Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-10-27
THE GREAT CONSPIRACY: AGAINST
THE TNTnN.


THE GREAT CONSPIRACY: AGAINST
THE UNION.
Hi1hIy Important Rerslations-Sseyet
Armed Organization to Defeat the
Government and aid the Rebels--
Origin, Organization, ErteRt, Force,
0aths, Principles, and purposes Of
tA< Coasptraey.
The following is an abstract Of the
official report OF Judge Advocate -Gener-
al Holt as to the great conspiracy in the
West:
L-Irs 0KIsIS, HIsToRY, NAxKs, &c.
This secret association frst developed
itself in the West in the year 1862, abou.
the period of the first eonseription Of
troops, which il aimed to obstrnct and
resist Originally known in certain To-
calities as the Mutual Protection So
cisty," the "Circle Of Honor" or the
Circle or "Knights Of the Mighty
Host," but more widely as the knights
OF The Golden Circle, it was simply an
inspiration Of the Rebellion, being little
other than the extension among the dis
loyal and disalfected At the North of the
association Of the latter name,
Shieh had existsd for some
years al the South, and from which il de-
rived ell the chief features Of its organi-
sation.
Tn 1868 changes were made, and in
the autumn OF that year, Vallandigham
aud others Instituted the secret order Of
o. A. K or Order Of 4meriean Knights
The opinion is expressed by Colonel
Sandersou, Provost Marshal General Of
Missouri, ia bis official report upon The
progress Of the order, that il was found
ed BY YallandighAm during his Danish.
ment. and upon consultation at Rich
mond With Davis aud other prominent
traitors II is, indeed, the boast Of the
order in Indiana aud elsewhere, that its
"rituAl" came direct from Davis himself;
and Mary Ann Pittman, formerly at
tached to the command Of the rebel
Forrest, aud mcst inleliigent witness,
whose testimony viii ke hereafter refer
red to, states positively that Davis is n
member of the order
Connected with this was the Corps
Belgique, of the rebel General Sterling
Price in Missouri, and the united order
extended alike over North and South.
Having been exposed, it was finally
changed into the order of the Sons Of
L9berty, branches OF which in different
States bad different names; among them
the Ne CIellan Minute Guard OF New
York.
u-Irs 0RsASIzATIoS AND OFFICERS
! There is Supreme Council for tbs
United States and Grand Council fol
each State, with numerous officers, chic
Of whom are the Supreme and GFanG
Commanders, the latter composing Su
preme Council and slecting the Saprem,
/ Commander. For each county there arr
Parent Temples.
Bat the strength and significance o
this organization lie in its MILITARY char
actsr. The secret constitution of thI
Supreme Council provides that the Su
preme Commanders shall be the com
nsaHder-iR-cAisf of GH military forcs
belonging to the Order in rarioHs State
scksa called into dctHal seTrice, an,
further, that the Grand Commander
nshan be cormgsders-in-ebief of ii
military forces Of their respects
State" Subordinate to the Gran
Commander in the State are the "Kgo
, Generals" each of whom command hi
, separate district and army. In Indian
!. the Major Generals are four in nurpk11i
In Illinois, where :ae organization {
the Order is Considered most eomplet,
r the members in each Congressional di
/. trict compose 9 "briqGds," which
commanded BY "Brigadiey~ General.
The members OF each county constitut
{ regiment, With "C5IoneT' in con
= mand, aud those Of each township forr
Company. A somewhat similar sy
: TEN prevails in Indiana, where also sac
company is divided into squads, eac
3 With its ehief-sn arrangement insende
! to facilitate the guerrilla mode of va
\ fare 10 case of . general outbreak c
local disorder.
The Mcclellan Minute Guard" 4
s appears from a circular issued BY Ii
J. Chief Secretary at New York in Marc
a last is organized upon a military bAu
Gmilarto to that Of the Order proper.
The FIRST Supreme Commander va
{ 2. G. Wright, editer of the New Yor
4 Daily Meas, who was arrested last Ma
4 ana sent to Fort Lafayette His su
eessar Was Vallandigkam. In Nilsson
the Grand Commander was Charles
Hunt; IN Indiana, e. q Dodd.
Il is to be remarked that the Supreu
y Council of the Order. which annual
, meets o. February %, convened th
> year at New York City, and spscii
!. meeting was then appointed to be he
in Chicago on July l, or just prior
y the day then fixed for the convention
d the Democratic party. This couventio
l. having been postponed to August 70 Il
special meeting of the Supreme Come
vas also postponed to August q, at Il
d same place, snd was duly convened q
n eordingly. 1t viii be remembered thl
d leading member of the convention,