What was the ultimate goal for the Knights of the Golden Circle? It became strongest among Copperheads, who were Democrats who wanted to end the Civil War via settlement with the South. Not by chance, on South Central Avenue at this time just 4/10th of a mile from Booths home lived a candle and soap company executive named Andrew Saulsbury. had its beginnings in the formation of Southern Rights Clubs in various southern cities in the mid-1830s. Knights of the Golden Circle, Knights of the Golden Circle, a semi-military secret society that was active in the Midwestern states during the American Civil War. This measure, which supported the goal of the KGC, failed to be adopted. northwestern lacrosse. Fellow candle executive Thomas Armstrong, the company founders nephew, lived at a local hotel known as the Fountain Hotel. Operating as the strong-arm military branch for the society, its plausible that the KKK was an offshoot that grew into its own organization over time. In 1859 George Bickley, a freebooter and adventurer, launched a fraternal order which proposed the establishment of military colonies of Americans in Mexico. [citation needed] Mexico and Central America had no interest in being part of the United States. About IOT; The Saillant System; Flow Machine. One of the angry Baltimoreans who joined the K.G.C. Along with a series of secret hand gestures, these tickets were supposed to protect the horses and other possessions of ticket holders from seizure by invading Confederate soldiers. To recap, Charles Webb, a Southern Democrat-sponsored as Grand Master of Maryland Freemasonry by K.G.C. Knights of the Golden Circle, a semi-military secret society that was active in the Midwestern states during the American Civil War. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Ollinger Crenshaw, The Knights of the Golden Circle: The Career of George Bickley, American Historical Review, 47 (October 1941). Fifty states would be carved from Mexico, calling for 50 senators and 60 or more congressmen to represent their interests in the legislative branch of government and thereby ensure that the rights and desires of the South would be heard and acknowledged. The Knights were one of the country's more successful "Southern Rights Clubs" which agitated for more political power for the South. Centering on Havana, this empire would be some 2,400 miles in diameterhence the name Golden Circle. He sued, unsuccessfully, for the freedom of himself and his family as they were living in the free state of Illinois. According to the Texas State Historical Association, the Knights of the Golden Circle originated in Lexington, Kentucky, fittingly on July 4, 1854. They often paid with Confederate States dollars or with drafts on the Confederate government. These investigators also allege that many famed characters from the Civil War era, including John Wilkes Booth and Jesse James, belonged to and acted under the influence of the Knights. "Mike" Campbell, [1]:102104 The Secretary of War, John Floyd and of Treasury, Howell Cobb, were members of the circle, in addition to Vice President John Breckenridge. Handbook of Texas Online, served in the Confederate Army not as members of the societys military division per se, but simply as soldiers in the southern cause. While we dont have too much detail on the Knights and their history is mired in rumor, we do know their ultimate goal: to create an empire that would stretch from the Caribbean to the Pacific built on tobacco, cotton, sugar, and the blood and sweat of slaves. Knights of the Golden Circle: Maps Many of the smaller caches have been moved to larger, combined caches, and as a result, many of the legends will end up leading to an empty hole. The Golden Circle Conspiracy | Ross Eric Gibson, Local History There were three different types of membership within the Golden Circle: military, financial, and governing. The whereabouts of the Danville silver to this day is unknown. According to the records of the K.G.C. As Lincolns train and entourage left Springfield, Illinois on its several-day winding journey across the country towards its eventual final stop in Washington, D.C., alarm bells started to go off. Texas State Historical Association Handbook of Texas. Who were the Knights of the Golden Circle? Perhaps the greatest historical significance that can be assigned to the K.G.C. This would extend pro-slavery interests. Baltimores native son, George Herman Babe Ruth revolutionizes the game of baseball by launching 60 home runs in a season. The Knights of the Golden Circle or KGC were a secret society during the American Civil War period. Armstrong would soon leave the running of the soap and candle enterprise to his trusted young executives Charles Webb, Jr., James Webb, Andrew Saulsbury, and nephew Thomas Armstrong. Knights of the Golden Circle | C-SPAN.org ISBN 0-7432-1968-6. Roy Sylvan Dunn, The KGC in Texas, 