Disgruntled leaders of the Democratic party in Indiana and Kentucky explored the idea of forming a different secret society that would have a direct influence on the war. The Order of American Knights, better known as OAKs, was begun to prevent the Republicans from using force to win the election of 1864, a second Lincoln term. They called it“ Protection of the ballot box.”
The rituals of the societies were pared down and emphasis was placed on Jeffersonian states’ rights. On June 30, 1863, General O. B. Wilcox issued this order:“ The peace of Indiana has lately been disturbed by violence, murder, and other acts contrary to law, and having their origin in certain secret political societies, clubs or leagues, the common safety now demands that all such associations should be discontinued, no matter to what political party they may belong. They are a constant source of dread and mistrust— they divide and provoke hostility between neighbors, weaken the dignity and power of courts of justice, expose the country to martial law, and discourage the people from enlisting in defense of the nation.”
A shootout later tagged as the“ Brown County War,” occurred that same year. A meeting with soldiers from Indianapolis was held at Needmore, in the northern part of the county. Accounts vary as to the reason for the meeting. Some say it was to arrest deserters taking refuge in Brown County. Another report of the incident says the intent was to raise volunteers for the Union Army. A former state legislator and leader of the Democrat Party in Brown County, Lewis Prosser, attended the meeting carrying a gun he had been using to hunt squirrels. Prosser was outspoken against the war and the story goes that he said something that upset a soldier enough to force Prosser to give up his gun. Prosser pulled out another gun and shot the soldier dead. As Prosser turned to leave he was shot in the leg. He later died from complications of the wound. More shots were fired but there were no more casualties.
The blood toll of the American Civil War was tallied by William F. Fox and Thomas Leonard Livermore to be approximately 620,000 soldiers. Their exhaustive study of combat and casualty records generated by the armies over five years of fighting included death by combat, accident, starvation, and disease during the war’ s duration. Recent scholarship puts the number of dead as high as 850,000.
Brown County sent 1,000 young men to the Civil War. According to a military report, at least 82 of those 1,000 lost their lives fighting in the Union army. One of every
Library of Congress
six Brown County residents served in the Civil War according to census records.
The first military draft in American history was instituted by the Confederacy in April 1862. A draft in the Northern states was instituted a year later. Both sides had exemptions ultimately based on wealth, making this a war where the poor constituted the greater part of the armies. A southern man between the ages of 18 and 35 years, who owned twenty or more slaves, could opt out. In the North, those who could provide a substitute or pay a significant fee were free from service.
According to official reports, 196,363 Hoosier men served. Black army units consisted of 1,537. Most entered the Army through state volunteer units taken into federal service. Additionally, men volunteered for the Indiana Legion, the reorganized state militia that guarded the southern border of the state. •
Jan./ Feb. 2018 • Our Brown County 45