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 VERSUS 
 
 LEAGUE OF AMERICA 
 
 HISTORIC AL ADDRESS 
 
 DELIVKREIl BEFORE THE 
 
 Tazewell County Historical Society 
 
 By William Henry Bates 
 
 jl At the Court House, Pekin, Illinois, Dee, 7th, 1020 
 
 
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 Note:.—T ine above bronze tablet has been placed on the west wall 
 of the building at 33.1 Court street, Pekin, Illinois, to commemorate 
 the birthplace off the first Council of the Union League of America, 
 and as a tribute to the patriotic and loyal people off Tazewell County 
 during the great American Civil War. The Council lodge room was 
 in the third-story of the above manned building. 
 
HISTORICAL ADDRESS 
 
 Delivered before the Tazewell County Historical Society, by 
 WILLIAM HENRY BATES 
 
 At the Court House, Pekin, Illinois, December 7, 1920 
 
 BROTHER PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: 
 
 We have assembled to dedicate the erection of a bronze tablet and 
 pay tribute to the memory of those patriots who organized and were 
 members of the first Council of the Union League of America instituted 
 in the Northern States. 
 
 In order to give you a better understanding of the motive that led 
 to the organization of the Union League of America, I feel it my duty, 
 in as brief a manner as possible, to speak of the causes that called the 
 Union-loving adherents of our grand galaxy of States, under the glori¬ 
 ous Star and Stripes, to organize and pledge allegiance to the best 
 Government on earth. 
 
 According to the report made by Hon. J. Holt, Judge Advocate 
 General of the Bureau of Military Justice, to Hon. E. M. Stanton, Sec¬ 
 retary of War, under date of October 8th, 1864, we learn that about the 
 time of the first conscription of troops, during the war between the 
 slave and free States, northern sympathizers with those in rebellion 
 against the National Government, organized under the following titles: 
 “Mutual Protection Society,” the “ Circle of Honor,” or the “ Circle,” 
 or “ Knights of the Mighty Host,” “Southern League,” “Order of the 
 Sons of Liberty,” “McClellan Minute Guard,” “Order of the American 
 Knights,” etc., but more widely as the “Knights of the Golden Circle.” 
 
 The membership of these various societies organized themselves 
 into bodies called “ Temples’’—individually they were often spoken of 
 as “ Copperheads.” In the Northern States their membership reached 
 a grand total of 350,000, two-thirds of whom were armed, organized 
 into military units and drilled. According to the secret constitution of 
 
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 LIBRARY -- 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
HISTORICAL ADDRESS 
 
 4 
 
 its Supreme Council, provision was made that the Supreme Coni' 
 maader 44 shall be Commander of all Military/ forces belonging to the 
 Orders in the various States*, when called info actual service. 17 
 
 The oath, which was; administered to the members of the K. G. O., 
 prescribed a penalty for its violation, as follows: ii A shameful death! 
 and further , that the body of the person guilty of such violation shall be 
 divided into four parts and cast to the four gates of the Temple!” 
 
 Not only did the K. G. C. oath enjoin a blind obedience to the com¬ 
 mands of the Superiors of the Order, but was required to be held of 
 64 paramount obligation to any oath which may he administered to any 
 member in a court of justice , or elsewhere.. 17 
 
 Through signs, passwords or signals, any K. G. C. member was per¬ 
 mitted to pass through the Confederate lines, and was received and en¬ 
 tertained as a friend of the secession cause. 
 
 A few of the many traitorous principles of the K. G. C., was to 
 harass the families of the Union soldiers, thus causing their desertion 
 so they could come home to protect fathers, mothers, wives, and 
 children. Resist all recruiting for the Union army. To liberate, by 
 force if necessary, all Confederate prisoners confined in northern 
 prisons. Co-operating with Confederate raiders, through the K. G. 
 C. signals and passwords. 
 