1860-1861, Southwestern Historical Quarterly 70 (April 1967). Heritage History | Expose of the Knights of the Golden Circle by Member However, it chose a pro-war presidential candidate, General George B. McClellan. As the Knights of the Golden Circle was a very well-funded organization, the Spanish government was to be approached to buy Cuba first. Your why is your underlying purpose and belief. Pro-slavery Southerners were awarded the Fugitive Slave Act, however, which made it easier for slave owners to recapture and return escaped slaves. His sponsor and Companion Mason was the powerful Albert Pike from Arkansas, soon to be the supreme commander of all Southern Freemasons and the suspected national leader of the Knights of the Golden Circle. Supposedly, the hidden treasure was meant to finance another Civil War, and perhaps one that would prove more successful for the South. However, once the seat of power was secured, a furious Lincoln dispatched Union troops to seize Baltimore at night and occupy the Charm City for the remainder of the war. During the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, scam artists in south-central Pennsylvania sold Pennsylvania Dutch farmers $1 paper tickets purported to be from the Knights of the Golden Circle. Often, histories of the Civil War Era portray the creation of the Knights as chronologically concurrent with early and mid-1850s filibustering expeditions. American Civil War/End dates The order itself had little influence in the South and had few or no Northern adherents. Page 18 - Inasmuch as differences of opinion exist in the Democratic party as to the nature and extent of the powers of a Territorial legislature, and as to the powers and duties of congress under the . Dred Scott in 1857. Leaders of the K.G.C. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) The sum of these treasures has been figured at about $2 million in the 19th century, which would make the mythic gold worth as much as $160 million today. The Virginian doctor, adventurer, and editor envisioned the dawn of a new era in American slavery, and to do it, he would need to create a new organization. K.G.C., Records of the KGC Convention, 1860, Raleigh, N.C. (http://gunshowonthenet/AfterTheFact/KGC/KGC0571860.html), accessed August 27, 2010. The Golden Circle - FragenDatabase In 1859 George Bickley, a freebooter and adventurer, launched a fraternal order which proposed the establishment of military colonies of Americans in Mexico. If Spain did not want to sell Cuba to the Knights, they would attack the island and take it over by force. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. 7What companies use the Golden Circle? had its beginnings in the formation of Southern Rights Clubs in various southern cities in the mid-1830s. University of CincinnatiGeorge Washington Lafayette Bickley is often referred to as a Cincinnati Conman as he tried to pass for a medical doctor in the alternative field of electric medicine but he was discovered to be without a degree. Abraham Lincoln sent his secretary, John Hay, to investigate. The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a pre- Civil War, pro-Southern secret society founded in Ohio in 1854 by George W. L. Bickley, a Virginian, who soon moved the KGC to the South. Copperheads Fernando Wood, former Democratic mayor of New York City, and Clement L. Vallandigham of Ohio were reputed to be the chief officers. . He sketched the symbols . activity circulated for a few more years, but there is no dependable evidence that the organization survived the war in any meaningful way. Kane remained in Danville for nearly four years. This tension continued throughout the first half of the 19th century, as new territories were added to the United States of America. The Knights of the Golden Circle (K.G.C. A New York railroad C.E.O. Find out more amazing stories of Civil War-era America, from John Wilkes Booths supposed sex addiction, to Harriet Tubmans never-before-seen photo. With the national rise to power of Abraham Lincoln and his Republican Party, the K.G.C. Saulsbury was an ardent Southern sympathizer whose homes parlor would later be identified as having paintings of Confederate heroes adorning the walls. The coins (at least most of them) were handed over to the police, and a prolonged legal battle ensued between the boys and the elderly landlords who owned the crumbling, inner-city tenement house. Wilmer McLean and his family sit on the porch of his house, where Confederate General Robert E. Lee signed the terms of surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865 in Appomattox Court House, Virginia. http://knightsofthegoldencircle.webs.com/ Reactions:Wallyfish, damYankee, Deleted User CSand 18 others donna The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret military organization created in 1859 by George W. L. Bickley in Cincinnati, Ohio. until he found