The Shadow Army of 1880
A secret, oath-bound military organization of 'Boys in Blue' stirs fears of a rigged election and armed insurrection in Washington Territory.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A Union veteran in this county has shown us a secret circular issued in the name of U. S. Grant, Commander-in-Chief of the 'Boys in Blue,' and countersigned by Adjutant General Drake DeKay. It gives instructions for the immediate reorganization of Union veterans into military companies, battalions, and brigades for political purposes in the current Presidential campaign. They are instructed to arm and drill in infantry tactics, holding themselves ready to respond to the orders of their superiors. The purpose to elect Garfield is stated, and the implication of forcible resistance to the inauguration of Hancock is unmistakable. A secret military organization for political purposes is covert treason, contemplating the subversion of popular rights by intimidation. It is no less infamous than bands of highway robbers, for these political conspirators pass among us unsuspected, with treason in their minds and murder in their hearts.
“A secret political organization of any kind is, in a popular government, a conspiracy against popular rights.”
This editorial reflects the intense, high-stakes partisan paranoia of the 1880 election. While the 'Boys in Blue' were a real organization of Civil War veterans, this piece captures how quickly local political discourse could pivot toward fears of civil war and paramilitary violence, a recurring anxiety in American democracy.
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