Houston, however, regardless of his interest in annexing Mexico to the United States, could not accept the K.G.C.s anti-Union stance and refused to support its schemes. [8][9][10], In late 1863, the KGC reorganized as the Order of American Knights. George W. L. Bickley, a Virginia-born doctor, editor, and adventurer, was one of the founders of the K.G.C. According to Judy Schiff, Chief Archivist at the Yale University Library, the names of the members were not kept secret until the 1970s, but the rituals always have been. I am excitedly reading "The Diary and Journal of John H. Surratt, The Conspirator" whose link you posted in another message. You have to be at least 18 years old and of sound mind. Rumors spread that the slaves and abolitionists had planned to add mass murder, poisonings and rapes to the arson. Other members included Jefferson Davis, Bedford Forrest, and William Quantrill (leader of the Confederate guerilla outfit Quantrill's Raiders, with whom James rode). Elkanah Greer was Grand Commander of the Knights of the Golden Circle in Texas. Bickley created, on paper at least, an army of 16,000 men. Knights of the Golden Circle, a semi-military secret society that was active in the Midwestern states during the American Civil War. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The street is a beautiful showcase of Gothic architecture, 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. No famous members, but attendees have included Ben Bernanke, the royal families of Spain and the Netherlands, World Bank officials, and representatives from major corporations The Bilderberg Group is not a secret society per se, but it does operate under a similar veil of mystery, which has made it the subject of countless conspiracy theories and criticisms. 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. Copperheads Fernando Wood, former Democratic mayor of New York City, and Clement L. Vallandigham of Ohio were reputed to be the chief officers. Because their number was small, the group used guerilla tactics in their battle against their enemies, including espionage, sabotage, and, most famously, political assassination. The group was originally started as a means of addressing a streak of anti-Americanism that was spreading through Europe following WWII, but over the years it appears to have morphed into a more broad discussion on reaching mutual understanding between cultures. Widespread publicity in Southern expansionist newspapers called attention to the new order, and Bickley soon claimed it had 65,000 members. The Los Angeles Times noted that one theoryamong manyof the origin of the Saddle Ridge Hoard of gold coins is that it was cached by the KGC, which "some believe buried millions in ill-gotten gold across a dozen states to finance a second Civil War."[12]. Gen. Henry Hopkins Sibley on the 1862 New Mexico Campaign, which sought to bring the New Mexico Territory into the Confederate fold. Gen. Henry Hopkins Sibley on the 1862 New Mexico Campaign, which sought to bring the New Mexico Territory into the Confederate fold. The Night of The Iron Tyrants (19901991), written by the novelist Mark Ellis and drawn by Darryl Banks, is a four-part comic book miniseries based on The Wild Wild West television series. 3: Master Mason, this degree is necessary for participating in most masonic activities. 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. The Knights soon had thousands of followers, many of whom formed guerilla armies and began raiding Union strongholds in the West. In early 1862, Radical Republicans in the Senate, aided by Secretary of State William H. Seward, suggested that former president Franklin Pierce, who was greatly critical of the Lincoln administration's war policies, was an active member of the Knights of the Golden Circle. You have permission to edit this article. convention held in 1860 state that the organization "originated at Lexington, Kentucky, on the fourth day of July 1854, by five gentlemen who came together on a call made by Gen. George Bickley". Hounded by creditors, he left Cincinnati in the late 1850s and traveled through the East and South, promoting an expedition to Mexico. This required the separation of Serbia from the monarchy of Austria-Hungary, which had annexed the country some years before. Furthermore, it has been alleged in the History Channel program 'America Unearthed,' (episode 'Lincoln's Secret Assassins') that the James-Younger Gang was the principal source of funds for a second U.S. Civil War that never occurred. Bell had several units of home guards, also called rangers, to protect residents. Some 250,000 to 300,000 oath-bound members were said to have existed in the Midwest. had been created and, therefore, ended its life. Donald S. Frazier, Blood & The following year, the Knights began publishing their own newspaper and established their headquarters in Washington, D.C. Many historians now credit this obscure organization for deception and fomenting unrest leading up to the Souths secession from the Union and for the Civil War. Through history there have been many secret societies and conspiracy theories about those societies. It became strongest among Copperheads, some of whom felt that the Civil War was a mistake. These conspiracy stories associated with the Knights of the Golden Circle are now part of the historical record associated with the organization, but none of them can be reliably documented. [11], With the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, the Texas KGC changed its emphasis from a plan to expand U.S. territory into Mexico in order to focus its efforts on providing support for the Southern States' secession from the Union. Castles were established in Salado, Belton and Cameron. This program is over. The Golden Knights could eliminate Winnipeg in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series on Thursday night in Las Vegas. This distrust was the result of a confirmed plot to overthrow the federal