Part 5 of 7
While men and women of the 1st and 2nd degrees did their part to organize secession, the 3rd degree, Knights of the Columbian Star, met secretly in Marshall for a council of war in November 1860. San Antonio may have been the Texas KGC headquarters, but Marshall was the central nerve center. Awaiting the results of the election, powerful KGC men from across the South were in attendance as well as Bickley. Since the conclave was secret, the full range of participants and agenda were not recorded. But what is known is that an informer infiltrated the meeting. It was reported that if Lincoln was not elected, then the filibuster to Mexico would take place. If he was elected, a plan was in place to seize Washington DC and inaugurate Vice President Breckenridge as President and seize navy-yards, forts etc., while its members were sitting cabinet officers and senators.
The informer of the Marshall conclave made his report to the US Army’s inspector general, who was in Texas at the time. It sent shockwaves throughout Washington and the Lincoln administration. From this point on, the KGC was taken very seriously, considering the powerful membership of its 3rd degree. The KGC was the new Confederate government’s best friend. Not only did the organization orchestrate secession, but it supplied thousands of armed and well-trained troops for the Confederate Army. As the KGC Knights marched away, their castles went dark back home. But Knights would be active in the field, from north to south, east to west, seen and unseen. Their secret international and multi-state world of spies, paid informants, clandestine contacts, and organized espionage would work hand in hand with the Confederate Secret Service.
References and endnotes available upon request.
To be continued.
Established in 1896, the SCV is dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of Confederate veterans. As the direct heir of the United Confederate Veterans, it is the oldest hereditary organization for male descendants of Confederate soldiers. Today, the SCV remains committed to ensuring the true history of the 1861-1865 period is preserved.