
Useful Sources: 'Infernal Machines', by Milton F. Perry, LSU Press, Baton Rouge 1965; 'Encyclopedia Britannica', 11th Edition, ed. by Hugh Chisholm, 1911; website Handbook of Texas Online.
The Knights of the Golden Circle
by Michael 2 wks ago
http://asmrb.pbworks.com/Falkenstein%20Golden%20Circle
While the South may have been lost the War Between the States at Appomattox in 1865, there are still Southern patriots who work to free their land from domination by carpetbaggers and Northern industrial interests. The 'Knights of the Golden Circle' is an organization of these Southerners, and includes such famous persons as Gen. Albert Pike, Jesse James, and William Quantrill. This organization has powerful friends such as Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, the Twenty Nations, the Bavarian Illuminati, the British 'Steam Lords', and of course the KKK and other Secessionist groups. Outside of the United States, there are many agents in Toronto, Canada; Mexico City, Mexico; St. George's, Bermuda; and London, England.
Masterminds
General Nathan Bedford Forrest (b. 1821) is a fierce and cruel man, dedicated to the cause of white Southern supremacy, and the driving force behind the Knights of the Golden Circle. His durability and cunning are legendary; his plantation near Memphis, Tennessee is the headquarters of the 'Golden Circle.' Melanie Forrest is a niece of this famous general, and one of the Secessionist’s most important agents in Europe.
General P. G. T. Beauregard (b. 1818), the “Little Creole”, always has an open mind regarding novel weapons and infernal devices. He employed or encouraged many of the more inventive Southerners during the War, and does the same now for the inventors who have offered their services to the Knights of the Golden Circle. Currently, he is the Louisiana state Adjutant-General, in charge of her militia, and also president of a railroad.
Captain Thomas E. Courtnay (b. 1822) commanded the Confederate Secret Service Corps of spies and saboteurs during the war. Originally an Irish-American cotton broker from St. Louis, he combined skill and ruthlessness in employing ‘infernal devices.’ His agents operate all over the globe. He is fond of paying his agents by ‘commission’ (a sort of prize money), and actually worked with gamblers during the war to finance his operations. The devious ‘coal torpedo’ was his invention. Now living with his family in London, England, he is in charge of the 'Golden Circle's' covert operations outside of the Americas. The United States government has not yet provided sufficient proof of Courtnay's crimes to have him arrested by the British government.
Judah P. Benjamin (b. 1811), held the offices of Secretary of War and (the final) Secretary of State in the Confederacy. His portrait appeared on two different issues of $2 Confederate notes! A Louisianan and a Sephardic Jew, he is now a high-priced barrister in England (minimum fee, 300 guineas), considered one of the most learned legal scholars in Britain. He was suspected of somehow being involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Covertly, he is the connection between the 'Golden Circle' and such influential persons as the Rothschilds, the 'Steam Lords', etc.; his contacts with Courtnay are very sub rosa. Separated from his wife, but his daughter sees him often (she was married in 1874). A member of the Junior Athenaeum club.
Agents
Jesse James (b. 1847) a Missourian who (along with his brother Frank) followed George Quantrill into battle; after the War, famous as a train and bank robber.
Captain James T. Calhoun of the Confederate Navy, a famous blockade runner. He has recently appeared as the owner of a magically-levitated steamboat, the 'Sumter Cannonball' (whose name alone indicates his allegiance to the South), and is a Masonic sorcerer of some skill.
General E. Kirby Smith (b. 1824) was the last commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department, and departed to Mexico at the end of the War. Working in Mexico with the tacit approval of Emperor Maximilian, Smith can organize a force of nearly a thousand veterans on short notice.
Inventors
General Gabriel J. Rains (b. 1803) invented a series of powerful electrically and automatically triggered ‘subterra shells’ (or land mines) for use in the War; he is a bitter anti-Yankee, ready to employ ‘terroristic’ weapons without notice. If a booby-trapped bomb is needed, with complicated chemical and mechanical fusing, Rains is the man to provide it. He lives in New Bern, North Carolina, and works at the U.S. Quartermaster Depot in Charleston -- as the chief clerk.
Captain Francis D. Lee (b. 1827), of a leading Charleston family, was an inventor of naval and military items for the South. He produced new explosives, fuzes, and the first ‘David’ type torpedo rams. He has been in the service of the French Empire, and was a great influence on French naval strategy, but now lives in St. Louis, employed as an architect. The ‘torpedo boat’ and the larger ‘torpedo boat destroyer’ are essentially his inventions.
Captain Matthew Fontaine Maury (b. 1811) of Virginia is a very reluctant supporter of the Underground. He is a famous scientist, oceanographer, and inventor (his electrically-fired mines caused much havoc among Federal vessels in the war). Since the war, he has served as Emperor Maximilian’s chief Admiralty scientist. If Mexico or the 'Golden Circle' develop a submersible, Captain Maury will no doubt be involved somehow.
