Native Americans and the Knights of the Golden Circle
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,284538.0.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle/
Friday, February 5, 2010
The South's Defender Commentary on contemporary and historical issues related to Confederate Heritage.
The South's Defender
Commentary on contemporary and historical issues related to Confederate Heritage.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010
K.G.C. Meeting -- 150 YEARS AGO
http://thesouthsdefender.blogspot.com/2010/02/kgc-meeting-150-years-ago.html
LOUISIANA DEMOCRAT [ALEXANDRIA, LA], March 21, 1860, p. 4, c. 2
Here is something new under the sun, taken from the N. O. Courier, of a recent date.
Secret organizations seem to be the order of the times:
The K. G. C.
We observe a call for the K. G. C.'s to meet at the hall over the Carrollton R. R. Depot, on this evening, at 7 o'clock. In conjunction with this call we observe that many of the leading members of this organization are now in our city. Gen. Bickley, the Commander-in-Chief, Col. Temple and Surgeon Semple, are at the St. Louis Hotel; Gen. Greer, who is well-known as one of our bravest Volunteer Colonels from Mississippi during the recent war, and who now commands a division of the K. G. C., together with Major Richardson, one of his staff-officers, and Col. H. C. Young, of Memphis, who commands the First Tennessee Regiment are at the City Hotel; while others, as Captain Scott and Lieutenant Breese, are at the Merchants'; Captain Gay, the wagon-master, is at the "Texas Home;" and still many others of note and character are at the St. Charles, or quartered with private friends in the city. Besides, there are hundreds of our own citizens in hourly contact with these gentlemen, so that one cannot but inquire, "What's in the wind?"
As our readers must feel some interest in whatever is likely to create excitement we feel ourselves justified in making the following statement respecting this powerful organization, from sources of information, which, from the character of the parties from whom we have derived it, we deem worthy of respectful consideration. The K. G. C., or "Knights of the Golden Circle," was organized in 1854, more to cultivate the martial spirit of our people, than anything else; since then it has steadily grown, until now it numbers over 30,000 members, who are scattered over the Southern States, and holding within its charmed circle many of our most influential men and best soldiers. No organization of the kind has in this country ever combined so much talent with such immense financial resources, and under the present aspect of political affairs, we do not deem it too much to say that the whole nation may soon become deeply interested in the ultimate labors of the K. G. C.
It is generally understood that the K. G. C. are preparing to operate in the broad field which civil war has opened in Mexico to American enterprise and industry, and the first thought of the great public is that it is to be a grand "filibuster" operation, destined to meet the same reverses which have befallen all similar expeditions. But, for our part, if our information in the main be correct, the gentlemen who stand at the head of the movement are of an entirely different intellectual calibre from those whom we have heretofore seen directing these military operations. If we were allowed to guess, we should say that these gentlemen are about embarking in a scheme not unlike that in which Lafayette, Kosciusco, DeKalb, and their compatriots so generously engaged in when we were striving to shake off the shackles of British despotism; and we are assured that it is their steady determination to place the "Liberal" or Juarez party in the full and peaceful occupation of the City of Mexico, and thus prove to the world that Americans will never refuse to other struggling peoples the aid so opportunely rendered us by the French in 1777. This noble work is one that we have frequently advocated, and the necessity of which is truly felt by the masses in this country, as well as of the Republic of Mexico. We say God speed to the K. G. C.! Should they fail, they will have fallen in a noble cause.
Posted by Michael Jones at 4:01 PM
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle/
Commentary on contemporary and historical issues related to Confederate Heritage.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010
K.G.C. Meeting -- 150 YEARS AGO
http://thesouthsdefender.blogspot.com/2010/02/kgc-meeting-150-years-ago.html
LOUISIANA DEMOCRAT [ALEXANDRIA, LA], March 21, 1860, p. 4, c. 2
Here is something new under the sun, taken from the N. O. Courier, of a recent date.
Secret organizations seem to be the order of the times:
The K. G. C.
We observe a call for the K. G. C.'s to meet at the hall over the Carrollton R. R. Depot, on this evening, at 7 o'clock. In conjunction with this call we observe that many of the leading members of this organization are now in our city. Gen. Bickley, the Commander-in-Chief, Col. Temple and Surgeon Semple, are at the St. Louis Hotel; Gen. Greer, who is well-known as one of our bravest Volunteer Colonels from Mississippi during the recent war, and who now commands a division of the K. G. C., together with Major Richardson, one of his staff-officers, and Col. H. C. Young, of Memphis, who commands the First Tennessee Regiment are at the City Hotel; while others, as Captain Scott and Lieutenant Breese, are at the Merchants'; Captain Gay, the wagon-master, is at the "Texas Home;" and still many others of note and character are at the St. Charles, or quartered with private friends in the city. Besides, there are hundreds of our own citizens in hourly contact with these gentlemen, so that one cannot but inquire, "What's in the wind?"
As our readers must feel some interest in whatever is likely to create excitement we feel ourselves justified in making the following statement respecting this powerful organization, from sources of information, which, from the character of the parties from whom we have derived it, we deem worthy of respectful consideration. The K. G. C., or "Knights of the Golden Circle," was organized in 1854, more to cultivate the martial spirit of our people, than anything else; since then it has steadily grown, until now it numbers over 30,000 members, who are scattered over the Southern States, and holding within its charmed circle many of our most influential men and best soldiers. No organization of the kind has in this country ever combined so much talent with such immense financial resources, and under the present aspect of political affairs, we do not deem it too much to say that the whole nation may soon become deeply interested in the ultimate labors of the K. G. C.
