What do you think?
Rate this book
Conflicting Worlds: New Dimensions of the American Civil War
Knights of the Golden Circle: Secret Empire, Southern Secession, Civil War
Based on years of exhaustive and meticulous research, David C. Keehn's study provides the first comprehensive analysis of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secret southern society that initially sought to establish a slave-holding empire in the Golden Circle region of Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. Keehn reveals the origins, rituals, structure, and complex history of this mysterious group, including its later involvement in the secession movement. Members supported southern governors in precipitating disunion, filled the ranks of the nascent Confederate Army, and organized rearguard actions during the Civil War.
The Knights of the Golden Circle emerged around 1858 when a secret society formed by a Cincinnati businessman merged with the pro-expansionist Order of the Lone Star, which already had 15,000 members. The following year, the Knights began publishing their own newspaper and established their headquarters in Washington, D. C. In 1860, during their first attempt to create the Golden Circle, several thousand Knights assembled in southern Texas to colonize northern Mexico. Due to insufficient resources and organizational shortfalls, however, that filibuster failed.
Later, the Knights shifted their focus and began pushing for disunion, spearheading pro-secession rallies, and intimidating Unionists in the South. They appointed regional military commanders from the ranks of the South's major political and military figures, including men such as Elkanah Greer of Texas, Paul J. Semmes of Georgia, Robert C. Tyler of Maryland, and Virginius D. Groner of Virginia. Followers also established allies with the South's rabidly pro-secession fire-eaters, which included individuals such as Barnwell Rhett, Louis Wigfall, Henry Wise, and William Yancey.
According to Keehn, the Knights likely carried out a variety of other clandestine actions before the Civil War, including attempts by insurgents to take over federal forts in Virginia and North Carolina, the activation of pro-southern militia around Washington, D. C. and a planned assassination of Abraham Lincoln as he passed through Baltimore in early 1861 on the way to his inauguration. Once the fighting began, the Knights helped build the emerging Confederate Army and assisted with the pro-Confederate Copperhead movement in northern states. With the war all but lost, various Knights supported one of their members, John Wilkes Booth, in his plot to abduct and assassinate President Lincoln.
Keehn's fast-paced, engaging narrative demonstrates that the Knights proved more substantial than historians have traditionally assumed and provides a new perspective on southern secession and the outbreak of the Civil War.
The Knights of the Golden Circle emerged around 1858 when a secret society formed by a Cincinnati businessman merged with the pro-expansionist Order of the Lone Star, which already had 15,000 members. The following year, the Knights began publishing their own newspaper and established their headquarters in Washington, D. C. In 1860, during their first attempt to create the Golden Circle, several thousand Knights assembled in southern Texas to colonize northern Mexico. Due to insufficient resources and organizational shortfalls, however, that filibuster failed.
Later, the Knights shifted their focus and began pushing for disunion, spearheading pro-secession rallies, and intimidating Unionists in the South. They appointed regional military commanders from the ranks of the South's major political and military figures, including men such as Elkanah Greer of Texas, Paul J. Semmes of Georgia, Robert C. Tyler of Maryland, and Virginius D. Groner of Virginia. Followers also established allies with the South's rabidly pro-secession fire-eaters, which included individuals such as Barnwell Rhett, Louis Wigfall, Henry Wise, and William Yancey.
According to Keehn, the Knights likely carried out a variety of other clandestine actions before the Civil War, including attempts by insurgents to take over federal forts in Virginia and North Carolina, the activation of pro-southern militia around Washington, D. C. and a planned assassination of Abraham Lincoln as he passed through Baltimore in early 1861 on the way to his inauguration. Once the fighting began, the Knights helped build the emerging Confederate Army and assisted with the pro-Confederate Copperhead movement in northern states. With the war all but lost, various Knights supported one of their members, John Wilkes Booth, in his plot to abduct and assassinate President Lincoln.
Keehn's fast-paced, engaging narrative demonstrates that the Knights proved more substantial than historians have traditionally assumed and provides a new perspective on southern secession and the outbreak of the Civil War.
308 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2013
22 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 7, 2018
This book is such an odd combination of essential facts overlooked and completely new essential facts introduced that all I can say about it for sure is that there's a lot to the story of the Knights of the Golden Circle and more will have to be learned.
It's common historical knowledge that Albert Pike cofounded the KGC in 1856, so why does he not appear in this book until page 122? On the other hand, when he does appear, it's in the context of maybe the single most important thing mentioned here -- that there were KGC chapters among the Cherokee and that Pike helped to set them up. This puts a whole lot of things in context, especially the Union's actions in Oklahoma during the Civil War.