Lieutenant Hunter Davidson (b. ca. 1821) was Maury’s chief aide during the War. He has been working for South American governments, inventing naval devices.
Dr. William Norris was a Major in the Confederate Army during the War, and the South’s leading practical inventor.
Captain Ambrose McEvoy, of the Army, was born in Ireland and came to the South before the War. He invented many ingenious and deadly weapons for the South -- artillery fuzes, electically fired mines, etc.
Useful Sources: 'Infernal Machines', by Milton F. Perry, LSU Press, Baton Rouge 1965; 'Encyclopedia Britannica', 11th Edition, ed. by Hugh Chisholm, 1911; website Handbook of Texas Online.
KGC images
Just open the link for one page of KGC imagery.
http://shout.webring.com/people/xm/mlause/Hist520/05.23.kgc.html
http://shout.webring.com/people/xm/mlause/Hist520/05.23.kgc.html
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure Maps 12
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure Maps 12
Underground Discovery & Exploration
http://undergrounddiscovery.com/22/knights-of-the-golden-circle-treasure-maps-12
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure maps of the are most generally
misunderstood because the treasure hunter relies upon one sign to interpret
the entire treasure location. One such story that comes to mind is the
hunter that had been using a jack-o-lantern sign to interpret an entire
treasure sight! If you want to understand the hiding of the valuables, you
must consider more than a single sign. The jack-o-lantern is not a hiding
sign, it is an informational sign about the hiding of the deposit. Yet this
person found a hill, thought it was the shape of the drawing if you looked
at it from above (although it did not look like that on topos or aerial
photos) and therefore the location the treasure was deposited and commenced
looking for the rest of the face; two rocks for eyes, a mark or object for a
nose and a mouth. Now some of you would have obliged this young man and put
a smiley face on the hill and it would have been a cute moment in a futile
hunt.
You must always get the large overview. I have stressed from the beginning
the importance of the context of every sign. While recently in Turkey, a
series of holes was discovered in the tops of large stones. They have proven
to guide me to significant locations important to the ancients of 400 BC and
previous! No single hole told me anything, but when considered in whole,
they even began to give me the date the artifacts were placed en situ! These
artifacts will be excavated archaeologically. Watch for the entire story at
this web site.
Let me help you understand better the jack-o-lantern better. The
jack-o-lantern is informational. He tells you very little in some cases.
Sometimes he is just saying good-bye. You must find the rest of the signs
and the jack-o-lantern will then tell you more. First, within the context,
look where he is looking. If it is done as an outside type signor on a map,
look where he is looking. Then look at the eyes - if they are closed, don't
go where he is looking within the context of the sign. When you find the
entry from the rest of the sign, you are going to find a death trap. If you
have a closed set of eyes, get contacted with Dr. John Melancon before you
attempt any further actions!. He has worked extensively diffusing death
traps. In fact, Dr. John Melancon is writing a book concerning the death
traps that will be available this winter. Keep watching this sight as it
will be available only through this web site! Underground Discovery! What is
a Knights of the Golden Circle site worth? Your life if you open it up
wrong.
Dr. John Melancon is the world's foremost authority on Spanish and Knights
of the Golden Circle treasure maps, treasure sites, symbols and signs. His
knowledge can very easily make the difference in recovery and your continued
life. Call 480 463 6579 or email using the form below to contact
Dr. Melancon.
Underground Discovery & Exploration
http://undergrounddiscovery.com/22/knights-of-the-golden-circle-treasure-maps-12
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure maps of the are most generally
misunderstood because the treasure hunter relies upon one sign to interpret
the entire treasure location. One such story that comes to mind is the
hunter that had been using a jack-o-lantern sign to interpret an entire
treasure sight! If you want to understand the hiding of the valuables, you
must consider more than a single sign. The jack-o-lantern is not a hiding
sign, it is an informational sign about the hiding of the deposit. Yet this
person found a hill, thought it was the shape of the drawing if you looked
at it from above (although it did not look like that on topos or aerial
photos) and therefore the location the treasure was deposited and commenced
looking for the rest of the face; two rocks for eyes, a mark or object for a
nose and a mouth. Now some of you would have obliged this young man and put
a smiley face on the hill and it would have been a cute moment in a futile
hunt.
You must always get the large overview. I have stressed from the beginning
the importance of the context of every sign. While recently in Turkey, a
series of holes was discovered in the tops of large stones. They have proven
to guide me to significant locations important to the ancients of 400 BC and
previous! No single hole told me anything, but when considered in whole,
they even began to give me the date the artifacts were placed en situ! These
artifacts will be excavated archaeologically. Watch for the entire story at
this web site.