some of the treasures! It's clear from David Keehn's study that the Knights of the Golden Circle infiltrated deeply into American political processes by 1861 and widely advocated a pro-slavery expansionist agenda. knights of the golden circle still exist. Bickley, who served as a surgeon in the Confederate Army before being arrested as a spy in Indiana in July 1863 and held until October 1865, died in August 1867. Knights of the Golden Circle | NCpedia We'll send you a couple of emails per month, filled with fascinating history facts that you can share with your friends. ), a secretive organization created in 1854, proposed to establish a slaveholding empire encompassing the southern United States, the West Indies, Mexico, and parts of Central America. Upon his release, Kane headed to Canada where he joined the Confederate Secret Service office in Montreal as Colonel Kane. In 1859 George Bickley, a freebooter and adventurer, launched a fraternal order which proposed the establishment of military colonies of Americans in Mexico. A successor organization, the Sons of Liberty, was alleged to have taken its place. But an unnamed U.S. soldier stationed near the insurgents wrote in a personal letter that although these men had gathered, their intentions seemed unclear and disorganized: There are three or four hundred men encamped here, supposed to be K.G.Cs or filibusters. Captain Mattison, the secret slaver, lived just around the corner from Southern sympathizer Saulsbury on adjoining Eden Street, site of the 5,000 gold coins. Known as something of a rebel hangout, the establishment had also been the haunt of the young John Wilkes Booth. If you change your mind, you can easily unsubscribe. Then, as Booth and his henchmen planned for yet another attempt at seizing Lincoln and holding him hostage, Union forces succeeded in surrounding Richmond. The Knights of the Golden Circle really did exist. Webb had always declined political office until the position of city collector was tendered him by Mayor Kane. Apparently, the bond between Webb and Kane was so tight that Kane was the one individual to whom Webb could not say no., But Kane died in office soon after. The Golden Circle gains a huge population and so has . mastermind Albert Pike, had two employees and a fellow Armstrong board member all living with thousands of gold coins buried under their respective residences. Golden Circle | Alternative History | Fandom In the spring of 1860, a small group of K.G.C. Its capital would be in Havana, Cuba and its influence would extend over southern North America into Mexico territory, Central America, much of the Caribbean, and parts of northern South America. Updates? There exist reports of the KGC continuing after 1864 as a secret group which planned to start fighting the Civil War again, as soon as a generation or two had passed and they had regained their manpower and resources." . The Knights of the Golden Circle was a mysterious southern-based society that set out in 1859 to establish a slave empire in Mexico. Bickley never did organize a successful raid and oftentimes, while he was off raising funds for the group, the Knights dissolved into anarchy. The group's original goal was to provide a force to colonize the northern part of Mexico and the West Indies. In September 1857, Masters and Wardens from those three lodges assembled and organized the Grand Lodge of Nebraska. The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society formed in 1854 by sympathizers of Southern causes, dedicated to supporting pro-slavery policies and promoting the conquest of Mexico. These clubs were inspired by the philosophies of John C. Calhoun (1782-1850). The Montreal office seems to have approved the idea, and to have advanced Booth some seed money to organize the plot. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. His case galvanized abolitionists in the North. [1] Floyd used his position as Secretary of War to move munitions and men to the South towards the end of Buchanan's presidency. We need your support because we are a non-profit organization that relies upon contributions from our community in order to record and preserve the history of our state. