Copperheads, Peace and Constitutionalism

In August 150 years ago, this was the status of an American political group:

 ▪ Two of their senators had been run out of town
▪ They virtually shut down a state legislature for 2 years
▪ They inspired riots across the United States
▪ They caused secession to be threatened in many Northern areas
▪ They wrote the Democratic party platform for the 1864 election
▪ Lincoln called them "the fire in the rear" and at one time, feared them more than the Southern armies

Clement Vallandigham, a famous senator 

who was exiled by Lincoln

Who were they?
The Copperheads!

Copperheads were "Peace Democrats" - Northerners who believed for various reasons that the Civil War should be ended. They were called "copperheads" because their opponents viewed them as "snakes." Taking the name as a badge of honor, they wore literal badges that were a play on the words "copper" and "head." 

Copperhead badges were the head of Lady Liberty stamped on copper 1-cent coins. Sometimes the coin was pierced and worn as a watch fob. More often, Lady Liberty's head was cut out and worn as a pin. The Dayton (Ohio) Daily Empire explains, "the 'Copperhead' emblem, or 'Badge of Liberty,' 'mark it well,' is made of the head of the Goddess of Liberty, cut from a copper cent, with the word 'Liberty' stamped across the top of the cap." 

Both men and women proudly wore these badges - or secretly wore them, if public feeling against them was violent. Emotions ran high between Copperheads and their opponents, the "War Democrats" and Republicans. I found a wealth of primary sources detailing everything from inter-family arguments to city-wide riots between the two factions.

A sarcastic "catechism" ridiculing 

Copperheads' supposed views

Opposition to Copperhead Badges
Those wearing Copperhead badges faced the real possibility of having the badge literally ripped from their clothing by their opponents. Here is a typical story. "The Muskadine (Iowa) Journal says there was an exciting time at the anniversary exercises of Cornell College, at Mount Vernon, June 26th. It seems that a dozen persons from Marion appeared in the crowd with copperhead pins. About two thousand persons were present, the exercises being held in a grove. "On the appearance of the secesh emblems all business was suspended by the tumult, and every copperhead badge was hastily taken from its owner, and he forced to hurrah for the Union. A gray-headed traitor, who has been blatant for the Southern Confederacy, declared that he would not hurrah for the Union; but a little choking brought him to terms. One woman had on the Southern badge, which was torn from her breast, clothes and all, by another young woman. The latter had her bonnet destroyed in capturing the pin, and some young men raised eight or ten dollars instanter to replace the bonnet. The copperhead pins being all 'cleaned out,' the exercises were resumed and passed off very satisfactorily." 

Battles like Antietam, the single bloodiest day in American

history, discouraged Northerners and led them to join the 

Peace Democrats

What Were the Copperhead's Issues?
In spite of this opposition, Copperheads existed all throughout the Civil War. In fact, the movement had grown strong enough by 1864 that the Peace Democrats wrote the Democratic party platform and ran a candidate (George Pendleton) for Vice President. What were the issues that motivated so many people in the North to oppose the war?

A wide range of topics brought Peace Democrats together but they all boiled down to two basic issues: A conservative view of the Constitution, and a desperation to see the horrors of the Civil War end. The Peace Democrats warned at the beginning of the war that Lincoln's party was twisting the Constitution and encroaching on personal liberty. They forecasted dire consequences from national recession to the loss of personal freedom and even to the loss of the war. As the war went on and the death toll mounted, their worst predictions were fulfilled and the Copperhead movement gained traction.

Here is a quick list of some Copperhead grievances.

▪ Habeas Corpus was suspended
▪ Freedom of the press was suspended
▪ An income tax was created
▪ Debasing of currency by issuing "greenbacks" in place of silver or gold
▪ A draft was instituted with an accompanying intrusive bureaucracy
▪ Emancipation was handled in an unconstitutional way
▪ Punishing tariffs were enacted that led to nationwide trade deficits and recession

Rioting in New York City when the draft was instituted

When you look at this list and also consider how badly the war went for the North during the first several years, it's easy to see why the Copperhead movement gained traction. Most Copperheads believed secession was legal (actually, most Americans believed that until the Civil War). They didn't want the Southern states to secede but felt that the best way to prevent it was to deal with the issues that prompted secession, not go to war.

Senator James A. Bayard of Delaware summed it up: "I differ from honorable Senators as to what constitutes the life of the nation. In my judgment, the life of a free people consists in the preservation of their liberties, not in the extent of their dominion."

With the Northern victories at Atlanta in the East and Mobile Bay in the West, many Peace Democrats changed their minds and just wanted to finish the war victoriously. Thus, the Copperhead movement essentially died with the reelection of Lincoln in November 1864. 

An anti-copperhead cartoon. Note Lady Liberty's Union 

cockade at her collar.