Let me help you understand better the jack-o-lantern better. The
jack-o-lantern is informational. He tells you very little in some cases.
Sometimes he is just saying good-bye. You must find the rest of the signs
and the jack-o-lantern will then tell you more. First, within the context,
look where he is looking. If it is done as an outside type signor on a map,
look where he is looking. Then look at the eyes - if they are closed, don't
go where he is looking within the context of the sign. When you find the
entry from the rest of the sign, you are going to find a death trap. If you
have a closed set of eyes, get contacted with Dr. John Melancon before you
attempt any further actions!. He has worked extensively diffusing death
traps. In fact, Dr. John Melancon is writing a book concerning the death
traps that will be available this winter. Keep watching this sight as it
will be available only through this web site! Underground Discovery! What is
a Knights of the Golden Circle site worth? Your life if you open it up
wrong.
Dr. John Melancon is the world's foremost authority on Spanish and Knights
of the Golden Circle treasure maps, treasure sites, symbols and signs. His
knowledge can very easily make the difference in recovery and your continued
life. Call 480 463 6579 or email using the form below to contact
Dr. Melancon.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Knights of the Golden Circle pin
The 2010 Texas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Reunion Convention was recently held in Dallas, Texas on June 4th through the 6th. During the Reunion one of the programs was a presentation by Mr. Randy Farmer on the Knights of the Golden Circle and the Confederate Home Guards. Mr. Farmer became interested in the KGC after discovering a KGC pin. Mr. Farmer displayed during his power point presentation the following photograph of a rare KGC pin.
The photo courtesy of Mr. Farmer and Mr. Paul Ridenour of www.paulridenour.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle/
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Booth Tells All! -- KGC
Booth Tells All! -- KGC
Bill Kingsbury
Fri, 5 Mar 1999 23:38:40 -0500
-Caveat Lector-
from: http://www.kamellia.com/KGC.htm
The Knights of the Golden Circle
It was on the eve of the Civil War. Washington was rampant with
war hysteria as the nation tottered on the abyss of the approaching
conflict. To add to the increasing tension, the Capitol had been
infiltrated by a wave of Confederate spies. Indeed, the
Confederacy began the war with an espionage system already
organized and highly efficient, with tentacles reaching into secret
areas of the Federal Department. Often the Rebels knew what the
Yankees were going to do almost as soon as the decision was
reached -- and long before Union troops began to move.
One of the most energetic and efficient of these espionage rings
was a well organized secret society, the KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN
CIRCLE, (KGC), which had both Northern and Southern Branches,
closely cooperating with each other. During the Civil War the KGC
not only acted as the secret agents and fomenters of civil disorder
in the North, but it's members were smugglers of medical supplies,
recruits, arms, uniforms and ammunition.
After Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, the
organization went underground and assumed a completely new mission
-- the raising of funds to start a new Civil War, promoting the
idea of "The South Will Rise Again!" The Knights went about their
new mission with little regard for the legal principles. There
were many stories that the KGC amassed millions of dollars worth of
gold, silver, and currency which is allegedly stashed in numerous
caches around the United States.
In 1984 document were found in a Antebellum home in Savannah
Georgia, pertaining to a gold shipment buried by the KGC just
before the city was invaded by Union troops. This was said to be
gold transported from Texas.
Perhaps you are wondering just how the Knights of the Golden Circle
came into being and what happened to this organization in later
years. The middle of the last century was a spawning ground for
numerous secret societies of every description, with many persons
holding simultaneous memberships in several organizations.
Entering the scene in 1859, with his founding of the Knights of the
Golden Circle, was George W.L. Bickley. His intentional aims for
the secret society were to Americanize and ultimately annex Mexico,
to settle the slavery question in favor of the South, and to
promote his own fame and fortune.
Bickley at various ties had been a physician, author and editor --
and, as head of the KGC, he styled himself 'General', without a
shadow of authority, save that of his own will, he created
colonels, majors, and captains in the most absolute and Napoleonic
manner. Local lodges of the organization were called 'castles,'
and fees were naturally required of the members. These fees were
one dollar for the first degree of membership, five dollars for the
second, and ten for the third. Weekly dues in all degrees were
fixed by the colonels of the regiments in their respective
jurisdictions. In a short while Gen. Bickley began to realize
one of his main objectives -- a substantial income.
Ollinger Crenshaw, writing in the American Historical Review,
stated, "An eloquent orator and filled with the spirit of modern
'chivalry', Bickley engaged for months during 1860, a vigorous
stump speaking campaign in the Southern states, which he hoped
would enlist wide-spread support for his project. It is indeed
remarkable with what facility this plausible man ingratiated
himself with the Southern editors, who frequently accepted Gen.