It is generally understood that the K. G. C. are preparing to operate in the broad field which civil war has opened in Mexico to American enterprise and industry, and the first thought of the great public is that it is to be a grand "filibuster" operation, destined to meet the same reverses which have befallen all similar expeditions. But, for our part, if our information in the main be correct, the gentlemen who stand at the head of the movement are of an entirely different intellectual calibre from those whom we have heretofore seen directing these military operations. If we were allowed to guess, we should say that these gentlemen are about embarking in a scheme not unlike that in which Lafayette, Kosciusco, DeKalb, and their compatriots so generously engaged in when we were striving to shake off the shackles of British despotism; and we are assured that it is their steady determination to place the "Liberal" or Juarez party in the full and peaceful occupation of the City of Mexico, and thus prove to the world that Americans will never refuse to other struggling peoples the aid so opportunely rendered us by the French in 1777. This noble work is one that we have frequently advocated, and the necessity of which is truly felt by the masses in this country, as well as of the Republic of Mexico. We say God speed to the K. G. C.! Should they fail, they will have fallen in a noble cause.
Posted by Michael Jones at 4:01 PM
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle/
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Are you Kituwah's son?
Excerpts from Are you Kituwah's son? Cherokee Nationalism and the Civil War
By Patrick Minges
http://www.us-data.org/us/minges/keetoo1.html
"...the even more troublesome issue of "Southern Rights" arose within the
Cherokee Nation. John Ross and the leadership of the Cherokee Nation struggled
to maintain a position of neutrality, which was exceedingly difficult
considering the location of the Cherokee Nation deep within the South and the
proximity of "bleeding Kansas." However, in 1854 the Ross party lost votes to an
increasingly hard-line Southern-Rights party that believed an alliance with
white southerners in the defense of slavery would be the best course for the
nation. The pro slavery Southern Rights party was largely composed of those
pro-assimilationist "Treaty Party" members who represented the elite ten-percent
of the Nation. [43]
In 1855, Chief John Ross discovered the emergence of "a secret society organized
in Delaware and Saline Districts" dedicated to the promotion of slavery and the
removal of abolitionist interests from the Cherokee Nation. [44] Forming the
core of this "sinister plot" were members of the so-called "Blue Lodges"
(Freemasons) that had been organized by the Grand Lodge of Arkansas. The Grand
Lodge of Arkansas was being used effectively in the promotion of the
pro-Southern effort in Kansas and Oklahoma from Arkansas. [45] Many of the
pro-slavery factions in the Cherokee Nation had ties to Arkansas. John Ross, a
Freemason himself, believed that these elements were spreading the pro-southern
message among the "Blue Lodges" within the Cherokee Nation.
Some of the members of the "Blue Lodges" later formed the "Knights of the Golden
Circle," an organization that functioned somewhere in the blurred regions
between Freemasonry and the Ku Klux Klan. [46] The Constitution of the Knights
of the Golden Circle, as chartered on August 28, 1860 states:
"We, a part of the people of the Cherokee Nation, in order to form a more
perfect union and protect ourselves and property against the works of
Abolitionists do establish this Constitution for the government of the Knights
of the Golden Circle in this Nation...
"No person shall become a member of the Knights of the Golden Circle in the
Cherokee Nation who is not a pro-slavery man...
The Captain, or in case of his refusal, then the Lieutenant has the power to
compell each and every member of their encampments to turn out and assist in
capturing and punishing any and all abolitionists in their minds who are
interfering with slavery....
You do solemnly swear that you will keep all the secrets of this order and that
you will, to the best of your abilities protect and defend the interests of the
Knights of the Golden Circle in this Nation, so help you God." [47]
The leader of the Knights of the Golden Circle was Stand Watie, a Freemason, and
members of the Knights of the Golden Circle included many of the elites of the
Cherokee Nation, John Rollin Ridge; Elias Boudinot; William Penn Adair; James
Bell -- all leaders of the Southern Rights party. [48]"
"In July, a company of pro-Southern Cherokees led by Stand Watie attempted to
raise the Confederate flag over the Cherokee Nation. Senator William Doublehead
and 150 full-bloods confronted the Confederate Cherokees and bloodshed was only
narrowly averted by the intervention of John Drew, a member of Chief John Ross's
family. [62]
On August 21, 1861, Chief John Ross addressed a meeting of some four thousand
Cherokee meeting to discuss the Nation's stand in the coming Civil War and
encouraged them to maintain neutrality: "the great object with me has been to
have the Cherokee people's harmonious and united in the free exercise and
enjoyment of all their rights of person and property. Union is strength;
dissension is weakness, misery, ruin." [63] When the discussion was over, the
Cherokee Nation had maintained its unity, but lost its neutrality. The Cherokee
Nation became the last great nation to side with the Confederate States of
America when it signed a treaty on October 7, 1861. [64]
Two Confederate regiments were raised by the Cherokee Nation. Brigadier General
Ben McCulloch of the Confederate Army described them: "Colonel Drew's Regiment
will be mostly full-bloods, whilst those with Col. Stand Watie will be
half-breeds, and good soldiers anywhere, in or out of the Nation." [65] The
membership in the two units fell directly upon party lines and membership in the
corresponding secret societies. The largest part of the 1st Cherokee Mounted
Rifles were members of the Keetoowah Society and supporters of John Ross; most
of the 2nd Cherokee Mounted Rifles were members of the Knights of the Golden
Circle and followers of Colonel Stand Watie. [66] The leadership of both parties
was composed of former Freemasons from Cherokee Lodge #21, Fort Gibson Lodge
#35, and Flint Lodge #74. [67]"
"By the time the war was over in 1866, seven thousand Cherokee had lost their
lives; this amounted to from 1/4 to 1/3 of the Cherokee Nation. [85] No state
suffered greater losses than did the Indian Territory in the Civil War. [86]
General Stand Watie of the Knights of the Golden Circle was the last General of
The Confederate States of America to surrender. With Watie's surrender, the
Civil War within the Cherokee Nation was over."
