March 26, 2005

The Hissing of the Copperheads is Heard About the Land

Go where desertion is no crime --
Where loyalty is dead
Where sad disaster gives no pain;
There is the Copperhead.
Go where foul scorn is heaped upon
Our noble boys, who go
To stand a wall of fire between
Us and our traitor foe:
Go where bold Grant's revilers are --
Where Burnside is defamed;
Where Banks and Butler -- noble names! --
In scorn alone are named:
Go where patriotic pride,
Honor, and Truth are dead --
Where our success brings but despair;
There is the Copperhead.

-- From "Where is the Copperhead? "
Harper's Weekly, September, 1863

VICTOR HANSON, being interviewed by Hugh Hewitt, mentions in passing, "If you go back and look at the Summer of 1864, when people were calling for Lincoln's impeachment, the Copperhead movement..."

Copperheads? That sounds familiar and the poem above has a certain, shall I say, resonance. How familiar and resonant? Well.... read on.

The Copperheads were a fraction of Democrats in the North who opposed the American Civil War, wanting an immediate peace settlement with the Confederates. The name Copperheads was given to them by Republicans, probably derived from the venomous snake (the Copperhead) that strikes without warning — Copperheads reinterpreted this insult as a term of honor, and wore copper liberty-head coins as badges. They were also called "Peace Democrats" and "Butternuts". The most famous Copperhead was Ohio's Clement L. Vallandigham, who was a vehement opponent of Lincoln's policies.

Copperheads nominally favored the Union but they strongly opposed the war, hated Blacks, blamed the abolitionists, and demanded immediate peace. They resisted the draft laws, fought the Republican party, and in some cases collaborated with Confederate agents and plotted insurrection. None of their plots came to fruition and some historians (such as Frank Klement) suggest their treason was exaggerated by the Republicans to discredit the entire Democratic party. Copperheads denounced expansion in the powers of the federal government as corruption, and attacked the Lincoln's administration's reliance on private contractors who made high wartime profits. They strenuously opposed wartime measures which infringed on their civil and political liberties, especially their free speech rights. They paraded such slogans as "The Constitution As It Is, The Union As It Was".

A main Copperhead political demand was for the quick opening of serious peace negotiations with the Confederacy. They wanted the war to end even if that meant an independent Confederate States of America. They wanted Lincoln and the Republicans ousted from power, seeing the president as a tyrant who was destroying American republican values with his despotic and arbitrary actions.
Some Copperheads tried to persuade Union soldiers to desert. They talked of helping Confederate prisoners of war seize their camps and escape. They sometimes met with Confederate agents and took their money. The Confederacy encouraged their activities whenever possible, and at one point Confederate agents controlled portions of the Democratic party in states such as Connecticut. Most Democratic party leaders, however, repelled Confederate advances.
-- From: Copperheads @ Wikipedia


As Miss Shirley Bassey sings, "They say the next big thing is here, / that the revolution's near, / but to me it seems quite clear / that it's all just a little bit of history repeating...."

Posted by Vanderleun at March 26, 2005 11:12 AM
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"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.

Yes, we had a little trouble with Copperheads here in Coles County (Illinois) back in the day. Several people were killed during a clash between them and Union supporters, mostly soldiers and Union loyalists. An excellent historical observation. Funny how these things tend to repeat themselves, down to the cast of characters.

Posted by: Chris at March 27, 2006 4:43 AM

It's also interesting that while the Left calls George Bush "Chimpy," some of Lincoln's opponents referred to him as "the original gorilla."

I'm starting to wonder if we can pick presidents based on animal-resemblance.

Posted by: Salt Lick at March 27, 2006 6:19 AM