Bickley at his own estimate. He also drew to his support, as
active organizers, a considerable number of men throughout the
South, who were, however, not politically prominent."
Sometime later Bickley extended his membership drive into the
border states, where he was not always greeted with enthusiasm.
Indeed the Unionist Louisville Journal, assailed Bickley's
"incendiary doctrines and hellish machinations," and later
characterized the KGC as the "heart the brain, the breath, the soul
of the secession party in Kentucky." In a lighter vein the same
paper lampooned "King Bickley, Monarch of the KGC," and humorously
observed, "Many a man puts his foot in a golden circle may get his
neck in a hempen one."
Eventually, the secret society spread across the Ohio River into
Indiana and the other states of the Old Northwest, where it won an
unsavory reputation during the course of the Civil War.
Gradually, Bickley lost control of the KGC, and for a brief period
in 1863, he turned up as a surgeon in Gen. Bragg's army, attached
to the 29th North Carolina Regiment.
For reasons not apparent, Bickley later applied for and received
a pass through Union lines with the understanding that he would
proceed directly to his home in Cincinnati. Instead he journeyed
to New Albany Indiana, to link up with a KGC castle. This
deviation in his promise caused him to be imprisoned as a spy on
August 18, 1863, and he was not released until the fall of 1865.
Deeply discredited everywhere and odious because of his KGC
activities, Bickley died on August 10, 1867. The Cincinnati Daily
Commercial barely mentioned his demise.
What of the widespread secret society which Bickley had founded?
It continued to live on in several forms. Toward the end of the
Civil War, many of its members transferred their allegiance to
another organization, the Order of American Knights, which in turn
evolved into the Sons of Liberty -- both of the latter dying from
acute inertia at the end of the war. However, a hard-core group
of die-hard Confederates preserved what remained of the Knights
of the Golden Circle when the shooting stopped. During the great
conflict, the society raised funds for the Confederate cause by
both legal and illegal means -- considering Yankee banks,
businesses and stagecoaches to be fair game for robbery.
These men rationalized that their cause was only temporarily lost.
As a consequence, they were determined to continue raising funds,
by any and all means. This Inner Circle claimed such stalwarts as
Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, Jesse James, Gen. Bud
Dalton, Prof. B.E. Bedeczek, Gen. J.O. Shelby and others. Reports
have it that following Lee's surrender, the KGC amassed millions of
dollars in gold, silver, and currency, awaiting the call to again
bear arms -- a call which never came. As a result, these caches
which reportedly remained unfound and untouched. Supposedly, many
of these caches were booby trapped and could still be lethal for
the unwary.
Sometime after the war the secret KGC established headquarters
in an old building on Fatherland Street in Nashville Tennessee.
Reportedly, the old building stood where the "Grand Ole Opry" got
its start. About 1884 the headquarters were moved to Colorado
Springs. Verifying the old Confederates' tales of clandestine
treasure hoards becomes very difficult when one realizes the KGC
officially closed its books and disbanded in 1916. In addition,
through deaths and failing memories of the elderly Knights caused
the locations of many caches to be lost in the maze of history, for
the relied upon memory rather than written records for identifying
their stashes.
Speaking of Nashville, a rich KGC trove was supposedly hidden under
an "ordinary looking mountain" somewhere off the old Nashville
Pike. Allegedly, $600 million was stored there in a vault, in
1870. Later, more gold was said to have been added to this hoard.
We have also heard tales of a KGC treasure having been secreted
about 11 miles from Nashville. These two reports, however, may
pertain to the same cache.
L. Frank Hudson, an expert researcher from St. Petersburg Florida,
is the source of KGC treasure tale originating in Texas. Sometime
in 1863 a shipment of gold coins in wooden kegs left Galveston
aboard a Confederate vessel. The gold came from the western mines
operated by the KGC. At some point, before shipment, it was minted
into coins, struck by dies captured or stolen from the Federal
government. In addition, each coin bore "C.S.A." stamped on its
face.
When the Confederate ship left Galveston, all went well until it
was opposite the mouth of the Mississippi River. At that point a
Union gunboat gave chase, and hung astern the Confederate all the
way into Florida waters. Here the gunboat's prey attempted to
evade capture by entering the Suwannee River. The gunboat hung on
tenaciously, so at the second bend in the river, the rebels began
throwing the coin kegs overboard to thwart their capture. The
Union vessel was still gaining, causing the Rebels to ground their
craft on the left bank of the river and flee into the woods to
avoid capture.
Since that day, there have been rumors of some kegs having been
found. In fact, two lucky finders were able to find enough coins
to establish a fine restaurant in Maderia Beach as the story goes.