 Through reliable evidence given to the court over which Judge Holt 
 presided, it was proven that Jeff Davis, as welt as many leaders in and 
 out of the Confederate army, were members of one of the several 
 traitorous bodies named above. 
 
 THE UNION LEAGUE. 
 
 The birth of the Union League was attributable to the loyal men of 
 Tennessee, who, when driven from their homes by their 41 seeesh 71 
 neighbors, soon after the opening of the civil war, sought refuge in 
 inaccessible plaees and eaves in the mountains of their State, and gath¬ 
 ered around improvised altars, covered with 44 Old Glory/* on which 
 lay the open Bible, and with left hand on the Sacred Word of God and 
 their right band raised toward Heaven, took an oath of fealty to the 
 Government of their forefathers and hatred to traitors and all auto¬ 
 cratic secessionists and their co-workers. 
 
 Thus was born the Union League, which was to have a new birth, 
 with the word America added to its title, at Pekin, Illinois, on the 25th 
 of June. This was the first Council t or Lodge! of the U. L. of A., 
 
HISTORICAL ADDRESS 
 
 and its Northern birth took place in the third story of the brick build¬ 
 ing at 331 Court street, known for many years as the Smith Bank 
 building, and on which we have placed a bronze tablet in commem¬ 
 oration, and as a tribute, to the loyal citizens of Tazewell County. 
 
 It is an authenticated fact that the Union League of America 
 received aid and sanction from President Abraham Lincoln. 
 
 The first Council was composed of leading Union men of Tazewell 
 County, to-wit: John W. Glassgow, J. P.; Dr. D. A. Cheever, Hart 
 Montgomery, Major R. N. Cullom, Alexander Small, Rev. J. W. M. 
 Vernon, Geo. H. Harlow, Chas. Turner, Jonathan Merriam, Henry 
 Pratt and L. F. Garrett. One of the original eleven was a Tennessee 
 refugee, who introduced the Union mountaineers’ oath, which was ac¬ 
 cepted pending the reorganization in the North. 
 
 The U. L. of A. grew rapidly, and on September 25th, 1862, the 
 first Illinois State Council met at Bloomington, Ill., with representatives 
 from twelve counties. At this meeting the organization was completed 
 and the following officers chosen: 
 
 Hon. Mark Bangs, of Marshall County, Grand President; Prof. D. 
 Wilkins, of McLean County, Grand Vice-President; Geo. H. Harlow, of 
 Tazewell County, Grand Secretary; H. S. Austin, of Peoria County, 
 Grand Treasurer; J. R. Gorin, of Macon County, Grand Marshal; A. 
 Gould, of Henry County, Grand Herald; John E. Rosette, of Sangamon 
 County, Grand Sentinel. 
 
 The Executive Committee chosen was as follows: Joseph Medill, 
 of Cook County; Dr. A. McFarland, of Morgan County; J. K. Warren, 
 of Macon County; Rev. J. C. Rybolt, of LaSalle County; Hon. Mark 
 Bangs, of Marshall County; Enoch Emery, of Peoria County; John E. 
 Rosette, of Sangamon County. 
 
 A new constitution and by-laws were adopted and a new ritual pre¬ 
 pared at the Bloomington meeting. The Tennessee obligation was con¬ 
 densed, and the initiatory ceremony made more appropriate and 
 impressive. New forms in grips, signs and passwords were adopted, 
 which soon became national. 
 
 The second meeting of the Grand Council was held at the Capital 
 of Illinois on January 14th, 1863. Only seven counties were repre¬ 
 sented, and the meeting proved uneventful, owing, doubtless, to the 
 discouraging news from the battle lines. 
 

 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 
 
 The U- L. of A. soon became imbued with new life and zeal. In a 
 few months its membership had increased from 5,000 to 50,000, and in 
 18*54 the order had enrolled 1,300 Councils and 175,000 members in 
 Illinois. On the return of the three-year Union veteran soldiers many 
 soon became members of the U. L. of A. 
 