By Patrick Minges
http://www.us-data.org/us/minges/keetoo1.html
"...the even more troublesome issue of "Southern Rights" arose within the
Cherokee Nation. John Ross and the leadership of the Cherokee Nation struggled
to maintain a position of neutrality, which was exceedingly difficult
considering the location of the Cherokee Nation deep within the South and the
proximity of "bleeding Kansas." However, in 1854 the Ross party lost votes to an
increasingly hard-line Southern-Rights party that believed an alliance with
white southerners in the defense of slavery would be the best course for the
nation. The pro slavery Southern Rights party was largely composed of those
pro-assimilationist "Treaty Party" members who represented the elite ten-percent
of the Nation. [43]
In 1855, Chief John Ross discovered the emergence of "a secret society organized
in Delaware and Saline Districts" dedicated to the promotion of slavery and the
removal of abolitionist interests from the Cherokee Nation. [44] Forming the
core of this "sinister plot" were members of the so-called "Blue Lodges"
(Freemasons) that had been organized by the Grand Lodge of Arkansas. The Grand
Lodge of Arkansas was being used effectively in the promotion of the
pro-Southern effort in Kansas and Oklahoma from Arkansas. [45] Many of the
pro-slavery factions in the Cherokee Nation had ties to Arkansas. John Ross, a
Freemason himself, believed that these elements were spreading the pro-southern
message among the "Blue Lodges" within the Cherokee Nation.
Some of the members of the "Blue Lodges" later formed the "Knights of the Golden
Circle," an organization that functioned somewhere in the blurred regions
between Freemasonry and the Ku Klux Klan. [46] The Constitution of the Knights
of the Golden Circle, as chartered on August 28, 1860 states:
"We, a part of the people of the Cherokee Nation, in order to form a more
perfect union and protect ourselves and property against the works of
Abolitionists do establish this Constitution for the government of the Knights
of the Golden Circle in this Nation...
"No person shall become a member of the Knights of the Golden Circle in the
Cherokee Nation who is not a pro-slavery man...
The Captain, or in case of his refusal, then the Lieutenant has the power to
compell each and every member of their encampments to turn out and assist in
capturing and punishing any and all abolitionists in their minds who are
interfering with slavery....
You do solemnly swear that you will keep all the secrets of this order and that
you will, to the best of your abilities protect and defend the interests of the
Knights of the Golden Circle in this Nation, so help you God." [47]
The leader of the Knights of the Golden Circle was Stand Watie, a Freemason, and
members of the Knights of the Golden Circle included many of the elites of the
Cherokee Nation, John Rollin Ridge; Elias Boudinot; William Penn Adair; James
Bell -- all leaders of the Southern Rights party. [48]"
"In July, a company of pro-Southern Cherokees led by Stand Watie attempted to
raise the Confederate flag over the Cherokee Nation. Senator William Doublehead
and 150 full-bloods confronted the Confederate Cherokees and bloodshed was only
narrowly averted by the intervention of John Drew, a member of Chief John Ross's
family. [62]
On August 21, 1861, Chief John Ross addressed a meeting of some four thousand
Cherokee meeting to discuss the Nation's stand in the coming Civil War and
encouraged them to maintain neutrality: "the great object with me has been to
have the Cherokee people's harmonious and united in the free exercise and
enjoyment of all their rights of person and property. Union is strength;
dissension is weakness, misery, ruin." [63] When the discussion was over, the
Cherokee Nation had maintained its unity, but lost its neutrality. The Cherokee
Nation became the last great nation to side with the Confederate States of
America when it signed a treaty on October 7, 1861. [64]
Two Confederate regiments were raised by the Cherokee Nation. Brigadier General
Ben McCulloch of the Confederate Army described them: "Colonel Drew's Regiment
will be mostly full-bloods, whilst those with Col. Stand Watie will be
half-breeds, and good soldiers anywhere, in or out of the Nation." [65] The
membership in the two units fell directly upon party lines and membership in the
corresponding secret societies. The largest part of the 1st Cherokee Mounted
Rifles were members of the Keetoowah Society and supporters of John Ross; most
of the 2nd Cherokee Mounted Rifles were members of the Knights of the Golden
Circle and followers of Colonel Stand Watie. [66] The leadership of both parties
was composed of former Freemasons from Cherokee Lodge #21, Fort Gibson Lodge
#35, and Flint Lodge #74. [67]"
"By the time the war was over in 1866, seven thousand Cherokee had lost their
lives; this amounted to from 1/4 to 1/3 of the Cherokee Nation. [85] No state
suffered greater losses than did the Indian Territory in the Civil War. [86]
General Stand Watie of the Knights of the Golden Circle was the last General of
The Confederate States of America to surrender. With Watie's surrender, the
Civil War within the Cherokee Nation was over."
