Known as the
Charleston Riot, it left nine dead and twelve wounded in Charleston, Illinois
on March 28th 1864. The riot
pitted Union soldiers and local Republicans against local Copperheads. The press felt that a Peace Democrat; another
term for Copperheads, Nelson Wells was the instigator, but most think it was
spontaneous and helped along by some heavy drinking. The Riot didn’t last long but it drove the
Copperheads out of town. Two of the
dead, Nelson Wells and John Cooper were part of the Peace democrats.
Union troops were moved by train from Mattoon, Illinois to calm Charleston. There were 15 prisoners held for trail first
in Springfield, Illinois, and then moved to Fort Delaware. President Abraham Lincoln ordered their
release November 4th 1864.
There were 12 members of the Copperheads who were indicted for murder,
but were not captured.
1 comment:
Thank you for posting information about the Charleston IL Riot.
March 28-30,2014 we are marking the 150th anniversary with a 3 day event.
Please check out our website at
http://charlestonillinoisriot.org/
Again, thank you for the post!
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