The Flag on the Hilltop Contributor(s): Earle, Mary Tracy (Author), Russell, Herbert K. (Introduction by) |
|
![]() |
ISBN: 0809330512 ISBN-13: 9780809330515 Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press OUR PRICE: $15.75 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: January 2013 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Historical - General |
Dewey: FIC |
LCCN: 2014434230 |
Series: Shawnee Classics |
Physical Information: 0.5" H x 4.9" W x 7.1" (0.30 lbs) 160 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - 1851-1899 - Topical - Civil War |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Early in the Civil War, two young brothers boldly flew the Union flag from a tree atop a hill between Makanda and Cobden. This was a towering act of courage in an area teeming with Copperheads. Theodore and Al Thompson, 18 and 20 years old at the time, raised the flag in defiance of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secessionist group that operated throughout the Midwest. Controlling its membership through terror, this secret society condemned betrayers to death by torture. The Knights, whose goals included capturing a Union prison and liberating the rebels, triggered the Civil War riot in Charleston, instigated anti-draft movements, and aided Northern deserters. Theodore Thompson, who later owned much of Makanda, Giant City, and the land that became Southern Illinois University describes the tree as a tall tulip poplar between 3 and 4 feet in diameter at the trunk and some 60 feet to the first limbs. This noted tree could be seen in some directions 15 or 20 miles away. |