About this Item
brown hardbound 8vo. 8º (octavo) with black & gilt spine label. dustwrapper in protective plastic book jacket cover. fine cond. looks new. like new. binding square & tight. covers clean. edges clean. contents free of markings. dustwrapper in near fine cond. small scratchy spot at spine bottom, not worn torn or price clipped (no price listed). nice clean copy. no library markings or store stamps, no stickers or bookplates, no names, no inking , no underlining, no remainder markings etc ~. first edition. first printing (nap). xiii+263p. 17 b&w illustrations. bibliographic essay. index. american history. american civil war. politics. conspiracy theory. secret societies. espionage. covert operation. history of the CSA. george bickley. knights of the golden circle. order of american knights. sanderson expose'. the union leagues. holt report. carrington expose'. northwestern confederacy scheme. indianapolis treason trials. camp douglas conspiracy. cincinatti treason trial. ~ During the agonizing days of the Civil War four secret political societies, often known as dark lantern societies, became household words throughout the North. Three of these groups ~the Knights of the Golden Circle, the Order of American Knights, and the Sons of Liberty ~ supposedly were umbrellas for antiwar Democrats and were reportedly involved in treasonable activities. The Union League, on the other hand, was a patriotic political organization intent upon buttressing northern morale and giving support to the war program of the Lincoln administration. The accusations and counteraccusations that passed between these opposing forces helped spread fantastic rumors about their power and influence, Treason trials held in Cincinnati and Indianapolis based convictions on hearsay, while the leaders of the Order of American Knights and the Knights of the Golden Circle spent much of the war in prison without benefit of trial. Today reputable reference sources still matter~of~factly credit these societies with large memberships and evil motives. In Dark Lanterns Frank L. Klement refutes past historical theories and shows quite clearly that these societies were never much more than paper~based organizations with vague goals and little ability to carry them out. Recounting the actual histories of these organizations, he shows how they were sensationalized, even fictionalized, in both Republican and Democratic newspaper and magazine exposes. He also probes the trials arising from the supposed conspiracy to establish a separate confederacy in the Midwest and the so~called Camp Douglas conspiracy, which was intended to release the Confederate prisoners housed there. Despite the furor they generated, Klement concludes that these dark lantern societies were essentially engaged in nothing more than a war of words and that their alleged power was greatly exaggerated by political propaganda. Meticulously researched and lucidly argued, Dark Lanterns explores a controversial and puzzling aspect of the Civil War. It will be hard to dispute Klement's finding that generations of historians have swallowed whole a tale that was largely the product of myth and legend. Seller Inventory # 9031604
Bibliographic Details
Title: DARK LANTERNS: Secret Political Societies, ...
Publisher: Baton Rouge & London UK. 1984. Louisiana State University Press
Publication Date: 1984
Binding: Hardcover
Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
Edition: 1st Edition
About this title
Frank L. Klement is emeritus professor of history at Marquette University. He is the author of Copperheads in the Middle West; Wisconsin and the Civil War; and The Limits of Dissent: Clement L. Vallandigham and the Civil War.
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