Badges vs Cockades
My research of the Copperheads started when a customer asked me if there were Copperhead cockades. As nearly as I can tell, Copperheads stuck to their Lady Liberty badges, occasionally varying them with a butternut (also a Southern emblem). It was their opponents, Republicans and War Democrats, who wore the tricolor cockades.

The Dayton (Ohio) Daily Empire described the opposing emblems this way: "The 'Abolition emblems,' mark it well, are the eagle buttons, the tri color, and the stars and stripes. The 'Democratic emblems,' are 'copperheads' and 'butternuts'." copperhead badge My reproduction Copperhead badge!

ANNOUNCING!!!
After painstaking research, I partnered with a local craftsman jeweler to create beautiful exact reproductions of the Copperhead badge! I will be premiering them in my shop this week. Of course, I also carry "tricolor" Union and 1864 campaign cockades too - so whether your sympathies are with the War Democrats or the Peace Democrats, there's a badge there for you!

Need a quick summary to remember the Copperheads? Here's an infographic to save!

1864 Campaigns and Cockades

A war veteran, a lawyer and an explorer ran for president in 1864 and changed the course of American history.

When you put on your campaign cockade early in the race, you had many options to choose from. But party primaries sifted them to three main contenders: John C.Fremont, George B. McClellan and Abraham Lincoln.

The Contenders

A cockade from Fremont's 1856 campaign

John Fremont was sometimes labeled a Republican, sometimes a Democrat, but always a Radical. A highly talented and ambitious man, he made and lost fortunes as well as reaching the pinnacles of several careers – only to be demoted, recalled or fired through his own actions.

Fremont was a famous western explorer, historians calling him "The Great Pathfinder." He became quite wealthy from California gold mining in the 1840s. An ardent abolitionist, he first ran for president in 1856 with the campaign slogan "Free Soil, Free Men, and Frémont."

As an explorer and topographical engineer (who at one time employed Kit Carson), Fremont created the government report and map that would open the West and guide settlers to Oregon and California. He joined the Army in 1838 and fought in the Mexican War of 1846. Appointed military governor of California, he was later court-martialed from that position for mutiny. Fremont became one of California’s first two senators when she entered the Union, and was made military Commander of the Department of the West during the Civil War.

In 1861, Fremont issued an emancipation proclamation in Missouri. President Lincoln disagreed with this move and scolded Fremont for dragging "the Negro into the war." Lincoln revoked the proclamation and relieved Fremont of his command. All of this, oddly enough, happened sixteen months before Lincoln issued his own emancipation proclamation. Ah well, who ever said politicians have to be consistent?

Fremont’s campaign platform included the total destruction of the Confederacy and the unqualified freedom and franchise for all African-Americans.

George McClellan was the man responsible for organizing the Union army at the beginning of the Civil War. He was fantastic at meticulous planning and preparation, though not a particularly great general in the field. As Lincoln noted, "If he can't fight himself, he excels in making others ready to fight." This contributed to his popularity with the soldiers however – they appreciated his detailed concern for their food, clothing and lodging.

McClellan was a career army man, having graduated second in the famous Class of 1846 at West Point. Previous service included a stint in the Mexican War. He, like Fremont, engaged in reconnaissance and mapping explorations. In one case, the Army sent him to track down the sources of the Red River. Apparently his expedition was thought to have been wiped out by Comanches and given up for dead. Upon returning alive and well, McClellan was exasperated with the “set of scoundrels” who started the rumor of his death, claiming they were creating drama out of thin air in order to receive “employment from the Govt. in one way or other.” McClellan was also assigned as an official observer during the Crimean War in 1855. McClellan wrote an Army cavalry manual and designed the “McClellan saddle” which has been used in Army cavalry duties ever since.

McClellan’s personal platform for his presidency was to continue the war to restore the Union, but he disagreed with the emancipation of slaves.

Abraham Lincoln was a career politician who had worked as a lawyer, party leader, state legislator and national legislator. He was a big government man, believing in government-funded canals, railroads and other “internal improvements.” He promoted government economic intervention in the form of tariffs and a central bank.

Lincoln’s stance on the abolition of slavery was somewhat ambivalent in his early political career. He is famously quoted in his first inaugural address as saying, “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so." In 1860 he tried to calm the fears of Southern states. “Do the people of the South really entertain fears that a Republican administration would, directly, or indirectly, interfere with their slaves, or with them, about their slaves? If they do, I wish to assure you, as once a friend, and still, I hope, not an enemy, that there is no cause for such fears.”

But by the time of the 1864 election he had concluded that emancipation of slaves – in the South, that is – served a useful political purpose. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863 and though it exempted areas under Federal control (oddly enough, the only areas where he had legal jurisdiction) it “freed” the slaves in the Confederacy (where he had no jurisdiction).

Lincoln’s platform was the middle of the road. He was moderate on everything – moderate on pursuing the war, moderate on reconstruction of the South, and moderate on the abolition of slavery (he favored colonizing freed African-Americans elsewhere). His speeches – the language as down-to-earth as the ideals were lofty – were full of vision for the future of the United States. He had a knack for either bringing opposing factions together, or else making them irrelevant by pitting their animosities towards each other instead of himself.

