shrewdness, cunning, caution, promptness, and firmness of purpose fully
met the requirements of this degree of the order. The Supreme Council was
composed of the Supreme Commanders--the ruling spirits of the order. This
council was the body, therefore, from which all important measures must
emanate, and the secrecy of their movements, even from the order below
them, except such business as was regularly transmitted, was quite equal
to that of the lower order, from the rest of the world. Such being the
nature and character of this royal degree, and the fact that an uprising
had been determined upon, it will be seen how essential it was to the
Government of the United States, to be advised of their plans, and the
old adage that "where there is a will there is a way," was not a fallacy
in the present case. On or about the 20th of July, 1863, agreeably to a
private notice which had been extended to the Supreme Council, a meeting
of that body was convened at the Richmond House, Chicago. During that day,
as well as on the day preceding, members of that organization arrived in
the city, and among the notables present on that occasion was Col.
Barrett, who was a Major-General of the Sons of Liberty, in command of the
District of Illinois, but who on the present occasion appeared in another
character of no less moment, that of representative of the Confederate
States Government, and charged with certain important instructions. Among
the members present were Captain Majors, from Canada; Brig.-Gen. Charles
Walsh, of Chicago; Judge Bullitt, of the Supreme Court of Kentucky, who
acted as Chairman; Dr. Bowles, Mr. Swan, Mr. Williams, Mr. Green, Mr.
Piper, Mr. Holloway, H.H. Dodd and James B. Wilson, Auditor of Washington
County, Indiana. The last named person and Mr. Green were present as
members of Dr. Bowles' staff. After considerable discussion upon minor
matters, Major-General Barrett, (commonly called Colonel Barrett, who had
served the Rebel Government with some distinction, and was a first class
rebel), made a formal proposition to unite Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri,
Ohio and Indiana with the Confederate States, through the agency of the