Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1865-07-07
THE CHICAGO CONSPIRACY.

On the eve of the last general election, the
country was startled by the publication of a Re-
port from the Judge-Advocate of the United
States, disclosing the existence of wide spread
conspiracy at the West, which had for its object
the overthrow of the Union. The conspiracy,
the Report stated, had military organization,
with commander-in-c n-chief, general and subor-
dinate officers, and 100000 enrolled members,
all bound to blind obedience to the orders of
their superiors, and pledged to "take up arms
against any Government found waging war
against people endeavoring to establish Gov
erDment of their own choice"
The organization, it was said was ID every
way hostile to the Union, and friendly to the
sO-called COnfederacy; and its ultimate objects
were "a general rising in Missouri" and a SINH
lar "rising in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Ken
lucky, In cooperation with Rebel force which
was to invade the last named State
Startling and incredible as the report seemed,
it told nothing but the truth, and it did not tell
the whole truth. 1t omitted to state that the
organization was planned in Richmond; that
its operations were directed by Jacob Thomp-
son, who was in Canada for that purpose; and
that wholesale robbery, arson and midnight as
sassination were among its designs.
The point marked out for the first attack was
Camp Douglas at Chicago. The 5000 Rebel
armed, were TO be Joined by the Canadian refu-
gees and Missouri "Butternuts" engaged in their
release, and the 5000 and more members of the
reasonable order resident in Chicago. This
force, of nearly 20, 900 men, would be a nucleus
about which the conspiratOrs in other parts OF
Illinois could gather; and, being joined by the
prisoners liberated from other camps, and men,
bers of the order from other States, would form
an army hundred thousand strong. So fully
had everything been foreseen and provided for,
that the leaders expected to gather and organ
ize this vast body of men within the space of a
fortnight The United States could bring into
the field no force capable of withstanding the
progress of such an army. The consequences
would be that the whole character of the war
would be changed-its theatre would be shifted
from the Border to the heart of the Free States;
and Southern independence, and the beginning
at the North of that process ofdisintegratiOn so
confidently counted on by the Rebel leaders at
the outbreak of hostilities, would have followed.
What saved the nation from being drawn in
to this whirlpool ofruin? Nothing but the cool
brain, sleepless vigilance and wonderful sagac-
ity of one mana young officer never read of
in the newspapers-Temoved from field duty
because of disability, but commissioned, | yer
lily believe by Providence itself to ferret out
and foil this deeper-laid, wider-spread and more
diabolical conspiracy than any that darkens the
page of history. Other men--and women too
were instrumental in dragging the dark iniquity
to light; but they failed to fathOm its full enOr-
nifty, and to discover its point of outbreak
He did that; and he thrOttled the tiger when
about TO spring, and so deserves the lasting graf
itude of his country. How he did it propose
to tell III this paper. 1t is marvellous tale; it
will read more like romance than history; but,
calling TO mind what good man once said to
me, "Write the truth; let people doubt if they
will l shall narrate the facts.
There is nothing remarkable in the appear
ance of this young man. Nearly six feet high,
he has an erect, military carriage, frank man.
ly face, and looks every inch soldier-such a
soldier as would stand up all day in a square
hand-tO hand fight with an open enemy; but
the keeuest eye would detect in him no indica-
ton of the crafty genius which delights to fol-
low the windiDgs of wickedness when burrow-
ing in the dark. But if not Fsuche or a vi
docq, he is certainly an able man; for in a sec
tiOn where able men are as plenty as apple BIOS
SONS in June, he was chosen to represent his
district in the State Senate, and entering the
army subaltern officer, rose, before the battle
of Perryville, TO the command of regiment
At that battle Rebel bullet entered his shoul-
der and crushed the bones of his right elbow
This disabled him for field duty, and so it came
about that he assumed the light blue of the vet
eraus, and on the I'd day of May, 1864, succeed
ed Gen. Orme in command of the military post
at Chicago.
When fairly settled in the low rooted shanty
which stands, a sort of mute sentry, over the
front gateway of Camp Douglas, the new COM
msndant was natural, looked about HIM. He
found the camp-about go acres of fiat, sandy
SOIL inclosed by a tight board fence, an inch
thick, aDdI4 feet bigh-had garrison of but
two regiments OF veteran reserves, numbering,
all told, only 700 men mt for duty. This small
force guarding 5000 Rebel prisoners, one
third of whom were Texas rangers, and guer-
rillas who had served under Morgan-wild, reck-
less characters fonder of fight than dinner,
and ready for any enterprise, however desper-
ate that held out the smallest prospect of free
dom. To add to the seeming insecurity, near
ly every office in the camp was filed with these
prisoners. They served out ratious and dis
tributed clothing to their comrades, dealt out
ammunition to the guards, and even kept the
records in the quarters of the commandant. In
fact the prison was in charge of the prisoners,
not the prisoners in charge of the prison. This
state of things underwent a sudden change
With the exception of very few, whose charac-
ters recommended them to peculiar confidence,
all were at once placed where they belonged
on the inner side of the prison-fence.
Apost-office was connected with the camp,
and this next received the Commandant's atten-
tion. Everything about it appeared to be reg
uIar. A vast number of letters came and went,
but they all passed unsealed, and seemed to con-
tain nothing contraband. Many of fthem, bowev-
err, were short epistles on long pieces of paper,
a curious circumstance among correspondents
with whom stationery was scarce and green
backs were not Gver-plenty. One sultry day
in June, the Commandant builded a fire, and
gave these letters warming and lol prestol the
white spaces broke out into dark lines breath
ing thoughts blaekcr than the fluid that wrote
them. Corporal Suooks whispered to his wife,
away down in Texas. "The forthe of July is
comm Sukey. so be man; fur I'm gwine to
celebrate. I'm gwine up loike rocket ef l
does come down lOike a stick" An Sergeant
Blower said said to John Copperhesd, of Chi