Nothing is mentioned of Bickley's presence in Cincinnati during the Margaret Mead trial, which certainly must have been incredibly significant. On the other hand, the book randomly mentions that oh yeah, by the way, the KGC took over San Antonio by a coup before secession, before even the firing on Fort Sumter, and that after being trapped in the Alamo by snipers the Union commander David Twigg figured out what was good for him, marched to New Orleans, and took his commission in the CSA. Later that day and completely by accident, if this story is to be believed, Robert E. Lee randomly walked into San Antonio, where he was very surprised to find a coup in process and was, if this book is to be believed, held captive by the KGC for a couple weeks until he was released to go to Washington D.C., where Lincoln offered him command of the Union Army, which he declined. If something this astoundingly significant happened, why have I never read about it before? Is it true?
More reading is needed.
Fair warning; this book promises major revelations about John Wilkes Booth and the plot against Lincoln that it does not completely deliver on.
It's common historical knowledge that Albert Pike cofounded the KGC in 1856, so why does he not appear in this book until page 122? On the other hand, when he does appear, it's in the context of maybe the single most important thing mentioned here -- that there were KGC chapters among the Cherokee and that Pike helped to set them up. This puts a whole lot of things in context, especially the Union's actions in Oklahoma during the Civil War.
Nothing is mentioned of Bickley's presence in Cincinnati during the Margaret Mead trial, which certainly must have been incredibly significant. On the other hand, the book randomly mentions that oh yeah, by the way, the KGC took over San Antonio by a coup before secession, before even the firing on Fort Sumter, and that after being trapped in the Alamo by snipers the Union commander David Twigg figured out what was good for him, marched to New Orleans, and took his commission in the CSA. Later that day and completely by accident, if this story is to be believed, Robert E. Lee randomly walked into San Antonio, where he was very surprised to find a coup in process and was, if this book is to be believed, held captive by the KGC for a couple weeks until he was released to go to Washington D.C., where Lincoln offered him command of the Union Army, which he declined. If something this astoundingly significant happened, why have I never read about it before? Is it true?
More reading is needed.
Fair warning; this book promises major revelations about John Wilkes Booth and the plot against Lincoln that it does not completely deliver on.
July 15, 2023
A little dry in parts. It picked up towards the end. He could have spent a bit more time of the Civil War.
August 4, 2014
There is a rarity in the realm of the Civil War when a subject comes along that many have never really analyzed. Here, in Knights of the Golden Circle, David C. Keehn analyzes the secret society in a way no one has done. By taking the roots of the group and bringing it up to the world of the Civil War was utterly fascinating. Because we always hear of the Knights of the Golden Circle but are never analyzed, Keehn’s work stands out as one of the major contributions to academia concerning this secret society. Certain events which have been clouded in mystery are finally answered in this text and to some, the outcome is a bit horrifying.
David C. Keehn is an attorney from Allentown, Pennsylvania and received his history degree from Gettysburg College. He also holds a juris doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. This is the first work he has written and hopefully will not be the last.
In the sidelines of many narratives of Civil War history, there is mention of a group called the Knights of the Golden Circle. Many times in my own reading of the texts, I have not understood what the group was or what they stood for and many times I disregarded it or forgot to look up what they were. Here, in David Keehn’s book, they are explained in excruciating detail which is needed due to the lack of information presented in other histories. The Knights of the Golden Circle wanted to extend the institution of slavery into the areas of Mexico, Cuba, the Caribbean and Central America and after the Civil War was over attempted to continue their actions only to be arrested or hide their links to the organization. One thing which was noticeable and may be noticeable to many others who read this book is the closeness between the Freemasons and the Knights of the Golden Circle. Though not the same organization, the language of the their tenants tends to be similar which lends people to believe that Masons were behind some of the operations of the war when, in fact, it was the knights. With their origins in the Order of the Lone Star, they found a way to contract and army and legalize invasions of another country. For so long, the knights had their sights on the area of Mexico and were often close to “filibustering” or invading the country. Of course, current events slowed that process and instead some of the knights played their way into the folds of the American Civil War. When it came to the Election of 1860, many knights who did not like the Southern candidate, either Southern Republican or Southern Democrat, would have rather voted for Lincoln because it would force the hand of the South to secede. Even the people involved in the assassination plot of 1861 to kill Lincoln in Baltimore had ties to the Knights of the Golden Circle. Lastly, John Wilkes Booth was a member of the organization and was the reason he was able to see the execution of John Brown.
Knights of the Golden Circle is an excellent book and I cannot recommend it enough. This subject matter is unexplored to the point where many know nothing about this organization. With Keehn’s book, that is no longer a problem. With a flowing narrative, and sometimes action packed, Keehn has renewed an interest in the secret societies during the Civil War. Highly recommended.
