Mural depicts Civil War riot
Barbara Harrington/Staff Reporter
Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: News
Democrats decided to arm themselves and start performing drills because they figured the opposition would come for them any day.
On March 28, 1864, a Democrat was scheduled to speak in Charleston. However, because a unit of Union soldiers was on leave, the speaker decided to cancel his appearance at the last minute, for fear that his speech would stir up trouble.
People were not aware of the cancellation, so they showed up anyway. Among these people was a group of Copperheads.
The Copperheads, also known as Peace Democrats, were a group of Democrats who opposed the Civil War and wanted to make immediate peace with the South. The Peace Democrats were called "Copperheads" by Republicans because of the copper coins they wore as badges.
The Copperheads showed up to the town square with a wagon full of guns, determined to get the Union soldiers out of Charleston, Kleen said.
People in the square started shouting at one another, many of them drunk. The Union soldiers accused the Copperheads of disloyalty while the Copperheads insulted and threatened the Union soldiers.
Kleen said everything erupted when a soldier bumped into a Copperhead. The soldier asked if there were any Copperheads around, and the man replied, "Yes, I am one."
The Copperhead then drew his pistol and shot the Union soldier. Everyone started fighting.
"Basically the Copperheads grabbed all their guns and mowed the soldiers down," Kleen said. "The whole fight probably didn't last longer than five minutes."
After the riot, things calmed down in Charleston.
The following summer, it was obvious the South would lose the Civil War.
Kleen said he thinks some people do not like to talk about the riot because there is an element of racism involved.
"There were laws on the books that prevented the slave trade in Illinois," Kleen said. "They didn't want black people coming to Illinois and competing with their labor."
Kleen said Copperheads oftentimes called Republicans "Black Republicans" because the Copperheads thought they wanted to "Africanize the north."
When he first saw the mural in the town square, Kleen was not even aware of what it was. His curiosity led him to research the topic. He has written several papers and may be writing a book for the SIU Press on Copperheadism.
On October 19, Kleen will be presenting one of his papers at a history conference in Springfield.
Charleston special events and tourism supervisor Karen Petersen said she believes the mural portraying the riot not only helps to educate locals, but it also helps some local businesses by attracting visitors.
"It draws people to the square," Petersen said. "The murals help people appreciate where Charleston was and where they are today. It paints the town's history."
On March 28, 1864, a Democrat was scheduled to speak in Charleston. However, because a unit of Union soldiers was on leave, the speaker decided to cancel his appearance at the last minute, for fear that his speech would stir up trouble.
People were not aware of the cancellation, so they showed up anyway. Among these people was a group of Copperheads.
The Copperheads, also known as Peace Democrats, were a group of Democrats who opposed the Civil War and wanted to make immediate peace with the South. The Peace Democrats were called "Copperheads" by Republicans because of the copper coins they wore as badges.
The Copperheads showed up to the town square with a wagon full of guns, determined to get the Union soldiers out of Charleston, Kleen said.
People in the square started shouting at one another, many of them drunk. The Union soldiers accused the Copperheads of disloyalty while the Copperheads insulted and threatened the Union soldiers.
Kleen said everything erupted when a soldier bumped into a Copperhead. The soldier asked if there were any Copperheads around, and the man replied, "Yes, I am one."
The Copperhead then drew his pistol and shot the Union soldier. Everyone started fighting.
"Basically the Copperheads grabbed all their guns and mowed the soldiers down," Kleen said. "The whole fight probably didn't last longer than five minutes."
After the riot, things calmed down in Charleston.
The following summer, it was obvious the South would lose the Civil War.
Kleen said he thinks some people do not like to talk about the riot because there is an element of racism involved.
"There were laws on the books that prevented the slave trade in Illinois," Kleen said. "They didn't want black people coming to Illinois and competing with their labor."
Kleen said Copperheads oftentimes called Republicans "Black Republicans" because the Copperheads thought they wanted to "Africanize the north."
When he first saw the mural in the town square, Kleen was not even aware of what it was. His curiosity led him to research the topic. He has written several papers and may be writing a book for the SIU Press on Copperheadism.
On October 19, Kleen will be presenting one of his papers at a history conference in Springfield.
Charleston special events and tourism supervisor Karen Petersen said she believes the mural portraying the riot not only helps to educate locals, but it also helps some local businesses by attracting visitors.
"It draws people to the square," Petersen said. "The murals help people appreciate where Charleston was and where they are today. It paints the town's history."
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