During the Civil War the Northern element of the KGC perpetrated
several acts of sabotage, particularly in Midwestern states. One
of these schemes of skullduggery was an elaborate plan to free and
arm thousands of Confederate prisoners being held at Camp Douglas,
near Chicago. A Harpers Weekly reporter of that day described the
prisoners thusly: "A more woebegone appearing set of men it would
be difficult to imagine. It may have been from exposure and low
diet, but they were all sallow-faced, sunken eyed and apparently
famishing. The uniforms of the Confederates prisoners are just no
uniforms at all, being wholly ununiform in color, cut, fashion, and
manufacture. The majority stood gazing about the place, perfectly
willing to be conversed with, and as willing to answer all
questions."
It was the assignment of the Confederate master spy, Captain Thomas
H. Hines, to coordinate this operation with the KGC. The Knights
had secretly gathered a large quantity of rifles, pistols and
ammunition to arm the prisoners. In addition, they had pledged
a considerable force of members for this raid. However, the KGC
backed out at the last moment, wisely considering the plan too
dangerous.
Although much was written about the Knights during the war, very
little has been printed about their post-war activities. Reporter
Del Schrader has written some newspaper articles about the secret
organization, plus a book titled, Jesse James Was One of His Names.
The book is about a character who at one time called himself Col.
J. Frank Dalton. However on May 19, 1948, this elderly gentleman
announced to the world that he was none other than the notorious
outlaw, Jesse Woodson James, denying that he was killed in 1882 as
the history books relate. He also claimed to have headed the
underground KGC following the Civil War and to have knowledge of
the locations of its various hidden troves. Once of his claims was
not uncommon, though, for over the decades several phony characters
have appeared to announce that they were Jesse James.
On April 22, 1973, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner published
a report by Del Schrader under the headline "$100 billion in
Treasure, the search for Rebel Gold." The story covered his
interviews with several sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons of
long-dead members of the KGC.
Schrader, now deceased, said he was shown several maps of KGC
caches. However, one of the decendents stated, "They won't do
anybody much good. The maps are accurate as far as they go, but
you'd need the two or three transparent overlays, which each fill
in a landmark, for the specifics. In most cases, a vital point
of reference is carved on a nearby rock."
Another old-timer offered, "Quantrill and Jesse James (both
notorious guerillas), along with 10 other members of the Inner
Circle, vowed they would beg, borrow, or steal gold so that Civil
War II, if it ever came, could be fought on a cash and carry
basis... many former Confederate officers headed west, profited
and tithed up to 50% of their annual incomes."
The original Knights of the Golden Circle formally disbanded the
organization and closed its books in 1916, but their descendants
still maintain the vows of secrecy and silence taken by the old
Confederate veterans. This new generation, however, has vouched
that the old veterans stashed away money and other treasure in
many states in the Union, and even in some Canadian provinces.
They claim too, that most of these caches are booby trapped.
One of these alleged caches is said to be located near Cat Den
Butte in western Texas. Supposedly holding some $30 million in
gold, plus a quantity of silver. The treasure vault lies deep in
the side of a hill near a river, according to one authority.
A series of transparent overlays are required to obtain detailed
information leading to the vault. One clue, "Look for a
slate-covered tombstone in the southeast corner of the old Mexican
cemetery," was offered by an informant. He added, "It bears coded
directions."
If the locations of these caches are known to the sons and
grandsons of members of the KGC's Inner Circle, why haven't they
been opened? "The old conspirators swore themselves and their
descendants to secrecy," according to Schrader. "It was almost
a religious thing with them. Anyone who revealed the secrets of
the Circle would have ended up dead."
Another thing, the caches were not to be disturbed until the last
Confederate passed to his reward. Of course that day has long
gone, so now the heirs are left with the problems of what to do
about their great secrets. Some have proposed using the treasure
for educational purposes, but they are divided as to how they
should proceed in that direction. On the other hand, they also
fear, if the caches are revealed, the Federal government may claim
all of it. What a quandry!
The heirs may be partially relieved of some of this dilemma for
several knowledgeable professional hunters have been quietly
searching for these troves in recent years. For instance, a group
of Eau Claire Wisconsin, researchers have discovered coded markings
in sandstone in the Park Falls area, coupled with similar markings
near Mellen. After 15 years of research these people are convinced
these signs, along with others in western and southern states, are
clues to KGC troves.
Reported Sites of the Secret Caches
Arizona- $175 Million
Arkansas- Unknown amount at Wild Cat Bluff, near Centerpoint
California- Sacramento $41 Million; San Gabriel Canyon, $1.6
Million; El Monte $250,000; Nevada City $16 Million similar amounts
in the area of Grass Valley and Placerville; Porterville $3.3
Million. Other caches are rumored in, or near San Diego, San Jose,
San Pedro, and San Franscisco.
