The Charleston riot occurred on March 28, 1864, in
Charleston,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, after
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
soldiers and local
Republicans clashed with local insurgent Democrats known as
Copperheads. By the time the riot had subsided, nine were dead and twelve had been wounded. It is generally thought that one of the events that triggered the riot was the treatment of Judge
Charles H. Constable by Union soldiers. The soldiers humiliated Constable by making him swear allegiance to the federal government, due to his decision to allow four Union deserters to go free in
Marshall, Illinois
Marshall is a city in and the county seat of Clark County, Illinois, United States, located approximately west of Terre Haute, Indiana. The population was 3,947 at the 2020 census.
History
Marshall was officially organized by William B. Archer ...
. When the riot began, Judge Constable was holding court in Charleston.
Copperheads
The news coverage of the event stated that the Peace Democrats were responsible for beginning the event. One such news source, from the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'', later reprinted in the ''Charleston Courier'', labeled Nelson Wells as the instigator of the conflict. Most articles published from the time, insist that the whole event transpired as a more spontaneous event and was not directly prompted by any one individual. The most likely explanation is that the event occurred because a sizable presence of both
Copperheads and
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
soldiers had been in town that day. Also many sources speculate that a sizable portion of the participants, at least on the side of the Peace Democrats, had been drinking quite heavily all day, and this led to the outbreak that resulted in the confrontation. At any rate, the fighting only lasted a few moments. But by the time the affair was over, the Copperheads had been run out of
Charleston. Rewards had been issued for the capture of any of those whom fled the scene. Included in those who left town, was John O’Hair, the leader of the Copperheads, who had been the
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
of
Coles County
Coles County is a county in Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,863. Its county seat is Charleston, which is also the home of Eastern Illinois University.
Coles County is part of the Charleston- Mattoon, IL Micropolitan S ...
. Out of those killed, only two had been Copperheads, Nelson Wells and John Cooper; the other participants had been either captured or escaped. Other Union troops were called in from
Mattoon to assist the soldiers fighting in Charleston, but by the time their train arrived, none of the instigators were left in the town. Fifteen prisoners were eventually held for seven months, initially in Springfield, Illinois. President Lincoln, whose father and stepmother had lived in Coles County, waived the prisoners' right to Habeas Corpus and ordered their removal to Fort Delaware in the East. He ordered their release on November 4, 1864. Two of the prisoners had been indicted for murder and were exonerated by trial in December, 1864. Twelve other Copperheads had also been indicted for murder. They were never captured, and the indictments were annulled in May 1873.
The terms Copperheads and Butternuts were used to describe the larger movement, which has been known as Peace Democrats. This political affiliation which stirred up support, as David Montgomery points out in ''Beyond Equality: Labor and the Radical Republicans'', by incorporating the fears that the federal government's war effort sought to usurp the constitution. The copperheads incorporated a racial component to their disdain for the Republican war effort, as Montgomery points out, that emancipated
Negroes
In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...
would flood the North, because of the
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...
. Using racially charged
rhetoric
Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...
, Copperheads sought to unite opposition to the
Radical Republicans
The Radical Republicans (later also known as " Stalwarts") were a faction within the Republican Party, originating from the party's founding in 1854, some 6 years before the Civil War, until the Compromise of 1877, which effectively ended Reco ...
. This had become a national phenomenon during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. Democrat sympathizers were battling to keep their country from becoming, in their eyes, too radical.
Coles County
The Copperheads represented a political affiliation that was staunchly opposed to
President Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
, the
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vessel ...
, and
abolition of slavery
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
. This group favored an armistice to end the Civil War because they opposed the war itself. Most components of Copperhead ideology centered on the mistrust of the implications the war presented to American society. In particular, the aim to free the slaves had become an issue that some white natives of Illinois took issue with. The Civil War had split the country into factions, either side chose to support or oppose the aim to reincorporate the Southern states back into the Union. The Copperheads believed the Lincoln Administration had been out of line by abolishing slavery. Some citizens of Coles County accepted the ideology that it was not in the best interest of the country to free the slaves. Although the exact number is hard to gauge it has been estimated, by Victor Hicken in ''Illinois in the Civil War'', that Coles County had been a significant pocket of Copperhead sympathizers. This idea is supported by the fact that John O’Hair, the leader of the Copperheads, had been the sheriff of Coles County during the Civil War.
