Peace Society
Sergeant
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2019
- Location
- Ark Mo line
from: Carroll County Historical Quarterly
published by the Carroll County Historical Society (Carroll County, Arkansas)
(posted with permission)
Vol. III, No. 1 March 1958
Pg. 9-11 The Arkansas Peace Society of 1861: A Study in Mountain Unionism
By Ted R. Worley [part 1]
When Arkansas seceded from the Union May 6, 1861, the only dissenting vote in the convention was that of Isaac Murphy of Madison County in the mountain section of the state. The nearly unanimous vote for secession did not reflect a similar enthusiasm among the people. In several upland counties in the northwestern and north central parts of the state majority sentiment was probably opposed to secession. After the event, however, when loyalty rather than political opinion was at issue, most mountaineers chose the Confederacy. A strong minority remained loyal to the Union, and the mountain section furnished perhaps nine-tenths of approximately 8,000 Arkansans who joined the Federal army.
Apparently the earliest organized internal resistance to the Confederacy came in Arkansas, from secret societies in Searcy, Ban Burren, Izard, Carroll, Fulton, and Marion Counties. These six counties in the north central section of the state were contiguous to each other and three joined Missouri. The societies collectively were usually called the Peace Society or the Peace Organization Society but were also referred to as Home Protection Society, Home Guard, and in one instance as the Pro Bono Public Society. They were referred to vaguely in Arkansas newspapers as “jayhawkers,” a good propaganda term borrowed from the Kansas border. In mid-November, 1861, activities of these secret organizations considered treasonable were noticed in Searcy and Izard Counties by citizens loyal to the Confederacy, who were surprised to find extensive opposition to the cause among their neighbors.
Among the most surprised of all was Samuel Leslie, commandant of Searcy County militia, who, less than a month before, had written Governor Henry M. Rector emphatically to deny existence of disloyalty in his county. Colonel Leslie said,
“It is true the citizens of this county war union men as long as there was aney hope of Union and perhaps a little longer, but all Ida of the Union as it onst was is banished the time has passed for the North and South to live together in pease and harmoney and we must be loyal to the government we live under this is the feeling of the people of this county so fare as I have any Knolledg and when you hear men call the people of Searcy Co. by hard names rest assured they are wilfully lying or misinformed with (respect to) the character of our people.”
On November 20 word came to Leslie that about one hundred loyal citizens in Locust Grove Township, assisted by others from Izard County, were arresting supposed members of a secret organization hostile to the Confederate States. Colonel Leslie immediately took a portion of his militia to the vicinity, where he found about fifty men under arrest. The first members arrested, probably under promise of leniency and threat of hanging, revealed secrets and names of other members including leaders. The brotherhood, it was discovered, was fully formed, with constitution, initiatory oath, passwords, signs, and tokens. A bit of yellow ribbon or rag on a post or on the wall of a cabin meant, to the initiated, that a brother resided there. A wolf howl was a sign to be answered by the hooting of an owl. “It’s a dark night” was a password to be answered “Not so dark as it will be before morning.”
Colonel Leslie mobilized the rest of the Searcy County militia and during two weeks following made further arrests. By December 5 the courthouse at Burrowville, the county seat. Was filled with members and suspected members of the society. Meantime couriers had carried to Governor Rector information collected from prisoners and others. Rector immediately dispatched an order to Colonel Leslie, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Arkansas Militia, saying,
“I and my officers in the State are sworn to enforce the laws as they are--and individuals, one or many, revelling against these laws, must be looked after and if for the safety of the country, it becomes necessary to arrest and imprison them or to execute them for treason, that must and will be done promptly and certainly, if it is necessary to call out every man in the State to accomplish it……
You will therefore proceed to arrest all men in your county who profess friendship for the Lincoln (sic) government - or who harbor or support others arousing hostility to the Confederate States or the State of Arkansas. And when so arrested you will march them to this place, where they will be dealt with as enemies of their country-- whose peace and safety is being endangered by their disloyal and treasonable acts.”
In compliance Colonel Leslie sent seventy-eight of the arrested men to Little Rock under guard of one hundred soldiers. To prevent possible escape, and perhaps also to make an example of them, the suspected traitors were linked in pairs with ordinary trace chains and marched over the rough ninety miles of rough road to the capital in the shortest possible time.
