Dark Lanterns: Secret Political Societies, Conspiracies, and Treason Trials in the Civil War

by Frank L. Klement

Book Overview

During the agonizing days of the Civil War four secret political societies, often known as dark lantern societies, became household words throughout the North. Three of these groups--the Knights of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807115673
• ISBN13: 9780807115671
• Release Date: August 1989
• Publisher: LSU Press
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Treason trials & secret societies ... in the Civil War?

An excellent book on underexplored topics, treason trials andsecret societies during the Civil War era. Aside from the intrinsic fascination of the topics, it is well worth exploring how treason trials of civilians were handled by governmental authorities during a time of national emergency in the past. Mr.Klement provides detailed, thought-provoking inspections of these topics. Buy and read this book!

Secret or not?

Frank Klement wrote here a fascinating exploration of the various secret societies that either existed or were supposed to have existed during the American Civil War. Perhaps his most interesting idea is that most of them, including the Knights of the Golden Circle (supposed to be a model for the later KKK) never really existed outside the over-active imaginations of its founder and the professional conspiracy-hunters of the day.Is he right? I don't know. Certain people calling themselves Knights of the Gold Circle WERE active in Texas during the early days of the War. (See, for instance, Donald S. Frazier's BLOOD & TREASURE.) So, some organization calling itself the KGC really did exist.But was it the Fifth Column that it was said to be at the time? Clearly not, and Klement's take was right on that score.All in all an interesting book. Perhaps not to be read without some quibbles. But an excellent read just the same.mjt