 The next meeting of the Grand Council was held in Chicago on the 
 -5th of March, 1863. Four hundred and four Councils were repre¬ 
 sented from Illinois alone. The following States were also represented: 
 Ohio, Indiana. Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. At this 
 meeting steps were taken to organize a National Council, which culmin¬ 
 ated in a call to meet at Cleveland, Ohio, on May ‘20th, 1863, where 
 the following National officers were elected: 
 
 Hon. J. M. Edmunds, National Grand President; Hon. John W. 
 Forney, National Grand Vice-President; Hon. Green Adams, National 
 Grand Vice-President; W. R. Irwin, National Grand Recording-Corre 
 sponding Secretary; Rev. Byron Sunderland, National Grand Treas¬ 
 urer; G. F. Brown, National Grand Herald; Geo. W. Kellogg, National 
 Grand Sentinel. The above grand officers were all residents of Wash¬ 
 ington, D. C. 
 
 The Illinois ritual was adopted by the National Grand Council with 
 few changes. 
 
 The obligation adopted was as follows: 
 
 OBLIGATION: 
 
 “I do solemnly swear (or affirm), in the presence of God and these 
 witnesses, that I have never voluntarily borne arms against the United 
 States since I have been a citizen thereof; that I will support, protect 
 and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States and 
 the flag thereof, against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will 
 bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will also defend 
 this State against any invasion, insurrection, or rebellion, to the extent 
 of my ability. This I freely pledge without mental reservation or evas¬ 
 ion. Furthermore, that I will do all in my power to elect true and 
 reliable Union men and supporters of the Government, and none others, 
 to all offices of profit or trust, from the lowest to the highest—in ward, 
 town, county. State and General Government. And should I ever be 
 called to fill any office, 1 will faithfully carry out the objects and prin¬ 
 ciples of this Lodge. And further, that I will protect, aid and defend 
 all worthy members of the Union League. And further, I will never 
 make known, in any way or manner, to any person or persons not 
 members of the Union League, any of the signs, passwords, proceed¬ 
 ings, debates or plans of this or any other Council under this organiza¬ 
 tion, except when engaged in admitting new members into this Lodge. 
 And with my hand upon the Holy Bible, Declaration of Independence, 
 and the Constitution of the United States of America, under the seal of 
 my sacred honor, I acknowledge myself firmly bound and pledged to 
 the faithful performance of this my solemn obligation. So Help Me 
 God.” 
 
historical address 
 
 Then the members formed in a circle, admitted the new member, or 
 members, and with clasped and uplifted hands, all repeated the follow¬ 
 ing— 
 
 “FREEMAN’S PLEDGE: 
 
 “To defend and perpetuate Freedom and the Union, I pledge my 
 life, my fortune, and my sacred honor. So Help Me God.” 
 
 Then followed the address to the new members, which was quite 
 lengthy, but full of religious and patriotic admonition as to the duties 
 every patriot owed his country, the Constitution and the Flag. 
 
 The Pekin Council (or Lodge) increased rapidly in membership, 
 and true to its sworn obligation, very materially aided the Union cause, 
 the needy parents and families of those who had joined the armed 
 hosts, and who were on the line of battle, struggling against the trait¬ 
 orous cohorts. 
 
 During 1863 the additions to Pekin Council of the U. L. of A. num¬ 
 bered, among others, William Gaither, William W. Sellers, Hezekiah 
 Naylor, Joshua Wagenseller, Charles Parker, Theodore Wagenseller, 
 William W. Clemens, Isaac Hawley, Columbus R. Cummings, Dr. B. F. 
 Harris and Cornelius Hinsey, Groveland, Jas. W. Robinson, Reuben 
 Bergstresser, William Hawley, Thomas B. Reeves, and others. 
 