SOUTHERN BROAD-AXE [WEST POINT, MS] April 2, 1859 - February 8, 1860
SOUTHERN BROAD-AXE [WEST POINT, MS]
April 2, 1859 - February 8, 1860
http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/southern_broadaxe_west_point_ms.htm
SOUTHERN BROAD-AXE [WEST POINT, MS], July 20, 1859, p. 2, c. 5
A New Filibustering Expedition.—The New York Tribune gives an account of what is styled a new fililbustering expedition, now organizing, and to be called the "Knights of the Golden Circle." It consists of two legions—one in the United States, and one in Cuba. The Tribune, which contains its information from a printed circular, says:
Each legion is to consist of ten thousand men and their officers, besides commissary, surgical and conveyance departments. The American legion is to include a regiment of cavalry, a regiment of mounted riflemen, a regiment of artillery, five regiments of infantry, and a reserved guard. The headquarters of this recent military organization appears to be the city of Baltimore, and the central authority seems to be bested in a war board, composed of a commander in chief and of brigadier generals, appointed or to be appointed one for each of the ten regiments. From this board emanates the selection of colonels. The colonels select their own inferior officers, who must, however, be approved by the colonels. The colonel is also to select for himself a lieutenant-colonel and two majors, and the four together are to agree upon some suitable person for a brigadier-general, to be commissioned and placed on the general staff. The chief business of the colonels and their inferior officers appears to be, at present, the enlistment of men and the raising of funds.
The members are each to pay one dollar initiation fee, and also a weekly tax of ten cents. A fund for the purchase of arms, ammunition and general outfit is to be raised by the sale of scrip, in which all the subordinate officers are to be employed. This scrip is issued in sums of five, ten, twenty, fifty, or one hundred, or one thousand dollars, and is to be paid for either in cash, in powder, lead, iron, cotton cloth, red or blue flannel, tobacco, train oil, shoes, blankets, spades, etc., or partly in promissory notes of short dates. The soldiers who may enlist in this expedition, are promised each a grant of six thousand four hundred acres of land, also seven dollars a month in specie and seven in scrip; arms, ammunition, uniforms, etc., to be furnished by the board of war before leaving American soil. The men, it is stated, can pursue their ordinary business till November.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle/
April 2, 1859 - February 8, 1860
http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/southern_broadaxe_west_point_ms.htm
SOUTHERN BROAD-AXE [WEST POINT, MS], July 20, 1859, p. 2, c. 5
A New Filibustering Expedition.—The New York Tribune gives an account of what is styled a new fililbustering expedition, now organizing, and to be called the "Knights of the Golden Circle." It consists of two legions—one in the United States, and one in Cuba. The Tribune, which contains its information from a printed circular, says:
Each legion is to consist of ten thousand men and their officers, besides commissary, surgical and conveyance departments. The American legion is to include a regiment of cavalry, a regiment of mounted riflemen, a regiment of artillery, five regiments of infantry, and a reserved guard. The headquarters of this recent military organization appears to be the city of Baltimore, and the central authority seems to be bested in a war board, composed of a commander in chief and of brigadier generals, appointed or to be appointed one for each of the ten regiments. From this board emanates the selection of colonels. The colonels select their own inferior officers, who must, however, be approved by the colonels. The colonel is also to select for himself a lieutenant-colonel and two majors, and the four together are to agree upon some suitable person for a brigadier-general, to be commissioned and placed on the general staff. The chief business of the colonels and their inferior officers appears to be, at present, the enlistment of men and the raising of funds.
The members are each to pay one dollar initiation fee, and also a weekly tax of ten cents. A fund for the purchase of arms, ammunition and general outfit is to be raised by the sale of scrip, in which all the subordinate officers are to be employed. This scrip is issued in sums of five, ten, twenty, fifty, or one hundred, or one thousand dollars, and is to be paid for either in cash, in powder, lead, iron, cotton cloth, red or blue flannel, tobacco, train oil, shoes, blankets, spades, etc., or partly in promissory notes of short dates. The soldiers who may enlist in this expedition, are promised each a grant of six thousand four hundred acres of land, also seven dollars a month in specie and seven in scrip; arms, ammunition, uniforms, etc., to be furnished by the board of war before leaving American soil. The men, it is stated, can pursue their ordinary business till November.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle/
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure Maps Part 2
http://undergrounddiscovery.com/10/knights-of-the-golden-circle-treasure-maps-part-2/
Underground Discovery & Exploration
Archive for the Category 'Knights of the Golden Circle'
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure Maps Part 2
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure Maps is a continued series of the most intricate secret society in the history of the US. Understanding the KGC methodology, codes and signs of treasure maps and treasure locations has been “cracked” by the esteemed Dr. John Melancon. Here Dr. Melancon continues his narrative:
In article 1, we introduced the concept of context of treasure sign for the treasure maps of the knights of the golden circle. The layout of a KGC template would always be after a pattern. I have seen them in diamond and circle combination, in squares, in Star of David designs and these patterns may even me multiples that overlay one another. One such sight I interpreted had multiple stars of David in an overlay, where another used a single Star of David and used each point and each place that the lines intersected to hide either treasure or treasure map information. However, interpretation of a template requires large amounts of field work unless you have additional information. Wandering over large areas of land, doing a GPS reading and then doing the waypoints back at the office will still give limited results unless you did enough research to get at least the majority of the waypoints. Two locations on a thirty six waypoint template will reveal very little information. You must find the starting point, at least three locations, understand all of the template designs, understand a good bit of trigonometry and it will still take you some time. The knights of the golden circle were mathematical in their design, with a few interesting decoys, returns, reversals, and depths but if you do the math, apply all of the signs it is pretty accurate to a science rather that a treasure hunting guessing game.
What other context must we use for a more accurate picture? Consider the hoot owl trees, the carved stones laid out in further patterns, the actual maps that were passed down from sentinel to sentinel, the carved names of these Sons of Liberty, the civil war history, and even the context of the knights of the golden circle purpose and organization. You must get into the thought process of the one that hid the treasure in order to open treasure vault.
If you have a location with Spanish and/or KGC signs and symbols that you would like to have interpreted, contact Dr. Melancon with the email contact form or give us a call at 480 463 6579.