Carolinas- $500 Million
Colorado- Underwater treasure of the Curious Mule, site unknown,
also,the Vanishing Wagon Treasure near Fairplay Park Colorado.
Georgia- $413 Million, which includes Confederate caches near
Savannah, Sparta, Allentown, Bolton & Kingsland - all possible
KGC troves.
Nevada and Utah- $300 Million
New England- $333 Million
New Mexico- $630 Million in various caches. Plus an unknown amount
buried by Confederates east of Tolar, near Santa Fe Railroad.
Oregon- $333 Million
Tennessee- A vault in mountain off the Old Nashville Pike about
11 miles from Nashville.
Texas- Three Rivers treasure of $30 Million in gold in central part
of the state. Also, a steel safe under water about a mile east of
Brazos River bridge in Waco. Cat Den Butte cache in west Texas.
Washington- $175 Million.
Bill Kingsbury
Fri, 5 Mar 1999 23:38:40 -0500
-Caveat Lector-
from: http://www.kamellia.com/KGC.htm
The Knights of the Golden Circle
It was on the eve of the Civil War. Washington was rampant with
war hysteria as the nation tottered on the abyss of the approaching
conflict. To add to the increasing tension, the Capitol had been
infiltrated by a wave of Confederate spies. Indeed, the
Confederacy began the war with an espionage system already
organized and highly efficient, with tentacles reaching into secret
areas of the Federal Department. Often the Rebels knew what the
Yankees were going to do almost as soon as the decision was
reached -- and long before Union troops began to move.
One of the most energetic and efficient of these espionage rings
was a well organized secret society, the KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN
CIRCLE, (KGC), which had both Northern and Southern Branches,
closely cooperating with each other. During the Civil War the KGC
not only acted as the secret agents and fomenters of civil disorder
in the North, but it's members were smugglers of medical supplies,
recruits, arms, uniforms and ammunition.
After Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, the
organization went underground and assumed a completely new mission
-- the raising of funds to start a new Civil War, promoting the
idea of "The South Will Rise Again!" The Knights went about their
new mission with little regard for the legal principles. There
were many stories that the KGC amassed millions of dollars worth of
gold, silver, and currency which is allegedly stashed in numerous
caches around the United States.
In 1984 document were found in a Antebellum home in Savannah
Georgia, pertaining to a gold shipment buried by the KGC just
before the city was invaded by Union troops. This was said to be
gold transported from Texas.
Perhaps you are wondering just how the Knights of the Golden Circle
came into being and what happened to this organization in later
years. The middle of the last century was a spawning ground for
numerous secret societies of every description, with many persons
holding simultaneous memberships in several organizations.
Entering the scene in 1859, with his founding of the Knights of the
Golden Circle, was George W.L. Bickley. His intentional aims for
the secret society were to Americanize and ultimately annex Mexico,
to settle the slavery question in favor of the South, and to
promote his own fame and fortune.
Bickley at various ties had been a physician, author and editor --
and, as head of the KGC, he styled himself 'General', without a
shadow of authority, save that of his own will, he created
colonels, majors, and captains in the most absolute and Napoleonic
manner. Local lodges of the organization were called 'castles,'
and fees were naturally required of the members. These fees were
one dollar for the first degree of membership, five dollars for the
second, and ten for the third. Weekly dues in all degrees were
fixed by the colonels of the regiments in their respective
jurisdictions. In a short while Gen. Bickley began to realize
one of his main objectives -- a substantial income.
Ollinger Crenshaw, writing in the American Historical Review,
stated, "An eloquent orator and filled with the spirit of modern
'chivalry', Bickley engaged for months during 1860, a vigorous
stump speaking campaign in the Southern states, which he hoped
would enlist wide-spread support for his project. It is indeed
remarkable with what facility this plausible man ingratiated
himself with the Southern editors, who frequently accepted Gen.
Bickley at his own estimate. He also drew to his support, as
active organizers, a considerable number of men throughout the
South, who were, however, not politically prominent."
Sometime later Bickley extended his membership drive into the
border states, where he was not always greeted with enthusiasm.
Indeed the Unionist Louisville Journal, assailed Bickley's
"incendiary doctrines and hellish machinations," and later
characterized the KGC as the "heart the brain, the breath, the soul
of the secession party in Kentucky." In a lighter vein the same
paper lampooned "King Bickley, Monarch of the KGC," and humorously
observed, "Many a man puts his foot in a golden circle may get his
neck in a hempen one."
Eventually, the secret society spread across the Ohio River into
Indiana and the other states of the Old Northwest, where it won an
unsavory reputation during the course of the Civil War.
