Plans for Insurrection:

  By the middle of 1864, the Civil War had raged for three years, the Confederacy was at a point of utter exhaustion as they were beginning to feel the effects of the war as the support from many of the white planters began to fade as they felt that the Lincolnism ideals of big government was something that interfered with the mentality of “I am the king of my own castle.” In an attempt to counter this loss, as an end to the war by ways other than conflict, the Confederate leaders in Richmond, VA, that actions and tactics more diverse would ultimately win the war.

            Jefferson Davis’s plan was to essentially draw off Federal troops from the battle lines in the South, by allowing border raids that were sponsored by Confederate officials in Canada. This was in an attempt to create a bigger population of citizens in the North to ultimately feel that the war was pointless by creating a revolution and to allow the North to surrender giving the Confederacy, the country-hood that they felt that they so deserved. The raids that were planned were also set to raid many of the prisoner of war camps in order to free Confederate soldiers that were being held in enemy lines, as Davis felt that they would from the backbone of the raiding parties in the North.

            However, in theory this plan would have caused the war to end by different means, but according to Lieutenant Young of the C.S.A., in one of his letters to Clement C. Clay talks about the fiasco that transpired at Chicago.

            “In accordance with your orders, I left St. Catherine Friday morning, August 27^th for Chicago to engage with my company in the enterprise contemplated by yourself and Col. Thompson for the release of the Camp Douglas prisoners.

            Upon reaching Chicago, we found that already a strong force had been collected and veteran regiments were still arriving. One regiment was place within the enclosure with the Confederates and 16 pieces of artillery were parked, ready to open upon those defenseless me in case an attack was made…

…We waited until Wednesday night, hoping something would turn up by which we could benefit our suffering comrades   and enhance the glory of the Confederacy. It was then determined to make an attempt upon Rock Island, if the Copperheads would furnish a small portion of the long-promised aid…

            …Again demanding justice and a regard for my own reputation,

I remain respectfully,

                                                Young”

            Having faced a minor setback in the plan to free the captured Confederate prisoners from the camps of the North, and unwilling to let those men who were captured be killed outright by the Union, another plan was put into speculation that could have possible broken the Union; a rebellion in the North, or the utter bankruptcy of the Federal government.

            “Dear Holcombe,

            …Unless some disaster befall our enemies before the middle of next month and teach them by bitter experience the folly and madness of their effort to exterminate or subdue us, Lincoln will carry every state, Such an ebb of the tide of feeling for peace as has occurred in the North in twenty days is almost as marvelous as it is discouraging. The temper of the Northern public mind seems to me to be as unstable, unregulated and wild as that of any savage race. …They will fight us until we are destroyed or they are exhausted…

            …Very truly your friend,

                                    T.E. Lacy Clay”

            Having looked through this letter it is a case that the Confederacy was just as tired as war as the North, but felt that they needed to act quickly in order to bring about an end of the war that would ultimately bring them as the victors instead of the defeated as it actually happens. I found reading some of these letters to be interesting in the fact that I had never realized that the Confederacy was actually trying the win the war by means of “peace”, but I guess it is one of those things that sounds good in theory but never truly came to point were there would be a nation divided by war but separated by peace.

Sources:

Kinchen, Oscar A., comp. "Appendix IV." Confederate Operations in Canada and the North. North Quincy, Massachusetts: Christopher House, 1970. 226. Print.

Kinchen, Oscar A., comp. "Appendix V." Confederate Operations in Canada and the North. North Quincy, Massachusetts: Christopher House, 1970. 226. Print.

Clay Papers, Manuscript Division, Duke University Library

Clement C. Clay Papers, Record Group 109, National Archives