Coming soon: Article 3, Map Signs
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
http://undergrounddiscovery.com/10/knights-of-the-golden-circle-treasure-maps-part-2/
Underground Discovery & Exploration
Archive for the Category 'Knights of the Golden Circle'
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure Maps Part 2
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure Maps is a continued series of the most intricate secret society in the history of the US. Understanding the KGC methodology, codes and signs of treasure maps and treasure locations has been “cracked” by the esteemed Dr. John Melancon. Here Dr. Melancon continues his narrative:
In article 1, we introduced the concept of context of treasure sign for the treasure maps of the knights of the golden circle. The layout of a KGC template would always be after a pattern. I have seen them in diamond and circle combination, in squares, in Star of David designs and these patterns may even me multiples that overlay one another. One such sight I interpreted had multiple stars of David in an overlay, where another used a single Star of David and used each point and each place that the lines intersected to hide either treasure or treasure map information. However, interpretation of a template requires large amounts of field work unless you have additional information. Wandering over large areas of land, doing a GPS reading and then doing the waypoints back at the office will still give limited results unless you did enough research to get at least the majority of the waypoints. Two locations on a thirty six waypoint template will reveal very little information. You must find the starting point, at least three locations, understand all of the template designs, understand a good bit of trigonometry and it will still take you some time. The knights of the golden circle were mathematical in their design, with a few interesting decoys, returns, reversals, and depths but if you do the math, apply all of the signs it is pretty accurate to a science rather that a treasure hunting guessing game.
What other context must we use for a more accurate picture? Consider the hoot owl trees, the carved stones laid out in further patterns, the actual maps that were passed down from sentinel to sentinel, the carved names of these Sons of Liberty, the civil war history, and even the context of the knights of the golden circle purpose and organization. You must get into the thought process of the one that hid the treasure in order to open treasure vault.
If you have a location with Spanish and/or KGC signs and symbols that you would like to have interpreted, contact Dr. Melancon with the email contact form or give us a call at 480 463 6579.
Coming soon: Article 3, Map Signs
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
Jesse James and the Knights of the Golden Circle:
the Albert Pike Connection (Part 1)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2010
http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/01/jess-james-and-knights-of-golden-c\
ircle.html
(A portrait of Albert Pike in his later years wearing Masonic regalia.)
Mysterious Looking Letter-Symbols
I've mentioned Albert Pike and his connection to the Knights of the Golden
Circle (KGC) in a previous post ("Jesse James and the Knights of the Golden
Circle: Tips on KGC Treasure Locations [Part 3],"
http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2009/12/pay-particular-attention-to-first-\
2.html). At the top of that post I placed a graphic image with 4 lines of
letter-symbols.
The first two lines of those mysterious looking letter-symbols were created by
Albert Pike himself. Perhaps now the light bulb has gone off in your head and
you now know why I told you to pay particular attention to those two lines of
letter-symbols. (If you don't, e-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com and we'll
discuss it.) In order to better understand Albert Pike's connection to the KGC
(and Jesse James and KGC treasure repositories) we must first learn more about
the man himself.
A Die-hard Southern Sympathizer and "Knight Templar"
Although born and raised in the thoroughly "Yankee" state of Massachussets,
Albert Pike would eventually become a die-hard Southern sympathizer who served a
as a Major General in the Confederate Army. As a little-known fact Pike actually
wrote the lyrics (Confederate version) to that timeless Southern anthem,
"Dixie."
Pike was an extremely literate and educated man (he was accepted into Harvard
University but declined to attend) who possessed an advanced Freemason's
(Masonic) degree. In fact, Pike was a "Knight Templar" which should suggest to
you how deeply he was involved in the Masonic Rite and ultimately, the KGC.
"General" Pike
After serving in the Mexican War Pike moved to Little Rock, Arkansas where he
edited Little Rock's newspaper, the Arkansas Advocate. When the Civil War broke
out, Pike was given command of mixed (Indian and "partisan") forces in the
so-called Indian Territories (which included Oklahoma) where he was victorious
at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas.
Things literally went "south" for Pike after Pea Ridge where he was taken to
task because some of his native troops had scalped fallen Union soldiers.
Additionally, he was accused of mishandling large amounts of gold and silver
coin needed to supply his troops. In the end, Pike resigned his generalcy but
never forsook the Southern cause.
Pike, Jesse, and the Youngers
Remember, at this same time the James Boys and the Younger brothers were riding
with Confederate "partisan ranger" William Quantrill's forces in nearby
Missouri. After Pike's fall from grace as a Southern military commander it is
fairly well known that he traveled extensively in the Indian Territories,
Arkansas, and yes....Missouri.
Is there a possible connection between Albert Pike (who would later be called
the KGC's "Dark Prince") and Jesse James? In my own mind I believe that the word
possible should be changed, at the very least, to probable (if not "without a
doubt").
Questions Begging for Answers
And what of those mysterious letter-symbols that Pike created? Why would he and
use so much of his intellectual brilliance and time and effort on such a task?
What were those letter-symbols used for and, more importantly, what did they
mean?
These are all important questions begging for answers. Stop and think about them
for a moment. Is the connection clearer to you now? No?
Never fear. There's more to come on this subject.
Good hunting to you......
(c) J.R. 2010
Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle/
the Albert Pike Connection (Part 1)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2010
http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/01/jess-james-and-knights-of-golden-c\
ircle.html
(A portrait of Albert Pike in his later years wearing Masonic regalia.)
Mysterious Looking Letter-Symbols
I've mentioned Albert Pike and his connection to the Knights of the Golden
Circle (KGC) in a previous post ("Jesse James and the Knights of the Golden
Circle: Tips on KGC Treasure Locations [Part 3],"
http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2009/12/pay-particular-attention-to-first-\
2.html). At the top of that post I placed a graphic image with 4 lines of
letter-symbols.