Gradually, Bickley lost control of the KGC, and for a brief period
in 1863, he turned up as a surgeon in Gen. Bragg's army, attached
to the 29th North Carolina Regiment.
For reasons not apparent, Bickley later applied for and received
a pass through Union lines with the understanding that he would
proceed directly to his home in Cincinnati. Instead he journeyed
to New Albany Indiana, to link up with a KGC castle. This
deviation in his promise caused him to be imprisoned as a spy on
August 18, 1863, and he was not released until the fall of 1865.
Deeply discredited everywhere and odious because of his KGC
activities, Bickley died on August 10, 1867. The Cincinnati Daily
Commercial barely mentioned his demise.
What of the widespread secret society which Bickley had founded?
It continued to live on in several forms. Toward the end of the
Civil War, many of its members transferred their allegiance to
another organization, the Order of American Knights, which in turn
evolved into the Sons of Liberty -- both of the latter dying from
acute inertia at the end of the war. However, a hard-core group
of die-hard Confederates preserved what remained of the Knights
of the Golden Circle when the shooting stopped. During the great
conflict, the society raised funds for the Confederate cause by
both legal and illegal means -- considering Yankee banks,
businesses and stagecoaches to be fair game for robbery.
These men rationalized that their cause was only temporarily lost.
As a consequence, they were determined to continue raising funds,
by any and all means. This Inner Circle claimed such stalwarts as
Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, Jesse James, Gen. Bud
Dalton, Prof. B.E. Bedeczek, Gen. J.O. Shelby and others. Reports
have it that following Lee's surrender, the KGC amassed millions of
dollars in gold, silver, and currency, awaiting the call to again
bear arms -- a call which never came. As a result, these caches
which reportedly remained unfound and untouched. Supposedly, many
of these caches were booby trapped and could still be lethal for
the unwary.
Sometime after the war the secret KGC established headquarters
in an old building on Fatherland Street in Nashville Tennessee.
Reportedly, the old building stood where the "Grand Ole Opry" got
its start. About 1884 the headquarters were moved to Colorado
Springs. Verifying the old Confederates' tales of clandestine
treasure hoards becomes very difficult when one realizes the KGC
officially closed its books and disbanded in 1916. In addition,
through deaths and failing memories of the elderly Knights caused
the locations of many caches to be lost in the maze of history, for
the relied upon memory rather than written records for identifying
their stashes.
Speaking of Nashville, a rich KGC trove was supposedly hidden under
an "ordinary looking mountain" somewhere off the old Nashville
Pike. Allegedly, $600 million was stored there in a vault, in
1870. Later, more gold was said to have been added to this hoard.
We have also heard tales of a KGC treasure having been secreted
about 11 miles from Nashville. These two reports, however, may
pertain to the same cache.
L. Frank Hudson, an expert researcher from St. Petersburg Florida,
is the source of KGC treasure tale originating in Texas. Sometime
in 1863 a shipment of gold coins in wooden kegs left Galveston
aboard a Confederate vessel. The gold came from the western mines
operated by the KGC. At some point, before shipment, it was minted
into coins, struck by dies captured or stolen from the Federal
government. In addition, each coin bore "C.S.A." stamped on its
face.
When the Confederate ship left Galveston, all went well until it
was opposite the mouth of the Mississippi River. At that point a
Union gunboat gave chase, and hung astern the Confederate all the
way into Florida waters. Here the gunboat's prey attempted to
evade capture by entering the Suwannee River. The gunboat hung on
tenaciously, so at the second bend in the river, the rebels began
throwing the coin kegs overboard to thwart their capture. The
Union vessel was still gaining, causing the Rebels to ground their
craft on the left bank of the river and flee into the woods to
avoid capture.
Since that day, there have been rumors of some kegs having been
found. In fact, two lucky finders were able to find enough coins
to establish a fine restaurant in Maderia Beach as the story goes.
During the Civil War the Northern element of the KGC perpetrated
several acts of sabotage, particularly in Midwestern states. One
of these schemes of skullduggery was an elaborate plan to free and
arm thousands of Confederate prisoners being held at Camp Douglas,
near Chicago. A Harpers Weekly reporter of that day described the
prisoners thusly: "A more woebegone appearing set of men it would
be difficult to imagine. It may have been from exposure and low
diet, but they were all sallow-faced, sunken eyed and apparently
famishing. The uniforms of the Confederates prisoners are just no
uniforms at all, being wholly ununiform in color, cut, fashion, and
manufacture. The majority stood gazing about the place, perfectly
willing to be conversed with, and as willing to answer all
questions."
It was the assignment of the Confederate master spy, Captain Thomas
H. Hines, to coordinate this operation with the KGC. The Knights
had secretly gathered a large quantity of rifles, pistols and
ammunition to arm the prisoners. In addition, they had pledged
a considerable force of members for this raid. However, the KGC
backed out at the last moment, wisely considering the plan too
dangerous.
