Northern sympathizers?

30th_il

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Copperheads, being southern sympathizers living in the north; was there an equivalent group in the south (northern sympathizers living in the south)? I cannot remember any named group(s) and if they did exist they were probably fairly quickly "convinced" not to exist.
 
30th:
It's my understanding that before the war there were numerous anti-secession groups. As secession came closer, the groups became more clandestine and/or quieter. By 1860, it was risky to express the "wrong" sentiment.
Ole
 
Northern sympathizers living in the South were often known simply as soldiers in the US Army. There wasn't a lot of political shenanagins aside from the renagades and bushwhackers, much of which was a carry over from long going regional fueds between clans or families. The Home Guard was perhaps an attempt to deal with that sentiment but more likely an expression of the civil and political unrest.
 
I haven't heard of "Heros of America", but I'm certainly not a scholar in this matter, or much of anything else!
 
Looks as if you uncovered a nest of them Sam. Thanks for the post. I haven't heard this term in this context before. Can anyone tell me more about the Scalawags?
 
JWNathan and Larry,

The Order of the Heroes of America was a pro-union order located in North Carolina, southwestern Virginia, and eastern Tennessee, but was not discovered by Confederate authorities until 1864.

And Larry, I hate to tell you, not all people who were Northern sympathizers in the South were known as US Army.

Besides the Order of the Heroes of America, there was the Peace and Constitutional Society, organized in Arkansas, and the Peace Society, which existed in Alabama, East Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, and perhaps even Florida.

All of these organizations were made up by Southern men who remained loyal to the Union after secession.

From the book, Disloyalty in the Confederacy, by Georgia Lee Tatum.

unionblue
 
A great-great-great grandfather of mine was a Unionist in a Tennessee county that was strongly secessionist. There was a lot of bushwacker activity in the area, with many Unionists being killed and/or burned out. However, my ancestor was apparently left alone, possibly because he had six sons-in-law who served in the Confederate army. That was offset by his six sons who served the Union, but there is no evidence he was ever bothered by anyone about his Union sentiments.

There is a branch of the family who won't associate even today with my ancestor's branch because, as they say, "They are Union, you know"!
 
Scalawags

Neil, I was sort of expecting you to catch the one about the US Army. My own James Patterson Cockerham, farrier with the 10th TN US grew up in Wilkes County, NC in an otherwise Confederate environment. His brother Irvin Cockerham served faithfully with the CSA. They even lived on the same farm for a few years after the war, having married sisters. I wonder if this organization, if it was organized, helped James Patterson reach the US Army? He would have needed help from somewhere, though at 5'5" he could have easily kept a low profile. Wilkes County is only about 50 very steep miles from Tennessee and Grayson County, Virginia. Johnson County, Tennessee was mostly Union in sentiment. Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes and Surry Counties sent many men to join the Confederate Army, very few Union. GG grandpa Cockerham was apparently an exception. Local history, written nor oral, to my knowledge has mentioned this organization. I'll do some research through my cousins.
 
I really know nothing about it, but yesterday I came across a reference to the "Republic of Winston", a hill country county in NW Alabama. It sounds like the residents were not pro-North so much as anti-Confederate.

An interesting post-script (and how I found the reference): one of the few federal district (trial-level) judges sitting in the South in the 1950's and early 1960's who took Brown v. Board of Education seriously and issued a number of important early civil rights rulings was Frank M. Johnson. Judge Johnson's court was in Montgomery (I believe) but he was born and raised in Winston County, and most believe that this fact profoundly influenced his outlook and willingness to make the rulings he did.

If anyone has more info on the Republic of Winston, I'd be interested to hear about it.

Republic of Winston: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Winston

Frank M. Johnson: http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/joh2bio-1
 
My relatives (Clans) in Alabama fought with the US 1st Alabama Volunteer Cavalry.

Others (too many to name) Fought with Grant and Sherman, and Longstreet and Johnson.

As you know, amongst the Celtic people, you never take someone elses side in a family feud. Which this war was. From the perspective of or families.

JimM ( Jim Morris, Scotland)
 
Will Posey said:
There is a branch of the family who won't associate even today with my ancestor's branch because, as they say, "They are Union, you know"!

Dang, you'd think they'd kiss and made up by now.
 
There was also a group called The Republic Of Jones located in Jones County Mississippi. Most of this county was pro Union but still held slaves. They apposed leaving the union and declared themselfs independent. Later in the war and around mid 1863, Jones county became a refuge for deserters, bushwackers, and a few Indians. This group of men prayed on the citizens of Jones county and the area around.

One intresting thing I found out about this group is that in the fall of 1864, about 100 union officers that were captured in the September raids by Forrest were held for exchange in Enterprise, MS. It was reported to the Confederate guards that the "Army" from the Republic of Jones was headed to Enterprise to inflict serious damage to the town for allowing the Union officers to have free movement to the entire town. The guard at Enterprise was very small and they requested help to guard the town. There request was denied. The Union officers made a deal with there guards that if they were allowed arms, they would not escape or use the guns given them against them. A wagon load of muskets were brought out and the Union officers stood guard over the town for 3 days. The army of Jones did not show up. (this was found in the history of the 3rd Tennesse Cavalry "Loyal Mountian Troopers")
 
Sam, I haven't seen the Buffaloes. I'm a hillbilly. By the time I wandered down by the coast, it was already full of yankees trying to stay warm and avoid the traffic jams.
 
Larry, the last time I was in Nashville, there was more traffic there than there is in Indianapolis on race day at 16th street and Georgetown Rd.
 
Terrain and Loyalty

There were many Southern sympathizers for the Union in the mountaineous regions of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Maryland. If the terrain was poor for the use of many slaves, the area would almost naturally hold many who were pro-Union and less apt to support slavery and secession.

One author stated that some of the excesses at Fort Pillow were set in the fact that the Confederates were fighting what they considered slaves and white "turncoat" Tennessee natives.
 
One author stated that some of the excesses at Fort Pillow were set in the fact that the Confederates were fighting what they considered slaves and white "turncoat" Tennessee natives.
More than one, Whitworth. It's now pretty clear that the Union force there was made up of USCT artillerists and "tories" -- Tennessee Unionists (perhaps more than that ... Tennessee bushwhackers seeking refuge in blue uniforms). It is easy to conclude that Forrest's men went at this group with a bit more zeal than necessary. But the facts are simply that those were the troops manning the fort, and that the casualties seem to be skewed toward the KIA side.
Ole
 
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