The first two lines of those mysterious looking letter-symbols were created by
Albert Pike himself. Perhaps now the light bulb has gone off in your head and
you now know why I told you to pay particular attention to those two lines of
letter-symbols. (If you don't, e-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com and we'll
discuss it.) In order to better understand Albert Pike's connection to the KGC
(and Jesse James and KGC treasure repositories) we must first learn more about
the man himself.
A Die-hard Southern Sympathizer and "Knight Templar"
Although born and raised in the thoroughly "Yankee" state of Massachussets,
Albert Pike would eventually become a die-hard Southern sympathizer who served a
as a Major General in the Confederate Army. As a little-known fact Pike actually
wrote the lyrics (Confederate version) to that timeless Southern anthem,
"Dixie."
Pike was an extremely literate and educated man (he was accepted into Harvard
University but declined to attend) who possessed an advanced Freemason's
(Masonic) degree. In fact, Pike was a "Knight Templar" which should suggest to
you how deeply he was involved in the Masonic Rite and ultimately, the KGC.
"General" Pike
After serving in the Mexican War Pike moved to Little Rock, Arkansas where he
edited Little Rock's newspaper, the Arkansas Advocate. When the Civil War broke
out, Pike was given command of mixed (Indian and "partisan") forces in the
so-called Indian Territories (which included Oklahoma) where he was victorious
at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas.
Things literally went "south" for Pike after Pea Ridge where he was taken to
task because some of his native troops had scalped fallen Union soldiers.
Additionally, he was accused of mishandling large amounts of gold and silver
coin needed to supply his troops. In the end, Pike resigned his generalcy but
never forsook the Southern cause.
Pike, Jesse, and the Youngers
Remember, at this same time the James Boys and the Younger brothers were riding
with Confederate "partisan ranger" William Quantrill's forces in nearby
Missouri. After Pike's fall from grace as a Southern military commander it is
fairly well known that he traveled extensively in the Indian Territories,
Arkansas, and yes....Missouri.
Is there a possible connection between Albert Pike (who would later be called
the KGC's "Dark Prince") and Jesse James? In my own mind I believe that the word
possible should be changed, at the very least, to probable (if not "without a
doubt").
Questions Begging for Answers
And what of those mysterious letter-symbols that Pike created? Why would he and
use so much of his intellectual brilliance and time and effort on such a task?
What were those letter-symbols used for and, more importantly, what did they
mean?
These are all important questions begging for answers. Stop and think about them
for a moment. Is the connection clearer to you now? No?
Never fear. There's more to come on this subject.
Good hunting to you......
(c) J.R. 2010
Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle/
The Knights of the Golden Circle and Black Operations During the American Civil War - Traitors Among Us By: Justin Parvin
The Knights of the Golden Circle and Black Operations During the American Civil War - Traitors Among Us
By: Justin Parvin
http://www.seclorum.org/hi/articles/1/knig_parvin_1_08.php
The American Civil War is often portrayed in a vacuum. The high school version of history states that the South rebelled over the rights of the states, Lincoln and the Federal Army intervened, and thousands of lives were lost. This is the basic history, but the backroom dealings and clandestine activities of men like Allen Pinkerton and groups like the pre Civil war anti-Catholic Know Nothings and the role that they played insetting off the firestorm often are ignored or merely treated as foot notes. But, be they obscure,famous, or infamous, these groups and the social upheavals of the nineteenth century are still with us today, and the battles still rage on. Over a century ago fanatics railed against Irish Catholic and Italian immigration. Today, Americans are as divided as ever regarding Latin-American immigration. The spies, generals and detectives of yesterday are regarded as the patriarchs of some of the most powerful and shadowy intelligence services and police agencies in the world, and bumper-stickers and T-shirts reading “Lee surrendered, I didn’t.” can still be seen across the American South.
Today, our white collar class and politicians talk of free trade across the Americas, but yesterday, an obscure, militant group of traitors to the republic of the United States were working in the shadows, years before the first shots were fired between union and confederate, to expand Slavery, empire, and the power of the Southern elite deep into Central America. This sunny and geographically beautiful land was called by these early fanatics of manifestdestiny, the “Golden Circle”. The story of the so called “knights” dedicated to conquering it predates the Ku Klux Klan, the Civil War, and laid the groundwork for some of the ugliest chapters in the History of the United States.
The Knights of the Golden Circle, one of the more militant and successful of a number of secret societies that formed in the decade prior to the outbreak of the American civil war, came into existence through the efforts of Dr. George William
John Wilkes Booth
(May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who, as part of a conspiracy plot, assassinated Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865.
Lamb Bickley, who moved to Cincinnati, Ohio from Virginia. In eighteen-fifty two he was appointed to the board of trustees of an obscure Ohio medical institute. By all accounts, he was an absentee member of this body and used his time and money to travel between the South attempting to carry out various schemes. Bickley was by all accounts a radical anti-abolitionist fascinated with the popular idea of “manifest destiny”. There was also recognition from many firebrands and pro-slavery fanatics across the country that slavery had to expand to survive, even if it meant war with foreign powers. The organization: The group was established in Ohio in 1854 with the stated intention of invading and colonizing Mexico and parts of the Caribbean for the purpose of establishing a slave territory independent from the United States and free from abolitionists, Catholics, and any other “undesirables”. The organization was organized around “castles” and had a degree structure. The first two degrees were relatively benign. Both were published in newspapers by Bickley himself. However, the third degree Or “Knight of the Colombian Star” degree required an oath that absolved candidates of all obligations to the Government of the United States made before they swore allegiance to the order. More disturbing is the fact that by at least one account United States Army officers such as P.G.T Beauregard may have taken this oath by the mid-eighteen fifties, years before the outbreak of the conflict.