Although much was written about the Knights during the war, very
little has been printed about their post-war activities. Reporter
Del Schrader has written some newspaper articles about the secret
organization, plus a book titled, Jesse James Was One of His Names.
The book is about a character who at one time called himself Col.
J. Frank Dalton. However on May 19, 1948, this elderly gentleman
announced to the world that he was none other than the notorious
outlaw, Jesse Woodson James, denying that he was killed in 1882 as
the history books relate. He also claimed to have headed the
underground KGC following the Civil War and to have knowledge of
the locations of its various hidden troves. Once of his claims was
not uncommon, though, for over the decades several phony characters
have appeared to announce that they were Jesse James.
On April 22, 1973, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner published
a report by Del Schrader under the headline "$100 billion in
Treasure, the search for Rebel Gold." The story covered his
interviews with several sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons of
long-dead members of the KGC.
Schrader, now deceased, said he was shown several maps of KGC
caches. However, one of the decendents stated, "They won't do
anybody much good. The maps are accurate as far as they go, but
you'd need the two or three transparent overlays, which each fill
in a landmark, for the specifics. In most cases, a vital point
of reference is carved on a nearby rock."
Another old-timer offered, "Quantrill and Jesse James (both
notorious guerillas), along with 10 other members of the Inner
Circle, vowed they would beg, borrow, or steal gold so that Civil
War II, if it ever came, could be fought on a cash and carry
basis... many former Confederate officers headed west, profited
and tithed up to 50% of their annual incomes."
The original Knights of the Golden Circle formally disbanded the
organization and closed its books in 1916, but their descendants
still maintain the vows of secrecy and silence taken by the old
Confederate veterans. This new generation, however, has vouched
that the old veterans stashed away money and other treasure in
many states in the Union, and even in some Canadian provinces.
They claim too, that most of these caches are booby trapped.
One of these alleged caches is said to be located near Cat Den
Butte in western Texas. Supposedly holding some $30 million in
gold, plus a quantity of silver. The treasure vault lies deep in
the side of a hill near a river, according to one authority.
A series of transparent overlays are required to obtain detailed
information leading to the vault. One clue, "Look for a
slate-covered tombstone in the southeast corner of the old Mexican
cemetery," was offered by an informant. He added, "It bears coded
directions."
If the locations of these caches are known to the sons and
grandsons of members of the KGC's Inner Circle, why haven't they
been opened? "The old conspirators swore themselves and their
descendants to secrecy," according to Schrader. "It was almost
a religious thing with them. Anyone who revealed the secrets of
the Circle would have ended up dead."
Another thing, the caches were not to be disturbed until the last
Confederate passed to his reward. Of course that day has long
gone, so now the heirs are left with the problems of what to do
about their great secrets. Some have proposed using the treasure
for educational purposes, but they are divided as to how they
should proceed in that direction. On the other hand, they also
fear, if the caches are revealed, the Federal government may claim
all of it. What a quandry!
The heirs may be partially relieved of some of this dilemma for
several knowledgeable professional hunters have been quietly
searching for these troves in recent years. For instance, a group
of Eau Claire Wisconsin, researchers have discovered coded markings
in sandstone in the Park Falls area, coupled with similar markings
near Mellen. After 15 years of research these people are convinced
these signs, along with others in western and southern states, are
clues to KGC troves.
Reported Sites of the Secret Caches
Arizona- $175 Million
Arkansas- Unknown amount at Wild Cat Bluff, near Centerpoint
California- Sacramento $41 Million; San Gabriel Canyon, $1.6
Million; El Monte $250,000; Nevada City $16 Million similar amounts
in the area of Grass Valley and Placerville; Porterville $3.3
Million. Other caches are rumored in, or near San Diego, San Jose,
San Pedro, and San Franscisco.
Carolinas- $500 Million
Colorado- Underwater treasure of the Curious Mule, site unknown,
also,the Vanishing Wagon Treasure near Fairplay Park Colorado.
Georgia- $413 Million, which includes Confederate caches near
Savannah, Sparta, Allentown, Bolton & Kingsland - all possible
KGC troves.
Nevada and Utah- $300 Million
New England- $333 Million
New Mexico- $630 Million in various caches. Plus an unknown amount
buried by Confederates east of Tolar, near Santa Fe Railroad.
Oregon- $333 Million
Tennessee- A vault in mountain off the Old Nashville Pike about
11 miles from Nashville.
Texas- Three Rivers treasure of $30 Million in gold in central part
of the state. Also, a steel safe under water about a mile east of
Brazos River bridge in Waco. Cat Den Butte cache in west Texas.
Washington- $175 Million.
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