government, rather than general discontent. They worked as shadowy sentinels for the powerful while they pitched lies and half-truths through the most efficient communication avenue available at the time newspapers. ET, To Have and Have Another: The Life and Times (and Cocktails) of Ernest Hemingway, Byrdcliffe: An American Arts and Crafts Colony, The Cuban Missile Crisis: Re-examining a Moment of Extreme Danger. played a role in reducing the vote for Constitutional Unionists (see CONSTITUTIONAL UNION PARTY) in November 1860 and in keeping Unionist voters from the polls when the state held a referendum on secession in February 1861. K.G.C., Records of the KGC Convention, 1860, Raleigh, N.C. (http://gunshowonthenet/AfterTheFact/KGC/KGC0571860.html), accessed August 27, 2010. We'll send you a couple of emails per month, filled with fascinating history facts that you can share with your friends. Leaders of the K.G.C. Want to Buy a couple of defunct CTX 3030 batteries. "Mike" Campbell, They often paid with Confederate currency or with drafts on the Confederate government. WebThe 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. They often paid with Confederate States dollars or with drafts on the Confederate government. These clubs were inspired by the philosophies of John C. Calhoun (17821850). [15] In May 1861, members of the KGC and the Confederate Rangers attacked a building which housed a pro-Union newspaper, the Alamo Express, owned by J. P. Newcomb, and burned it down. This has been widely discredited, but the term Hashshashin as it refers to the Nizari is believed to be the origin of the modern word assassin.. Maybe the last Castle of Knights of the Golden Circle old school. The Knights of the Golden Circle or K.G.C. [13] As volunteers continued to join McCulloch the following day, United States Army Brevet Maj. Gen. David E. Twiggs surrendered the arsenal peacefully to the secessionists. Every dollar helps. They opposed the U.S. governments war policy, actively encouraged desertion, prevented enlistments, and resisted the draft. High around 80F. The Knights appealed to many Bell County men, all of whom were slave holders and landowners. From its earliest roots in the Southern Rights Clubs in 1835, the Knights of the Golden Circle was to become the most powerful secret and subversive organization in the history of the United States with members in every state and territory before the end of the Civil War. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group. Beneath the portrait are Lincolns initials and olive branches. Wednesday, December 1, 2021 - 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. In 1864, it became the Order of the Sons of Liberty, with the Ohio politician Clement L. Vallandigham, most prominent of the Copperheads, as its supreme commander. Once the war began, many Knights signed up for service in the Confederate Army. is its contribution to creating the emotional excitement necessary to persuading southerners to rebel against the United States. Members meet every Thursday and Sunday of each week in a building they call the Tomb. Some supported slavery and others were worried about the power of the federal government. I find some of my best information about the KGC from old online newspaper articles. The Cavalry commander J.E.B. 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. If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. These seven industries would employ slave labor. The purpose of the Knights mission was to capture a virtual monopoly on the worlds supply of tobacco and sugar and perhaps cotton, all extremely lucrative crops in the mid-1800s. The CIA released a statement in 2007 (coinciding with the popularity of the film The Good Shepherd) in which it denied that the group was an incubator for the CIA. Masons also wear stylized clothing based upon the clothing worn by stone masons from the middle ages. Even before that, the K.G.C. [2] He organized the first castle, or local branch, in Cincinnati in 1854. The fundamental documents of the order are known as the Cipher Documents. Knights of the Golden Circle: Maps. According to a few fringe historians, after the Civil War, the KGC went underground and became a secret society. As far-fetched as the Knights theories were, many followers, including those in Bell County, were sucked into the rhetoric and promises of their wealth and control. Ordo Templi Orientis is a mystic organization that was started in the early twentieth century. They were known for their extreme discretion in minimizing civilian casualties, as well as their penchant for using stealth to intimidate their targets. These are best described as commemorative orders or degrees. Joseph Holt, Report of the Judge Advocate General on The Order of American Knights, alias The Sons of Liberty. A Western Conspiracy in aid of the Southern Rebellion (Washington, DC: Union Congressional Committee, 1864). [8] The plan was to prevent Lincoln from reaching Washington by capturing him in Baltimore. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Like many other secretive societies, the K.G.C. You can read that document here. The signs and handshakes often differ from one jurisdiction to another and are often changed or updated. It is considered by many to be a forerunner of the Ordo Templi Orientis and a majority of modern Occult groups. The country would have been centered in Havana and would have consisted of the Southern United States and a "golden circle" of territories in Mexico (which was to be divided into 25 new slave states), Central America, northern parts of South America, and Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and most other islands in the Caribbean, about 2,400 miles (3,900km) in diameter.