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/knights-of-the-golden-circle. [6], Hounded by creditors, Bickley left Cincinnati in the late 1850s and traveled through the East and South, promoting an armed expedition to Mexico. In 1991, he found a cache of 1800s coins totaling $400. Although nominally a secret society, the existence of the Knights of the Golden Circle was not, in fact, a secret. Library of Congress via Getty ImagesWilmer McLean and his family sit on the porch of his house, where Confederate General Robert E. Lee signed the terms of surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865 in Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Ruins stand in front of the Confederate Capitol, circa 1865, in Richmond, Virginia. And in a declining inner-city neighborhood not far from the sometimes rough-and-tumble Depression-era Baltimore docks, two bored adolescent boys decide to go exploring in a dark corner of the basement of a crumbling tenement house. The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret military organization created in 1859 by George W. L. Bickley in Cincinnati, Ohio. The K.G.C. The Circle On July 4, 1854, George Bickley founded the "Knights of the Golden Circle" in Lexington, Kentucky, to promote the goal of a Slave Empire composed of Mexico, Central America, and. This short gives us comments from the Wibberlys, Cage, The Mysterious and Secret Order of the Knights of the Golden Circle author Dr. Roy Roush, Rebel Gold author Warren Getler, and actor Christian Camargo. This entry belongs to the following Handbook Special Projects: We are a community-supported, non-profit organization and we humbly ask for your support because the careful and accurate recording of our history has never been more important. Although civil and military authorities made strenuous efforts to uncover the order and charges abounded in newspapers and in political oratory, no single member or unit of the organization was ever conclusively brought to light. The Knights of the Golden Circle - Freemasonry and the KKK - YouTube Captain John J. Mattison, one of the 19th-century owners of the treasure house on Baltimores South Eden Street, had his own ship The Eliza Davidson, seized off the coast of Sierra Leone for such illegal activity. But in the South, things were quite different. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Now it was John Wilkes Booths turn to be upset. ottawa dog adoption. ), a secretive organization created in 1854, proposed to establish a slaveholding empire encompassing the southern United States, the West Indies, Mexico, and parts of Central America. Southwestern Historical Quarterly. Omissions? On the left is George W. L. Bickley, head of the Knights of the Golden Circle. Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Knights of the Golden Circle: Secret ), a secretive organization created in 1854, proposed to establish a slaveholding empire encompassing the southern United States, the West Indies, Mexico and parts of Central America. With the decision of Dred Scott in 1857 that extended abolitionism in the States, many white Southerners saw the writing on the wall for slavery. Knights of the Golden Circle | Wartime Politics, & Debates (Moderated) The proposed territory of the Golden Circle included the Confederate States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern parts of South America. The K.G.C. Knights of The Golden Circle / Freemason Symbols 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 . How did John Wilkes Booth react to Lincolns speech? "Newcomb, James Pearson | The Handbook of Texas Online|", "California Naval History: The Pacific Squadron of 1861-1866", "Gold coins found by California couple unlikely stolen from U.S. Mint", "The great north-western conspiracy in all its startling details", "Watch Lincoln's Secret Assassins Full Episode - America Unearthed", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle&oldid=1134359194, Expansion of slavery in the United States, Proposed states and territories of the United States, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2012, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The KGC are the villains of the graphic novel, The KGC are portrayed as conspirators in the, The KGC and their potential involvement in President Lincoln's assassination are discussed in an episode of the, The KGC are the antagonists in a story which is featured in the, The KGC are referenced during a discussion concerning a potential assassination plot in the, The KGC are the subject of a historical fiction novel by, This page was last edited on 18 January 2023, at 08:27. All copyrighted materials included within the Handbook of Texas Online are in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. This convention adopted a largely Copperhead platform and selected Ohio Representative George Pendleton (a known Peace Democrat) as the vice presidential candidate. This forced Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet to flee via the rail line to Danville. The Golden Circle is a concept that explains how a business might provide maximum value to consumers by changing the way it thinks. Linked to the Freemasons and the ceremonies of Freemasonr. It's the 'soul' of who you are, as Sinek explained: "It's why you exist and get out of bed in the morning". Stuart, reported encountering Pennsylvania farmers who frantically made strange hand gestures, often while waving yellow pieces of printed paper and/or exclaiming certain words. The Knights of the Golden Circle was a pro-slavery secret society founded in the decade