The Copperheads were a group of Northern Democrats who opposed the American Civil War, wanting an immediate peace settlement with the Confederates. They were also called Peace Democrats. The most famous Copperhead was Clement L. Vallandigham, who was a serious thorn in President Lincoln's side. The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... National Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God our Vindicator) Official language English de facto nationwide Various European and Native American languages regionally Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Danville, Virginia April 3–April 10, 1865 Largest city New Orleans... Clement Laird Vallandigham (velan´digham, -gam) (July 29, 1820 - June 17, 1871), a key leader of the Copperheads in the American Civil War, was born in New Lisbon (now Lisbon), Ohio. ... Seal of the President of the United States The President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. ... Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was the 16th (1861–1865) President of the United States, and the first president from the Republican Party. ...

The Copperhead agenda

The Copperheads opposed emancipation of American slaves, formed groups to persuade Union soldiers to desert, and helped Confederate prisoners of war escape. The name Copperheads was given to them by Republicans and may have derived from the venomous snake (the Copperhead) that strikes without warning or may have been a reference to the copper liberty-head coins which many wore as badges. Emancipation means becoming free and equal; the term can be used in various contexts: historically, a slave becoming free by being set free by the owner (manumission), voluntarily or in accordance with laws requiring it after a certain time or in certain cases, thereby becoming freedman (e. ... A monument celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, erected in Victoria Tower Gardens, Millbank, Westminster, London Look up Slavery in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Slavery is a condition of control over a person against their will, enforced by violence or other forms of coercion. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... A toxin, in a scientific context, is a biologically produced substance that causes injury to the health of a living thing on contact or absorption, typically by interacting with biological macromolecules such as enzymes and receptors. ... In biology, a copperhead is any of four species of venomous snake: the American copperhead of eastern North America, and three species of Australian copperhead. ...

Copperheads opposed turning the Civil War into a total war to destroy the South and restore the Union. They sometimes met with Confederates, aiming at restoring peace. Greatly benefited by the Copperheads, the Confederacy encouraged their activities whenever possible. Total war describes an international war in which countries or nations use all of their resources to destroy another organized countrys or nations ability to engage in war. ... The U.S. Southern states or The South, known during the American Civil War era as Dixie, is a distinctive region of the United States with its own unique historical perspective, customs, musical styles, and cuisine. ...

Treatment in the Union

As war opponents, they were suspected of disloyalty, and Lincoln often had them arrested. In summer 1864, Ulysses S. Grant was bogged down in the Siege of Petersburg and William Tecumseh Sherman was making little progress in Georgia. At this moment, during midterm election in Lincoln's home state of Kentucky, Lincoln suspended habeas corpus. The Democrats still swept the July 1864 election in Kentucky. In law, treason is the crime of disloyalty to ones nation. ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was a Union general in the American Civil War and the 18th (1869–1877) President of the United States. ... The Siege of Petersburg (June 15, 1864 – April 2, 1865) was a ten-month long siege of Petersburg, Virginia, during the American Civil War. ... Portrait of William Tecumseh Sherman by Mathew Brady William Tecumseh Sherman (February 8, 1820 – February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, and author. ... State nickname: Bluegrass State Other U.S. States Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Governor Ernie Fletcher Official languages English Area 104,749 km² (37th)  - Land 102,989 km²  - Water 1,760 km² (1. ... In common law jurisdictions, habeas corpus, or more precisely habeas corpus ad subjiciendum, is a prerogative writ (judicial mandate) to a prison official ordering that an inmate be brought to the court so it can be determined whether or not that person is imprisoned lawfully and whether or not he...

Strengths and decline

The Copperheads were strongest in Irish Catholic groups in the eastern Pennsylvania coal country and German Catholic areas of Wisconsin. Poor Catholics were often anti-war, expecting to lose jobs to newly-freed slaves. The group was also strong in border areas. They sometimes carried signs with such slogans as "The Constitution As It Is, The Union As It Was" or, more offensively, "We won't fight to free the nigger." State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground either by underground mining, open-pit mining or strip mining. ... One of the periods of glaciation was also termed the Wisconsin glaciation. ...

Every Union defeat such as the Battle of Chancellorsville led to louder calls from the Copperheads. Given the widely perceived ineptness of the Union leadership through much of the war, they had ample ammunition. After the spectacular victory at the Battle of Atlanta in the fall of 1864, however, and with the end of Grant's dug-in siege of Petersburg in sight, the Copperheads declined in influence. The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War in 1863. ... Battle of Atlanta Conflict American Civil War Date July 22, 1864 Place Fulton County, Georgia Result Union victory The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864 just northeast of Atlanta, Georgia. ...

See also

The Confederates had their own discontents who opposed the war and supported re-union with the North. These movements were particularly strong in mountainous areas of the South (where there were few slaves) and some border areas; one such organization was the Red Strings. The Red Strings or the Heroes of America were a Southern peace society in the Confederacy during the American Civil War. ...

References

• Foote, Shelby (1963). Red River to Appomattox. ISBN 0394746228
• McPherson, James (1988). Battle Cry of Freedom. ISBN 0934746236