To offer a taste of the oath, a candidate for the third degree must have taken the first two obligations must have been either born in a slave state or if born in a free state, be a protestant citizen and a slave holder. The third KGC degree was the point at which the oath became overtly militant. A candidate swears among other things that “Until the whole civil, political, financial and religious reconstruction of 2 (Mexico) has been completed, I will recognize 90 (limited monarchy) as the best form of 63 (government) for the purpose in view, since it can be made strong and effective” The speech given by the Castle Secretary during the ritual goes on to state that “In the rise and progress of Democracy in America we have seen its highest attainment. In the very outset it was based on high religious principles and adopted as a refuge from despotism. In the North, Puritanism molded it, and went so far as to leave out the natural Conservative element of all Democracies- 97 (domestic slavery)”
In the decade prior to the civil war, the KGC saw its greatest successes in Texas. According to the book Blood and Treasure, by Donald S. Frazier: “The KGC had its strongest support in Texas. Thousands of recruits manned at least thirty-two castles in twenty-seven counties. Even Sam Huston, a longtime advocate of a protectorate over Mexico, reportedly joined.” (14) However, by the outbreak of the war, the supporters of the confederacy, facing a massive northern opposition force, were seeking any means possible to achieve leverage in the war with the North. The Mexico and Caribbean projects went on hold, and the KGC was converted into a spy network behind the lines of the North which attempted to spark treason across much of the Mid-West by driving down military recruiting efforts and even allegedly aiding in insane schemes like armed insurrection in the Ohio Valley that was to be aided by Confederate Calvary General John H. Morgan (The raid later happened, but went disastrously for Morgan, since the local support he may have been counting on never materialized. He probably made it worse on himself by looting and raiding the homes of both friend and foe alike along the way). In July, 1861, one John C. Brain was arrested on charges of KGC membership in Michigan City, Indiana. The result was a vicious anti-KGC backlash from the then Governor of Indiana, Oliver P. Morton, who attacked the KGC using highly questionable strong-arm tactics, and also used the organization’s corrosive activities in his State as a pretext for turning military muscle, headed by Col. Henry Carrington of Ohio, against his political rivals in the Democratic Party. Eventually, the Governor asked the Federal Circuit Court to begin investigations, which they quickly obliged. By 1864, with its rituals exposed, its castles infiltrated, its members under full-scale investigation, and even its founder, Dr. Bickley incarcerated, the KGC was liquidated, though other “copperhead” groups would form in it’s place.
Ultimately, the KGC represent a failed and perhaps completely unrealistic scheme at empire. However, it should be noted that it has been suspected for years, though never confirmed, that its membership included assassin and noted copperhead John Wilkes Booth, who forever changed the course of American history. It also can be seen as a forerunner to the Ku Klux Klan, a secret society that, like KGC, utilized terrorism and secrecy to perpetuate the cause of white protestant dominance and pro-confederate sympathy for decades after the Civil War across both the American South AND Western states like Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, all noted KGC territory during the Civil War. Noted Democrat and one-time anti-secessionist politician Herschel V. Johnson of Georgia, a man who snuck across enemy lines during the war to rally confederate sympathizers in Ohio, once wrote in a letter to a Democratic Indiana politician that “In this way we wish to reinstate the old Democratic party, then such a compromise will be made as will be acceptable to the South, and if possible extend Slavery over all the States, and ultimately form an Empire, which is the best government in the world. “Slavery is not congenial to a Republic,” (Milton, 83). It is wise to keep KGC in mind when considering the insane lengths that men will go to in the name of such insane schemes. As was stated in the U.S. National in 1862: “THEY
WORK BY TREACHERY”
Works Cited
Milton, George Fort. Abraham Lincoln and the Fifth Column. New York: Vanguard Press, 1942.
Knights of the Golden Circle. K.G.C. An authentic exposition of the origin, objects and secret work of the organization known as the Knights of the Golden Circle. The U.S. National U.C, 1862.
Ann Arbor, Michigan,
University of Michigan Library, 2005.
http://www.name.umdl.umich.edu/any1772.0001.001
Frazier, Donald S. Blood & Treasure: Confederate Empire in the
Southwest. Texas A&M University Press. College Station. 1995.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
By: Justin Parvin
http://www.seclorum.org/hi/articles/1/knig_parvin_1_08.php
The American Civil War is often portrayed in a vacuum. The high school version of history states that the South rebelled over the rights of the states, Lincoln and the Federal Army intervened, and thousands of lives were lost. This is the basic history, but the backroom dealings and clandestine activities of men like Allen Pinkerton and groups like the pre Civil war anti-Catholic Know Nothings and the role that they played insetting off the firestorm often are ignored or merely treated as foot notes. But, be they obscure,famous, or infamous, these groups and the social upheavals of the nineteenth century are still with us today, and the battles still rage on. Over a century ago fanatics railed against Irish Catholic and Italian immigration. Today, Americans are as divided as ever regarding Latin-American immigration. The spies, generals and detectives of yesterday are regarded as the patriarchs of some of the most powerful and shadowy intelligence services and police agencies in the world, and bumper-stickers and T-shirts reading “Lee surrendered, I didn’t.” can still be seen across the American South.
Today, our white collar class and politicians talk of free trade across the Americas, but yesterday, an obscure, militant group of traitors to the republic of the United States were working in the shadows, years before the first shots were fired between union and confederate, to expand Slavery, empire, and the power of the Southern elite deep into Central America. This sunny and geographically beautiful land was called by these early fanatics of manifestdestiny, the “Golden Circle”. The story of the so called “knights” dedicated to conquering it predates the Ku Klux Klan, the Civil War, and laid the groundwork for some of the ugliest chapters in the History of the United States.