In the end, the Charleston Riot provides a good example of how local events of Coles County history have fit into national currents as well. The Copperheads of Coles County had been different from other dissenting groups from around the country, in that they chose to use physical violence as their method of dissent. By killing Union soldiers, who had become the emblem of Federal government control, the Copperheads were attempting to project their anger toward the government. The draft, a strong central government, and racism fueled the Copperheads support within the county. In March 1864, these national tensions boiled over in the small town of Charleston, creating one of the most interesting events in the history of the county.
Casualties
The nine men killed include: Major Shuball York, Fifty-fourth Illinois Infantry; Privates Oliver Sallee and James Goodrich, Company C, and John Neer and Alfred Swim, Company G, Fifty-fourth Illinois Infantry; Private William G. Hart, Sixty-second Illinois Infantry; John Jenkins, citizen (loyal); Nelson Wells, citizen (copperhead); John Cooper, citizen (copperhead). The wounded include: Colonel G.M. Mitchell, Fifty-fourth Illinois; Privates William H. Decker, Company G, Landford Noyes, Company I, and George Ross, Company C, Fifty-fourth Illinois; citizens Thomas Jeffers, William Giolman, Young E. Winkler, Robert Winkler, John W. Herndon, and George J. Collins. Colonel G.M. Mitchell prepared this list as part of a report he sent to Lieutenant Colonel James Oakes on April 8, 1864.
[Official Records (War of the Rebellion – A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies), Vol. 125, 635.]
54th Illinois Infantry Regiment
The Adjutant General's Reportrecords the event.
″January 1864, three-fourths of the Regiment re-enlisted, as veteran volunteers, and were mustered February 9, 1864. Left for Mattoon, Illinois, for veteran furlough, March 28. Veteran furlough having expired, the Regiment re-assembled at Mattoon. The same day an organized gang of Copperheads, led by Sheriff O’Hair, attacked some men of the Regiment at Charleston, killing Major Shubal York, Surgeon, and four privates, and wounding Colonel G. M. Mitchell. One hour later the Regiment arrived from Mattoon and occupied the town, capturing some of the most prominent traitors.″
records the riot in the Regimental Battle Honors
″Veterans on furlough March and April. Riot at Charleston, I11., March 28°
See also
*
List of multiple homicides in Illinois
*
List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States
Listed are major episodes of civil unrest in the United States. This list does not include the numerous incidents of destruction and violence associated with various sporting events.
18th century
*1783 – Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, June 20 ...
*
List of Battles Fought in Illinois
Notes
Sources
*https://publish.illinois.edu/ihlc-blog/2020/03/31/the-charleston-riot-of-1864/
*
*''Charleston Plain Dealer'', March 31, 1864; and ''Illinois Copperheads: Analyzing the Documents'' compiled by Terry Barnhart
*Sampson, Robert D., "Pretty Damned Warm Times: The 1864 Charleston Riot and 'the inalienable right of revolution.'" ''Illinois Historical Journal'' 89 no. 2 (Summer 1996): 99–116.
*Wilson, Charles Edward, ''History of Coles County, Illinois''. Chicago, 1905.
*List of Depositions for March 28, 1864 Charleston Riot, Coles County Courthouse, Charleston.
* Barry, Peter J. The Charleston, Illinois Riot, March 28, 1864, 3 Road Lake Park, Champaign, IL. 2007, 283 pages, 15 pictures
* Barry, Peter J. "The Charleston Riot and its Aftermath: Civil, Military, and Presidential Responses", Journal of Illinois History, 7(Summer 2004):82–106
* Dg, Cw. “Riot and Murder in Charleston, Illinois.” Civil War Daily Gazette, 27 Nov. 2013
{{Riots in the United States (1607–1865)
Riots and civil disorder in Illinois
1864 riots
Riots and civil unrest during the American Civil War
Illinois in the American Civil War
1864 in Illinois
March 1864 events
History of racism in Illinois
Political riots in the United States
19th-century political riots
1860s political events