 Many patriotic ladies of Pekin became members of the U. L. of A., 
 and took part in all open meetings of the Council. Among the more 
 prominent ones were Grandma Harlow, Mrs. Geo. H. Harlow r , Miss 
 Emma Wagenseller, Mrs. Rate Goodheart, Mrs. Filener Sleetb-Hab- 
 berfield, Miss Ophelia McKinney, Miss Melsena Miller, Miss Agnes Ry- 
 bolt, Mrs. Win. W. Sellers. Miss Nellie Foster, and many others. 
 
 Among the many patriotic women of Pekin, who gave energy, time 
 and money, to alleviate the hardships of our soldiers in the civil war, 
 none did more than Mrs. Mary L. Gregg-Westermann—“always the 
 soldier’s friend.” 
 
 The organization of the Sanitary Commission, with headquarters in 
 Pekin, had an able leader in George H. Harlow. He was aided by Co¬ 
 lumbus R. Cummings and many other patriotic gentlemen and ladies of 
 the U. L. of A. A wigwam was built on an open lot at what is today 
 317, 319 and 3194 Court street, w herein was held a great Sanitary Fair 
 in October, 1864, at which nearly $5,000 was raised for the Union 
 
 cause. 
 
098495788 
 
 s 
 
 HISTORICAL 
 
 30112 
 
 A D D R E S S 
 
 We had two patriotic organizations composed of ladies, who ren¬ 
 dered valuable aid to the Sanitary Commission: Mrs. Wm. W. Sellers 
 was president of the Union League ladies, and Mrs. Mary L. Wester- 
 man presided at the meetings of the Ladies’ Union Aid Society. 
 
 On the return of the three-year Union soldiers in the summer and 
 fall of 1864 they were drawn into the U. L. of A., to give the Pekin 
 Council the benefit of their military training. These soldier “boys,” 
 true to the cause they had been fighting for, organized themselves into 
 a secret military body, selected Sergeant Wm. H. Bates as their cap¬ 
 tain, and pledged themselves to take up arms anew to crush any “cop¬ 
 perhead” uprising w hich might occur. Fully half of their number were 
 Union Douglas Democrats. 
 
 Rev. Jas. K. P. Legg, now of Keokee, Lee County, Va., avers that 
 the A. L. of A. lodge, of which he was a member, had a password which 
 represented five capital L 7 s, and stood for “Lincoln, Liberty, Law, 
 Loyal, League.” 
 
 During the second inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, Geo. H. Har¬ 
 low and Dr. D. A. Cheever, of Pekin, and J. A. Jones, of Tremont, rep¬ 
 resented the Tazewell County U. L. of A., as a part of the secret body 
 guard, to prevent the threatened assassination of the re-elected Abra¬ 
 ham Lincoln. 
 
 On the disbandment of the Pekin Council, the altar flag, the bust 
 of Lincoln and the gavel were bequeathed to the last President, Dr. D. 
 A. Cheever, which we are informed still remain in possession of bis 
 heirs. 
 
 We are under obligation to “ Patriotism of Illinois,” VoL 2. by Rev. 
 T. M. Eddy; “ The Great Conspiracy,” by Gen. John A. Logan; Miss 
 Mary Gaither, Pekin; Mrs. Filener S. Bates (who was a member of the 
 Pekin Council), Pekin; R. A. Harlow, Helena, Montana; Miss Emily 
 C. Cheever, (daughter of Dr. D. A. Cheever) , the Misses Helen and 
 Elizabeth Bryan, daughters of Alice Cheever and Alonzo H. Bryan, 
 and granddaughters of Dr. Cheever), of Champaign, Ill.; Mrs. Jessie 
 Palmer-Weber, Secretary of the State Historical Society, Springfield, 
 Illinois, et al., for clerical as well as oral aid'. 
 
 Fraternally yours, 
 
 WILLIAM H. BATES 
 
 Formerly a member of Co. “H,” 8th Mo. (American Zouaves), 
 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 15th Army Corps.