Iowa
Old Press
The Dubuque Herald
Dubuque, Dubuque county, Iowa
April 12, 1863
[notes are by the transcriber]
Early in 1861 Lieutenant Sessions, of Cedar Falls, in a speech at
the public park in Dubuque, called the Dubuque Herald a
secession sheet and declared that the office ought to be mobbed.
For this the Dubuque Herald denounced him through the Iowa
State Journal as a coward for advising such an attack on a
defenseless newspaper office. On March 8, 1863, two years after
the above event, the editor of the Dubuque Herald [note:
local editor probably Armstrong or Hutchins] stopped at a hotel
in Cedar Falls and while there was approached by Lieutenant
Sessions, who demanded an explanation of the article in the Iowa
State Journal. Not receiving a satisfactory explanation, he
proceeded with his fists to take revenge then and there. He
struck the editor several times in the face, bringing the blood,
and a crowd rushed in, shouting "Give it to him; he is a
Secessionist." The editor was pretty thoroughly cowed and
was severely beaten to the evident delight of the shouting crowd
that had hastily gathered. About the same time a squad of
soldiers at Waterloo took an agent there of the Dubuque
Herald and ducked him repeatedly in the river to show their
distaste for that newspaper and for the alleged disloyalty of the
agent.
About this time there arose all over Iowa and the Northwest a
general demand from all persons actively and earnestly engaged in
putting down the rebellion that the course in opposition to the
prosecution of the war should cease in Dubuque, city and county.
The Herald, though still outspoken and apparently
defiant, began to modify its tones of severity and instead of
howling as before vented its wrath and hate in ominous growls.
On March 18, 1863, the Dubuque Herald passed from the
control of Stilson Hutchins to that of Patrick Robb, Esq. Mr.
Hutchins and Mr. Mahony took charge of the Philadelphia
Journal. At this time (early in 1863) there were several
deserters in this county and they were shielded by their
relatives and neighbors. When the officers approached, warnings
were sounded. Lieutenant Downey called for recruits for the
Seventh regiment, whereupon the Dubuque Herald of March
4 said: "The business of obtaining recruits is, however,
'played out' here just at present; so we think Lieutenant Downey
will not be troubled with a very large muster roll for some time
to come." This open and manifest opposition to enlistments
was not lost upon the Dubuque Daily Times and the Union
leaders. The Dubuque Herald, with Mahony, Hutchins and
Armstrong, was the strongest secession sheet in the state, if not
in the West. All three possessed unusual ability. [note: Hutchins
made a fortune of several million dollars by 1911]
[note: Mr. Mahony published a book in April, 1863, entitled
"Prisoners of State," in which he related his
experiences while confined in the old capitol prison at
Washington. The Copperheads here cut out the heads off Liberty on
the copper cents, made pins of them and openly wore them---copper
head. At an open meeting of the Union League at Julien Theater on
March 21, H. H. Heath, D. E. Lyon, John O'Meara, and G. Grosvenor
delivered speeches. It was at this time that many Democrats began
to disapprove of the severe course of the Dubuque Herald
and its supporters and sided with those who favored a continuance
of the war. The Dubuque Herald received a setback which
was probably the cause of the reorganization of its editorial
staff. Lieutenant-Colonel O'Brien sent seventy recruits to the
Seventh cavalry late in March.]
It has been very hard to impress upon a certain class of the
community a true conception of the designs of the party in power.
Plainly and unequivocally, readers of the Dubuque Herald,
its members are determined either upon your subjugation or a
revolution. What else do you think that their midnight meetings
betoken? For what other purpose are they being provided with
arms? Now from the lips of the governor we have the admission
that such is a fact. This was done, he said, 'because secret
organizations of disloyal men had banded together to inaugurate
rebellion and civil war in the state. If the citizens now refuse
to heed our warning, absolutely refuse to place themselves in a
position of safety, they must not reproach us when they pay the
penalty of their apathy. We say to them, organize everywhere,
organize in every school district, no matter how few or many. We
have done our duty. We have placed before the people a knowledge
of the dangers which beset and threaten them.
[contributed by Dubuque co. IAGenWeb, Sept. 2015]
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The Dubuque Herald
Dubuque, Dubuque county, Iowa
April 26, 1863
J. B. Dorr, Jesse Clement, Edward Langworthy, E. R. Shankland, H.
Knowlton, Thomas Gilliam, D. Leonard, F. Hinds and Colonel
O'Brien and others went to Waterloo April 15, 1863, to attend the
formation of a Grand Union League of the state of Iowa.
[note: In April, 1863, the editors of the Dubuque Herald,
at the request of several subscribers, ordered from New York
eight Colt's revolvers which were to be sent by the American
Express. Upon their arrival here they were detained by J. B.
Henion, collector of the port of Dubuque, who apprised Mr.
Hutchins, of the Dubuque Herald, of what he had done.
The box was marked "current funds," and Mr. Hutchins
was refused possession by order of the collector. Mr. Hutchins
wrote a formal note demanding to know the reasons for the
detention, and was answered that such was the order from the
government, and the act containing such authority was cited and
language quoted:]
"until further orders no powder of any description and no
arms, large or small, will be permitted to pass into the state of
Iowa * * * except such as are moving under military
authority."
The Dubuque Herald accordingly said:
"The arms were kept from our possession by virtue of no law,
but in express contravention of law and, without employing force,
we were and are powerless." * * * The game is too
transparent to win--too bold to deceive any sensible man. Its
purpose is to put the Democratic party at the mercy of armed
Union Leagues. We saw at Fairfield on Monday forty armed Union
Leaguers drilling on the public square. What does it portend? We
are no alarmist. Nothing do we so much fear and desire to avoid
as war at home. We cannot stand still and be bound hand and foot.
We will not! Our only defense is to provide against outrage, and
that we will provide against it these men may be sure. Upon them
will be the responsibility of the assault; but when it comes,
when we are reduced to the alternative of the conflict or
subjection, we shall not hesitate in the choice. We can get arms
in spite of them. We advise all to provide for their security
without delay, and in the fear of God, but not of man, we warn
these conspirators to cease their wicked efforts."
[contributed by Dubuque co. IAGenWeb, Sept. 2015]