Letter from New York: Speculations on Pacific Coast Secession - The Wily Ones, Gwin and Lane and The California Office-Hunters

1861-04-18sfdeb1-1_4 Letter from New York.jpg

Title

Letter from New York: Speculations on Pacific Coast Secession - The Wily Ones, Gwin and Lane and The California Office-Hunters

Subject

Separatist movements

Description

The writer discusses reports of separatist plans for the overthrow of federal authority in California, Oregon and Washington by plotters including ex-senators Gwin (CA) and Lane (OR) and the Knights of the Golden Circle, and worries that disaffected local army officers might join them.

In fun, he speculates that Ned McGowan might join Gwin and Lane sailing for California and that the state's many disappointed federal office-seekers will prove "fit subjects" of their "coming kingdom."

Since the head of the Pacific Army command, then about to be replaced, was Albert Sidney Johnston, the fears that army officers might join the plotters were understandable. Johnston was approached by but refused to cooperate with secessionist plotters. Ned McGowan was a notorious politician and filibusterer who had previously been run out of San Francisco and British Columbia.

Abstract

A newspaper writer discusses reports of separatist plans for the overthrow of federal authority in California, Oregon and Washington by plotters including ex-senators Gwin (CA) and Lane (OR) and the Knights of the Golden Circle, and worries that disaffected local army officers might join them.

Creator

"our own correspondent"

Source

Daily Evening Bulletin

Publisher

San Francisco, CA: The San Francisco Bulletin Company

Date Issued

1861-04-18

References

Gwin, William McKendree, 1805-1885

Medium

Web

Type

newspaper

Bibliographic Citation

Vol. 12, No. 10, p. 1, col. 1

Temporal Coverage

March 1861

Provenance

Gale Group collection of 19th Century U.S. Newspapers accessed through King County Library System

URL

infotrac.galegroup.com.ezproxy.kcls.org

Start Page

1

End Page

4