Copperheads

 

from It Happened in Delaware
a booklet presented by 
The First National Bank of Delaware in 1976.  

 

The notorious Civil War spy system known as the Copperheads operated in and around Delaware. This anti-war group established many headquarters throughout the North. Delaware contributed some members to the Knights of the Golden Circle, which was a Southern sympathizing organization.

One incident with the militant Knights of the Golden Circle involved Capt. Charles Gaylord, who lived with his wife in eastern Delaware County, near Sunbury. The Knights of the Golden Circle fired shots at Gaylord's home while he was away serving the Union cause in the Civil War, Gaylord received an urgent note from his frightened wife and obtained permission to return home with six Union Soldiers. The Knights of the Golden Circle then attempted a second raid on Gaylord's home but were confronted by seven Union Soldiers and frightened away. A few days later, the Knights got word from their Chicago headquarters to disperse and move to a different state.

The raid on Gaylord's home was their lost march in Delaware County,

         
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(04/01/2006 )