In the years prior to the American Civil War, the rise of support for abolition of slavery was one of several divisive issues in the United States. The Los Angeles Times noted that one theoryamong manyof the origin of the Saddle Ridge Hoard of gold coins is that it was cached by the KGC, which "some believe buried millions in ill-gotten gold across a dozen states to finance a second Civil War."[12]. Made a few Return Trips to Places the last 6 days. Some supported slavery and others were worried about the power of the federal government. Many people believe that the Illuminati is still operating and managing the main actions of the governments of the world. Facing the Gulf of Mexico, these new states would form a large crescent. Hope you didn't miss it! The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society founded in 1854 by American George W. L. Bickley, the objective of which was to create a new country, known as the Golden Circle (Spanish: Crculo Dorado), where slavery would be legal. That same year, Asbury Harpending and California members of the Knights of the Golden Circle in San Francisco outfitted the schooner J. M. Chapman as a Confederate privateer in San Francisco Bay, with the object of raiding commerce on the Pacific Coast and capturing gold shipments to the East Coast. I will also put the link in our Links section for future reference. In August 1861, The New York Times described the order as a successor to the Order of the Lone Star, which had been organized for the purpose of conquering Cuba and Nicaragua, succeeding in the latter cause in 1856 under William Walker before being driven out by a coalition of neighboring states. The Knights merged with the Order of the Lone Star with the expansionist goal of forming a slave-holding empire that operated like the East India Company by annexing Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, and Central America into the United States. This organization is a distinct one, and is not just a higher degree of Masonry. Discover more about Copperhead opposition to Abraham Lincoln during the U.S. presidential election of 1864, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Knights-of-the-Golden-Circle, Texas State Historical Association - Handbook of Texas - Knights of the Golden Circle. Secretive organizations such as the K.G.C. THE KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE A Confederate Empire: The Knights of the Golden Circle As the story goes, enemy leaders would often wake in the morning to find a Hashshashin dagger lying on their pillow, along with a note saying you are in our grip. Their legend soon grew, and before the Mongols finally destroyed the group, they became well known contract killers, supposedly performing jobs for the likes of King Richard the Lionheart. A few agitators, some of them encouraged by Southern money, talked of a revolt in the Old Northwest, with the goal of ending the war.[11]. [8][9][10], In late 1863, the KGC reorganized as the Order of American Knights. Floyd received instructions from the Order to "seize Navy-yards, Forts, etc. General Elkanah Greer / Knights of the Golden Circle [19]. Donald S. Frazier, Blood & Many prominent Texans joined the K.G.C., and Bickley even courted Gov.