Meantime in Carroll County on the Missouri border suspects were dealt with firmly but in less summary fashion. There a justice of the peace court, consisting of magistrates Kelly Fostherston and William Owen “siting (sic) as a Court of Enquiry & Investigation into certain secret Treasonable and Insurrectionary Society,” heard testimony from twelve members of the brotherhood which implicated themselves and twenty-two other men. The twenty-two were ordered committed for further trial and conveyed to Little Rock under a guard composed of Arkansas Cavalry Volunteers, C.S.A. and surrendered to the Governor. The twelve informers were bonded to appear before the Governor for further testimony.
published by the Carroll County Historical Society (Carroll County, Arkansas)
(posted with permission)
Vol. III, No. 1 March 1958
Pg. 9-11 The Arkansas Peace Society of 1861: A Study in Mountain Unionism
By Ted R. Worley [part 1]
When Arkansas seceded from the Union May 6, 1861, the only dissenting vote in the convention was that of Isaac Murphy of Madison County in the mountain section of the state. The nearly unanimous vote for secession did not reflect a similar enthusiasm among the people. In several upland counties in the northwestern and north central parts of the state majority sentiment was probably opposed to secession. After the event, however, when loyalty rather than political opinion was at issue, most mountaineers chose the Confederacy. A strong minority remained loyal to the Union, and the mountain section furnished perhaps nine-tenths of approximately 8,000 Arkansans who joined the Federal army.
Apparently the earliest organized internal resistance to the Confederacy came in Arkansas, from secret societies in Searcy, Ban Burren, Izard, Carroll, Fulton, and Marion Counties. These six counties in the north central section of the state were contiguous to each other and three joined Missouri. The societies collectively were usually called the Peace Society or the Peace Organization Society but were also referred to as Home Protection Society, Home Guard, and in one instance as the Pro Bono Public Society. They were referred to vaguely in Arkansas newspapers as “jayhawkers,” a good propaganda term borrowed from the Kansas border. In mid-November, 1861, activities of these secret organizations considered treasonable were noticed in Searcy and Izard Counties by citizens loyal to the Confederacy, who were surprised to find extensive opposition to the cause among their neighbors.
Among the most surprised of all was Samuel Leslie, commandant of Searcy County militia, who, less than a month before, had written Governor Henry M. Rector emphatically to deny existence of disloyalty in his county. Colonel Leslie said,
“It is true the citizens of this county war union men as long as there was aney hope of Union and perhaps a little longer, but all Ida of the Union as it onst was is banished the time has passed for the North and South to live together in pease and harmoney and we must be loyal to the government we live under this is the feeling of the people of this county so fare as I have any Knolledg and when you hear men call the people of Searcy Co. by hard names rest assured they are wilfully lying or misinformed with (respect to) the character of our people.”
On November 20 word came to Leslie that about one hundred loyal citizens in Locust Grove Township, assisted by others from Izard County, were arresting supposed members of a secret organization hostile to the Confederate States. Colonel Leslie immediately took a portion of his militia to the vicinity, where he found about fifty men under arrest. The first members arrested, probably under promise of leniency and threat of hanging, revealed secrets and names of other members including leaders. The brotherhood, it was discovered, was fully formed, with constitution, initiatory oath, passwords, signs, and tokens. A bit of yellow ribbon or rag on a post or on the wall of a cabin meant, to the initiated, that a brother resided there. A wolf howl was a sign to be answered by the hooting of an owl. “It’s a dark night” was a password to be answered “Not so dark as it will be before morning.”
Colonel Leslie mobilized the rest of the Searcy County militia and during two weeks following made further arrests. By December 5 the courthouse at Burrowville, the county seat. Was filled with members and suspected members of the society. Meantime couriers had carried to Governor Rector information collected from prisoners and others. Rector immediately dispatched an order to Colonel Leslie, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Arkansas Militia, saying,
“I and my officers in the State are sworn to enforce the laws as they are--and individuals, one or many, revelling against these laws, must be looked after and if for the safety of the country, it becomes necessary to arrest and imprison them or to execute them for treason, that must and will be done promptly and certainly, if it is necessary to call out every man in the State to accomplish it……
You will therefore proceed to arrest all men in your county who profess friendship for the Lincoln (sic) government - or who harbor or support others arousing hostility to the Confederate States or the State of Arkansas. And when so arrested you will march them to this place, where they will be dealt with as enemies of their country-- whose peace and safety is being endangered by their disloyal and treasonable acts.”
In compliance Colonel Leslie sent seventy-eight of the arrested men to Little Rock under guard of one hundred soldiers. To prevent possible escape, and perhaps also to make an example of them, the suspected traitors were linked in pairs with ordinary trace chains and marched over the rough ninety miles of rough road to the capital in the shortest possible time.
Meantime in Carroll County on the Missouri border suspects were dealt with firmly but in less summary fashion. There a justice of the peace court, consisting of magistrates Kelly Fostherston and William Owen “siting (sic) as a Court of Enquiry & Investigation into certain secret Treasonable and Insurrectionary Society,” heard testimony from twelve members of the brotherhood which implicated themselves and twenty-two other men. The twenty-two were ordered committed for further trial and conveyed to Little Rock under a guard composed of Arkansas Cavalry Volunteers, C.S.A. and surrendered to the Governor. The twelve informers were bonded to appear before the Governor for further testimony.