The Knights of the Golden Circle, one of the more militant and successful of a number of secret societies that formed in the decade prior to the outbreak of the American civil war, came into existence through the efforts of Dr. George William
John Wilkes Booth
(May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who, as part of a conspiracy plot, assassinated Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865.
Lamb Bickley, who moved to Cincinnati, Ohio from Virginia. In eighteen-fifty two he was appointed to the board of trustees of an obscure Ohio medical institute. By all accounts, he was an absentee member of this body and used his time and money to travel between the South attempting to carry out various schemes. Bickley was by all accounts a radical anti-abolitionist fascinated with the popular idea of “manifest destiny”. There was also recognition from many firebrands and pro-slavery fanatics across the country that slavery had to expand to survive, even if it meant war with foreign powers. The organization: The group was established in Ohio in 1854 with the stated intention of invading and colonizing Mexico and parts of the Caribbean for the purpose of establishing a slave territory independent from the United States and free from abolitionists, Catholics, and any other “undesirables”. The organization was organized around “castles” and had a degree structure. The first two degrees were relatively benign. Both were published in newspapers by Bickley himself. However, the third degree Or “Knight of the Colombian Star” degree required an oath that absolved candidates of all obligations to the Government of the United States made before they swore allegiance to the order. More disturbing is the fact that by at least one account United States Army officers such as P.G.T Beauregard may have taken this oath by the mid-eighteen fifties, years before the outbreak of the conflict.
To offer a taste of the oath, a candidate for the third degree must have taken the first two obligations must have been either born in a slave state or if born in a free state, be a protestant citizen and a slave holder. The third KGC degree was the point at which the oath became overtly militant. A candidate swears among other things that “Until the whole civil, political, financial and religious reconstruction of 2 (Mexico) has been completed, I will recognize 90 (limited monarchy) as the best form of 63 (government) for the purpose in view, since it can be made strong and effective” The speech given by the Castle Secretary during the ritual goes on to state that “In the rise and progress of Democracy in America we have seen its highest attainment. In the very outset it was based on high religious principles and adopted as a refuge from despotism. In the North, Puritanism molded it, and went so far as to leave out the natural Conservative element of all Democracies- 97 (domestic slavery)”
In the decade prior to the civil war, the KGC saw its greatest successes in Texas. According to the book Blood and Treasure, by Donald S. Frazier: “The KGC had its strongest support in Texas. Thousands of recruits manned at least thirty-two castles in twenty-seven counties. Even Sam Huston, a longtime advocate of a protectorate over Mexico, reportedly joined.” (14) However, by the outbreak of the war, the supporters of the confederacy, facing a massive northern opposition force, were seeking any means possible to achieve leverage in the war with the North. The Mexico and Caribbean projects went on hold, and the KGC was converted into a spy network behind the lines of the North which attempted to spark treason across much of the Mid-West by driving down military recruiting efforts and even allegedly aiding in insane schemes like armed insurrection in the Ohio Valley that was to be aided by Confederate Calvary General John H. Morgan (The raid later happened, but went disastrously for Morgan, since the local support he may have been counting on never materialized. He probably made it worse on himself by looting and raiding the homes of both friend and foe alike along the way). In July, 1861, one John C. Brain was arrested on charges of KGC membership in Michigan City, Indiana. The result was a vicious anti-KGC backlash from the then Governor of Indiana, Oliver P. Morton, who attacked the KGC using highly questionable strong-arm tactics, and also used the organization’s corrosive activities in his State as a pretext for turning military muscle, headed by Col. Henry Carrington of Ohio, against his political rivals in the Democratic Party. Eventually, the Governor asked the Federal Circuit Court to begin investigations, which they quickly obliged. By 1864, with its rituals exposed, its castles infiltrated, its members under full-scale investigation, and even its founder, Dr. Bickley incarcerated, the KGC was liquidated, though other “copperhead” groups would form in it’s place.
Ultimately, the KGC represent a failed and perhaps completely unrealistic scheme at empire. However, it should be noted that it has been suspected for years, though never confirmed, that its membership included assassin and noted copperhead John Wilkes Booth, who forever changed the course of American history. It also can be seen as a forerunner to the Ku Klux Klan, a secret society that, like KGC, utilized terrorism and secrecy to perpetuate the cause of white protestant dominance and pro-confederate sympathy for decades after the Civil War across both the American South AND Western states like Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, all noted KGC territory during the Civil War. Noted Democrat and one-time anti-secessionist politician Herschel V. Johnson of Georgia, a man who snuck across enemy lines during the war to rally confederate sympathizers in Ohio, once wrote in a letter to a Democratic Indiana politician that “In this way we wish to reinstate the old Democratic party, then such a compromise will be made as will be acceptable to the South, and if possible extend Slavery over all the States, and ultimately form an Empire, which is the best government in the world. “Slavery is not congenial to a Republic,” (Milton, 83). It is wise to keep KGC in mind when considering the insane lengths that men will go to in the name of such insane schemes. As was stated in the U.S. National in 1862: “THEY
WORK BY TREACHERY”
Works Cited
Milton, George Fort. Abraham Lincoln and the Fifth Column. New York: Vanguard Press, 1942.
Knights of the Golden Circle. K.G.C. An authentic exposition of the origin, objects and secret work of the organization known as the Knights of the Golden Circle. The U.S. National U.C, 1862.
Ann Arbor, Michigan,
University of Michigan Library, 2005.
http://www.name.umdl.umich.edu/any1772.0001.001
Frazier, Donald S. Blood & Treasure: Confederate Empire in the
Southwest. Texas A&M University Press. College Station. 1995.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)