The Race

It looked initially like Lincoln would lose the election. The War Between the States was going badly. Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee spent the summer defeating Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant in large, bloody battles. Many Northerners had long opposed the war and the “Copperhead” movement was gaining popularity as the seemingly pointless conflict dragged on.

On the other hand, many of those who were in favor of pursuing the war had other reasons to be dissatisfied with Lincoln. Particularly the abolitionists felt that Lincoln wasn’t doing enough to end slavery.

Lincoln himself believed he had little chance of winning the 1864 presidential election. So what changed in 1864?

Party Politics

Early in 1864, Fremont withdrew from the race. As a Radical Republican, he favored the destruction of the Confederacy and the uncompensated, immediate abolition of slavery. Fremont thought there was some hope of Lincoln obtaining these objects. But he had no hope in McClellen’s campaign, feeling that he was compromising on the issue of slavery. Therefore, Fremont withdrew rather than allowing Lincoln’s opposition to be divided between himself and McClellan.

A Lincoln campaign armband

This left the field clear for McClellan, but McClellan was having his own problems. He believed in pursuing the war to save the Union. His running mate, George Pendleton, however was of the “peace” faction of the Democrats and wanted to negotiate a settlement with the Confederacy. To further complicate the matter, McClellan’s own party platform was written by Clement Vallandigham, an anti-war Copperhead. The Democrats basically ran a muddled campaign.

Meanwhile, Lincoln and his fellow Republicans were smart enough to realize that the Republican Party currently had a bad reputation. Radical Republicans had offended those willing to negotiate on the issue and slavery. And Republican politics were responsible for the apparently never-ending war with the Confederacy. So the “Republican Party” temporarily changed to the “National Union Party” in order to establish a new and more “inclusive” party platform. Lincoln was a masterful coalition-builder.

As the election campaign continued through 1864, voters became increasingly dissatisfied with the schizophrenic Democrats and more attracted to the “big tent” philosophy of the National Union Party.

Victory on the War Front

Battle of Mobile Bay

In March, President Lincoln put General Grant in command of all the Union armies. In May, Grant began the “Overland” or “Wilderness”campaign against General Lee’s armies. As the bloody summer wore on, the huge casualties on both sides – easily repairable in the North by the constant stream of immigrants – began to tell on smaller populations of the Southern states.

In August, Admiral Farragut defeated Confederate naval forces at Mobile Bay. This completed the Union blockade of the Gulf of Mexico east of the Mississippi River.

And General Sherman began a campaign in May that would end with probably the most pivotal wartime event in the presidential campaign: The Union army taking and burning Atlanta in September.

Victory in the Election Campaign

With the victories at Atlanta and Mobile under his belt, the tide turned for Lincoln and he pulled off a win with the slogan, "Don't change horses in the middle of a stream."  Though Lincoln received 212 electoral votes and McClellan only 21, the results of the election were not as lopsided as they appear. Lincoln actually only received 55% of the popular vote – barely over half.

So Lincoln won this historic election and by April 1865 he had won the war. But his moderate reconstruction policies were never put into effect. When JohnWilkes Booth assassinated him in April 1865, the era of the cooperative “big tent” ended. Vice President Johnson was not the coalition-builder that Lincoln had been and the Radical Republicans had their way. For twelve bitter, divisive years, the former Confederate states were “reconstructed,” leaving such a deep scar on the southern states that even today the phrase “The South will rise again” is commonly heard.

The Cockades

Which candidate would you have voted for? Cockade merchants were ready to supply both sides. Many of them ran regular ads in the newspapers like this one:

Or consider the verbiage from this ad: "Great Chance to Make Money. - Agents can make from $10 to $15 per day by selling our new badges of Lincoln and McClellan. These Badges we manufacture ourselves; they are far superior to the Badges generally offered to the public, being good size, and Life-like portraits of the two Candidates for the Presidency. Agents can easily make 100 per cent. on their sales. For samples, prices &c., &c., address, with 15c. and stamp, to Hart and Critchly, Wholesale Depot, 182 Superior Street, Cleveland, Ohio."

Photographic images on campaign badges were still a new idea in 1864. The 1860 election had been the first to debut these political images. Ferrotypes or tintypes - that is, photographic images printed on tin - were invented in the 1850s and made the process of creating these little pictures much easier.

Whoever your choice would have been in 1864, I hope you could have stood behind him as proudly as this gentlemen did while wearing his campaign cockade!

Those reenacting the 1860s may be interested to note that I carry a full line of 1864 and 1860 campaign cockades!

If you lasted through that whole post, thanks for reading! If you want to read short weekly tidbits about cockades, feel free to sign up for my Cockade Column on the sign-up form in the sidebar. Until next time...