Matthew Bartlett - Author, Gettysburg Chronicle
David C. Keehn is an attorney from Allentown, Pennsylvania and received his history degree from Gettysburg College. He also holds a juris doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. This is the first work he has written and hopefully will not be the last.
In the sidelines of many narratives of Civil War history, there is mention of a group called the Knights of the Golden Circle. Many times in my own reading of the texts, I have not understood what the group was or what they stood for and many times I disregarded it or forgot to look up what they were. Here, in David Keehn’s book, they are explained in excruciating detail which is needed due to the lack of information presented in other histories. The Knights of the Golden Circle wanted to extend the institution of slavery into the areas of Mexico, Cuba, the Caribbean and Central America and after the Civil War was over attempted to continue their actions only to be arrested or hide their links to the organization. One thing which was noticeable and may be noticeable to many others who read this book is the closeness between the Freemasons and the Knights of the Golden Circle. Though not the same organization, the language of the their tenants tends to be similar which lends people to believe that Masons were behind some of the operations of the war when, in fact, it was the knights. With their origins in the Order of the Lone Star, they found a way to contract and army and legalize invasions of another country. For so long, the knights had their sights on the area of Mexico and were often close to “filibustering” or invading the country. Of course, current events slowed that process and instead some of the knights played their way into the folds of the American Civil War. When it came to the Election of 1860, many knights who did not like the Southern candidate, either Southern Republican or Southern Democrat, would have rather voted for Lincoln because it would force the hand of the South to secede. Even the people involved in the assassination plot of 1861 to kill Lincoln in Baltimore had ties to the Knights of the Golden Circle. Lastly, John Wilkes Booth was a member of the organization and was the reason he was able to see the execution of John Brown.
Knights of the Golden Circle is an excellent book and I cannot recommend it enough. This subject matter is unexplored to the point where many know nothing about this organization. With Keehn’s book, that is no longer a problem. With a flowing narrative, and sometimes action packed, Keehn has renewed an interest in the secret societies during the Civil War. Highly recommended.
Matthew Bartlett - Author, Gettysburg Chronicle
February 17, 2024
An extensively researched study of a secret Southern society which first sought to extend Southern slave-owning territory to Mexico during the late 1850s and then significantly influenced many of the Southern states to secede from the Union in 1861.
January 30, 2015
I liked the book but it is a much, much drier read than I thought it would be. If you're not a history buff this is definitely not a book for you.
Cons: Dry (as I've said) and a lot of repetition.
Pros: Extremely well researched and has great, authoritative cites (are you listening Bill O'Reilly?). The author did a phenomenal job of finding period articles and other resources to back up their contentions and I have no doubt this is going to be THE authoritative book on this subject for scholars of the KGC.
You'll read a lot of stuff on the web and elsewhere about suppositions, theories and myths dealing with the KGC but this author appears to have set out to write a book that dealt with what could be proven and not ventured into the areas of myth.
I wish it had been an easier read but it has earned a definite place on my bookshelf of reference materials.
As to my rating, the 4 stars was a compromise. It earned 5 stars for its content but was so dry it only got a 2 or 3 for readability. However, I would have given it higher than 5 stars if possible for the content and so I thought 4 stars was a fair compromise.
Cons: Dry (as I've said) and a lot of repetition.
Pros: Extremely well researched and has great, authoritative cites (are you listening Bill O'Reilly?). The author did a phenomenal job of finding period articles and other resources to back up their contentions and I have no doubt this is going to be THE authoritative book on this subject for scholars of the KGC.
You'll read a lot of stuff on the web and elsewhere about suppositions, theories and myths dealing with the KGC but this author appears to have set out to write a book that dealt with what could be proven and not ventured into the areas of myth.
I wish it had been an easier read but it has earned a definite place on my bookshelf of reference materials.
As to my rating, the 4 stars was a compromise. It earned 5 stars for its content but was so dry it only got a 2 or 3 for readability. However, I would have given it higher than 5 stars if possible for the content and so I thought 4 stars was a fair compromise.
December 6, 2013
From the plan to take over Mexico for the South to expand slavery, to the backing of succession and the eventual ciivil war that followed. This secret organization seemed to be everywhere and nowhere all at once. Causing the North fits at every turn. With that said they didn't seem to help the south all that much either; the story of their involvement with Booth and the assassination of Lincoln seems to be in the realm of maybe (Booth was a KGC member).
Still an interesting take on the civil war and one not all that explored.
Still an interesting take on the civil war and one not all that explored.
February 16, 2014
Meh... Wasn't that interesting
April 14, 2014
Very interesting view of the years immediately preceding the Civil War.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews