The Great North-Western Conspiracy in All Its Startling DetailsAyer, I. Winslow
History
The Great North-Western Conspiracy in All Its Startling Details
Ayer, I. Winslow
Knights of the Golden Circle; Northwestern Conspiracy, 1864
A prominent lawyer and citizen of Chicago, a bitter and strong advocate
of Democratic faith and the peculiar notions of the Sons of Liberty.
He was arrested at the same time with Walsh in his own house. He was
a strong Southern man in his feelings and openly sympathized with
the rebellion, and so strong were his sympathies that he frequently
furnished escaped rebel prisoners of war with clothing, food, and money,
and otherwise aided them in escaping from the country. B.S. Morris
was at one time judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, and was
a candidate for Governor of the State of Illinois. He was born in
Kentucky, and is about sixty years of age. Out side of his treason,
Judge Morris was generally regarded as possessing many noble qualities
of heart.]
CHAP. XVI
TESTIMONY OF GEN. B.J. SWEET--LIST OF OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF THE
McCLELLAN CLUBS IN CHICAGO.
The services of Brig.-Gen. B.J. Sweet, in relation to the Northwestern
Conspiracy, have already been briefly mentioned, and the reader will
perhaps find the report of that officer's testimony full of interest.
After the communications by the writer to Gen. Sweet (then Colonel)
in command of Camp Douglas, which were made by request of Gen. Paine,
dispatches were regularly forwarded to that officer, who never failed to
receive them with gratification. The service was one of extreme danger,
difficulty and delicacy, requiring the most careful attention, unceasing
vigilance, and only the consciousness of discharging an important and
imperative duty to the country, and the confident belief that invaluable
aid might thus be rendered, could have induced the writer to enter upon
and pursue a line of service, a thousand times more distasteful and
perilous than active service upon the field.
The recognition of the writer's services by Brig.-Gen. Paine, and
subsequently by Maj. Gen. Hooker, in commendatory letters, will ever be
remembered, showing as it did, a grateful appreciation by those gallant
officers, of services of which, from their character, the public could
have no knowledge for the time being.
The following is the testimony of Gen. Sweet, as substantially given
before the military commission in Cincinnati:
EVIDENCE OF COLONEL SWEET.
My name is Benjamin J. Sweet; I am and was, during the months of
September, October, and November of last year, Colonel of the 8th
Regiment Veteran Reserve Corps; I was also, and still am, Commandant
of the Post of Chicago, including Camp Douglas. The post I command
extended, I suppose to the limits of the surrounding posts.
_The Judge Advocate_.--What are the geographical limits of the command
of the Post of Chicago.
Mr. Asay objected to the question, as involving a matter of law and not
of evidence, but his objection was overruled by the Court.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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