[1][2]. [9], In 1859, future Confederate States Army brigadier general Elkanah Greer established KGC castles in East Texas and Louisiana. Many people believe that the Illuminati is still operating and managing the main actions of the governments of the world. Senior Deacon . Every penny counts! Made a few Return Trips to Places the last 6 days. Armstrong WebVEGAS (April 27, 2023) - The Vegas Golden Knights announced today, April 27, the organization's activations and plans surrounding Game 5 in the First Round of the 2023 Mason. The society is surrounded by conspiracy theories; the most popular of which is probably the idea that the CIA was built on members from the group. The plan also called for the acquisition of Mexico which was then to be divided into fifteen new slave-holding states which would shift the balance of power in Congress in favor of slavery. 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. WebThe Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society originally founded to promote the interests of the Southern United States. The new charges, said Lincoln on receiving Hays report, were as puerile as the Knights of the Golden Circle. Treason trials against members of the Sons of Liberty in Indianapolis on the eve of the election of 1864 furnished campaign material for the Republicans. On February 15, 1861, Ben McCulloch, Texas Ranger, began marching toward the Federal arsenal at San Antonio, Texas, with a cavalry force of about 550 men, about 150 of whom were Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) from six castles. Receiving reports of the activities of the Order of American Knights (a new name for the alleged order) in Missouri and Illinois, U.S. Pres. Unless otherwise noted, registration for streaming programs typically closes two hours prior to the start time on the date of the program. Organized 1854, this secret order meant to extend Meetings included secret rituals, handshakes, passwords and code words, designed to exclude intruders and reveal their strategies. S. senior deacon Sr. The Secretary of War, John Floyd and of Treasury, Howell Cobb, were members of the circle, in addition to Vice President John Breckenridge. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.. A few clouds. Within a couple of years, Bickley claimed to have recruited a Texas army of 16,000 men at least on paper. The aftermath of WWI eventually led to WWII, and this led to the Cold War, which makes the Black Hand one of the most strangely influential forces of the twentieth century. This group is now known as the Bavarian Illuminati. Omissions? Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Jets Advanced Stats If such a plot existed, nothing came of it, suggesting that the rumors were just that or that the K.G.C. A few agitators, some of them encouraged by Southern money, talked of a revolt in the Old Northwest, with the goal of ending the war.[11]. Instead, the group often formed renegade armies and bands of bushwhackers in order to forward their agenda by force. [17] When Confederate Maj. Gen. Jubal Early's infantry division passed through York County, Pennsylvania, they took what they needed anyway. George W. L. Bickley, a doctor, editor, and adventurer who lived in Cincinnati, founded the association, organizing the first castle, or local branch, in Cincinnati in 1854. Randolph W. Farmer, The Knights of the Golden Circle in Texas: How a Secret Society Shaped a State (Las Vegas, Nevada: Vita Histria, 2022). The group was established along the same lines as the less secretive Freemasons, and supposedly relies on ritual and occult practices as a means for members to move from one level of prestige to another within the organization. The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society founded in 1854 by American George W. L. Bickley, the objective of which was to create a new country, known as the Golden Circle (Spanish: Crculo Dorado), where slavery would be legal. Facing the Gulf of Mexico, these new states would form a large crescent. [7], That same year, Asbury Harpending and California members of the Knights of the Golden Circle in San Francisco outfitted the schooner J. M. Chapman as a Confederate privateer in San Francisco Bay, with the object of raiding commerce on the Pacific Coast and capturing gold shipments to the East Coast. [4][citation needed] In May 1861, members of the KGC and Confederate Rangers attacked a building which housed a pro-Union newspaper, the Alamo Express, owned by J. P. Newcomb, and burned it down. Bickley responded by calling a general convention of the K.G.C., which met in Raleigh, North Carolina, on May 711, 1860. Its stated aim was [10] In the spring of 1860, Elkanah Greer had become general and grand commander of 4,000 Military Knights in the KGC's Texas division of 21 castles. As anti-slavery agitation increased after the Dred Scott Decision was issued, the members proposed a separate confederation of slave states, with U.S. states south of the Mason-Dixon line to secede and to align with other slave states to be formed from the golden circle. Perhaps the greatest historical significance that can be assigned to the K.G.C. [18][19][20], In late 1863, the KGC reorganized as the Order of American Knights. Hope you didn't miss it! Randolph B. while KGC members were still Cabinet officers and Senators". Bell, William H. Knights of the Golden Circle: its organization and activities in Texas prior to the Civil War. of The Golden Circle. Despite Freemasonrys general disclaimer that no one Masonic organization claims a direct heritage to the medieval Knights Templar, certain degrees and orders are obviously patterned after the medieval Order. 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 Calhoun had an illustrious political career serving as a congressman from his home state of South Carolina, a state legislator, vice president under the administrations of both John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, and a U. S. senator. The documents are a series of 60 folios containing magic rituals. Members organized themselves within each castle to focus on certain targets for example, Foreign Guard which would participate in the wild, glorious and thrilling adventures of a campaign in Mexico and the Home Guard, those who would support military efforts from home. WebThe Knights of the Golden Circle (K. G. C.) was a secret society founded by George W. L. Bickley on July 4, 1854. In some cases you must be recommended three times before you can join. Knights of the Golden Circle, In an angry letter to Seward, Pierce denied that he knew anything about the KGC and demanded that his letter be made public. First order of business was Bickleys plan to annex Mexico, which had outlawed slavery in 1829. 