Clement Vallandigham was a prominent American politician and leader of the Copperhead faction of anti-war Democrats during the Civil War. He vocally opposed President Abraham Lincoln’s policies, particularly the suspension of habeas corpus and the Emancipation Proclamation.

In a controversial move on the part of the Lincoln administration, Vallandigham was arrested in 1863 for expressing sympathy for the Confederacy and criticizing the Union war effort, leading to his trial by military commission and subsequent exile to the Confederacy.

He then met with Confederate president Jefferson Davis, but he expressed his opposition to the Confederacy. In an effort to try and continue to influence US politics he left the CSA and went to Canada. 

After the war, despite his controversial stance, he continued to be active in politics, running unsuccessfully for the governorship of Ohio. Vallandigham’s career ended tragically in 1871 when he accidentally shot himself while demonstrating a defense for a murder case.

History and human psychology is complex, so that’s why I wanted to share this.

Hoping to infect you with a Civil War obsession.

Much love,

William