From The Courier published in Seneca Falls, New York (sometime in 1861):
Union Cockades
We notice that a number of our citizens are wearing Union Cockades – red, white, and blue rosettes with eagle buttons – which, we suppose, signifies their loyalty to the Union. It is a very pretty and appropriate device, and we hope to see it worn by all Union loving men in these perilous times. They are for sale at Bailey’s Jewelry Store.
I enjoyed the tone of this piece. In 1861 The Courier definitely seemed to be a pro-Democrat party paper. It had a low opinion of the Republican Party – a bunch of power-hungry opportunists co-opted the abolition movement for their own selfish purposes. I can hear The Courier saying “we’re even giving you rascally Republicans the benefit of the doubt and assuming you are really loyal to the Union”. [05/07/2011: of course, it could also be just a healthy dose of skepticism – after all, even today anyone can throw on an American flag pin. What does it really mean?]
I have not seen any images of a union cockade with a eagle button, but you can see one with a Major Robert Anderson button here. There was quite a bit of information about Southerners wearing blue cockades during the 1860 election campaign and its aftermath, but this is the only thing I’ve read so far about Union cockades. This article was probably written within a couple months after the seizure of Fort Sumter when Union fervor was at a very high level. In yesterday’s post the Republican party-leaning New-York Times was even applauding Postmaster General Montgomery Blair for letting some Democrats stay employed at the Post Office.
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Seven Score and Ten has done a great job the past week or so keeping us up-to-date on events in Cairo, Illinois 150 years ago (and even today). Cairo was important militarily during the war because of its position at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. I especially appreciated the information about what in the world Union Colonel Prentiss was talking about when he said of Confederate General Pillow: “Let him come. He will learn to dig his ditch on the right side. I am ready.”
I like this 2006 photo from space of Cairo and the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi:
The Ohio + Mississippi at Cairo
Fort Defiance is wedged between the two rivers.