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. Abraham Lincoln sent his secretary, John Hay, to investigate. The K.G.C. accessed May 01, 2023, Once Texas seceded in March 1861, individual Knights participated in the actions that displaced the authority of the United States in Texas, leading some Unionists such as James P. Newcomb to emphasize the role of the organization in destroying the Union. In most areas only a minority of its membership was radical enough to discourage enlistments, resist the draft, and shield deserters. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. I turn these up when doing an Internet Search using yahoo.com using various keywords including "Knights of the Golden Circle". During the American Civil War, some Southern sympathizers in the Northern states such as Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, were accused of belonging to the Knights of the Golden Circle, and in some cases they were imprisoned for their activities. Once we are finished discussing it fully, we will get to work on the other websites you referred to in your message. Geni requires JavaScript! Everything old is new again such as conspiracies, clandestine groups, bogus political rhetoric, power grabs and violence. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. The most well known of these is the apron. had its beginnings in the formation of Southern Rights Clubs in various southern cities in the mid-1830s. He was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1836, the son of Martin and Anna Elizabeth (Sl ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This, and the fact that most members were humanists, is the reason for the widespread belief that the Illuminati wants to overthrow organized religion. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Looks like I found the right place. European colonialism and dependence on slavery had declined more rapidly in some countries than others. [citation needed] Mexico and Central America had no interest in being part of the United States. The order and its alleged influence sparked the formation of Union League clubs to carry on counterpropaganda. WebThe successor to GEORGE BICKLEY must be over thirty years of age, of Southern birth, liberally educated, Knight of the Columbian Star, sound of body and mind, and married, and Protestant. The group was started in 1954, and since then it has convened every year as an exclusive, invitation-only conference of various world leaders, captains of industry, and media moguls. Masons use signs and handshakes to gain admission to their meetings, as well as to identify themselves to other people who may be Masons. This measure, which supported the goal of the KGC, failed to be adopted. The eventual goal of the plan was the annexation of all of Mexico to the United States. With the start of the Civil War, the semi-military group threw its support to the Confederacy. Desires for a tobacco and cotton empire were vanquished. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please. [1] Floyd used his position as Secretary of War to move munitions and men to the South towards the end of Buchanan's presidency. The KGC's proposal grew out of previous unsuccessful proposals to annex Cuba (Ostend Manifesto), parts of Central America (Filibuster War), and all of Mexico (All of Mexico Movement). Secretive organizations such as the K.G.C. I'm thinking your relative may have been Thomas J. Subscribe for as little as $4 The group was made up of Shia Muslims who broke off from a bigger sect and banded together in order to establish a utopian Shiite state. As you may know, I created a Yahoo group 3 years ago this month whose job has been to investigate the controversial life and death of Bloody Bill Anderson of Quantrill's Raiders and also to discuss and analyze all available information about the Knights of the Golden Circle. However, Bickleys correspondence, now archived in libraries and vintage newspapers, reveals many members by name and hometown. This list represents a tiny portion of the KGC's hundreds of thousands of members but it With the outbreak of the war, however, Republicans charged that Democrats who opposed the conduct of the war were influenced by, or were members of, the Knights. Thanks to you, our group now has several of our members busy researching and discussing the many important facts from John H. Surratt's Diary. It was founded in 1832 and membership is open to an elite few. The Effect is the death of President Lincoln, whose profile portrait at right is framed by swags of black drapery. The KGC held numerous peace meetings. Nevertheless, in spite of the fraternitys official disclaimers, some Masons, non-Masons, and even anti-Masons insist that certain Masonic rites or degrees originally had direct Templar influence. 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. In 1854 a small group of pro-slavery sympathizers formed the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secret society whose goal it was to create a vast new empire for slaveryone that traced a golden circle from the deep South through Mexico, Central America, parts of South America, and the Caribbean. Secret society in the mid-19th-century US, Plans to seize Lincoln and inaugurate Breckinridge as president. Warren Getler and Bob Brewer, Rebel Gold: One Mans Quest to Crack the Code Behind the Secret Treasure of the Confederacy (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004).