before the American Civil War. had an elaborate ritual with codes, signs, and passwords, and complicated plans for its military and governing operations. We can only live and exist by that species of labor; and hence I am willing to fight for the last." - William Nugent, letter addressed to Eleanor N .more. With the abolition of slavery and the reintegration of the Southern United States into the Union, the Knights of the Golden Circle lost any popularity they mightve had. Because the New Orleans men disbanded, they could not meet up with another contingency of Knights gathered around the Mexico border later in March 1860. This keeps us from unlocking our full potential. Perhaps more tantalizing are the rumors that the Knights of the Golden Circle hid treasures still undiscovered to this day. knights of the golden circle still exist - dante4peace.org . As Washington exploded in celebration, Booth attended another Lincoln speech on April 11, reacting strongly to Lincolns suggestion that he would pursue voting rights for blacks. . Knights Of The Golden Circle. soon found a new enemy to oppose. Within a relatively brief time, he organized thirty-two castles or local chapters in various cities, including Houston, Galveston, Austin, San Antonio, Marshall, Jefferson, and La Grange. But Brewer has found evidence enough that this legend is based in some reality. During this time, the pro-slavery, human-trafficking South and the anti-slavery, "woke" North wanted to expand their borders and create new . Prohibition is declared in the U.S. However, that hasn't stopped some people from suggesting that the organization is still active as an underground society . Know Before You Go. Appealing to the Confederacy's friends in both the North and the border states, the Order spread to Kentucky as well as the southern parts of such Union states as Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri. had been created and, therefore, ended its life. as Lincoln was ascending to power was a hot-blooded young thespian named John Wilkes Booth. The Journal of Southern Religion Review: Knights of the Golden Circle [citation needed] The membership, scattered from New York to California and into Latin America, was never large. Image Credit: "The origins of the Knights of the Golden Circle can be traced to Cincinnati con man George Bickley." After seeing no immediate profit, he backed out of the operation, losing most of his savings. Does the Knights of the Golden Circle still exist? It should come as no surprise then that the K.G.C. accessed March 04, 2023, In response to the increased anti-slavery agitation that followed the Dred Scott decision (1857) the Knights changed their position: the Southern United States should secede, forming their own confederation, and then invade and annex the area of the Golden Circle to vastly expand the power of the South. 9What is the Order of the Golden Circle? Joseph Holt, United States Judge Advocate General, submitted a report in October 1864 that warned Secretary of War Edwin Stanton about the danger of this plot, which he attributed at times to the K.G.C. They either did very little and were nothing more that a paper tiger or they still exist today hoarding vast amounts . Bickley responded by calling a general convention of the K.G.C., which met in Raleigh, North Carolina, on May 711, 1860. The Knights of the Golden Circle | Puerto Rico 51st It was concentrated in the Deep South, on large plantations devoted to the commodity crops of cotton and sugar cane, but it was the basis of agricultural and other labor throughout the southern states. Many prominent Texans joined the K.G.C., and Bickley even courted Gov. About the Author: Jack Myers is the author of several books, including Row House Days, Row House Blues, and The Delco Files as well as his book Knights Gold. The Brownwood, Texas photo below has Henry Ford's name written above the man with his hat over his shoulder. Henry Grob and Theodore Jones showing off their find. Knights Of The Golden Circle | Encyclopedia.com The Knights of the Golden Circle (K. G. C.) was a secret society founded by George W. L. Bickley on July 4, 1854. The Lost Order continues renowned New York Times bestseller Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series with another riveting, history-based thriller.The Knights of the Golden Circle was the largest and most dangerous clandestine organization in American history. It was one of the 3 lodges that would become the Grand Lodge of Nebraska. Time went on, the fortune in coins being forgotten. Less than a week later, Confederate forces evacuated Richmond, and within two weeks, General Robert E. Lee surrendered his troops. Theres a conspiracy that Lincolns assassin was a member of this society. In the years prior to the American Civil War, the rise of support for abolition of slavery was one of several divisive issues in the United States.