9. Union League Secret Code and Translation

This coded message was created by a national organization called the Union League, a fraternal/political club with many chapters formed during the Civil War to support President Lincoln and his war efforts. Many cities and towns formed Union Leagues and opened their membership to both Republicans and Democrats. As a result, Democrats—loyal to their party but against secession—could vote Union without formally aligning with the Republican Party. The Marion County League described the purpose of this ideological partnership in its first resolution: “That as all former political issues are now obsolete, the attempt to divide the friends of the Union on party names, demonstrates hostility to our Government.” Perhaps most importantly, Democrats in northern states could assert their patriotism and avoid being labeled enemies of the United States. As a political strategy, the creation of the Union Leagues was successful: many Union candidates won local and state races, and Lincoln won the 1864 election with a majority popular vote.

Following the war, Union Leagues in the South and East welcomed newly enfranchised African American men into their ranks. The Fifteenth Amendment created a powerful voting block of black voters, and Republicans saw an opportunity to recruit and steer votes to benefit Republican candidates and interests. In Oregon, it is unlikely that the local Union Leagues had black members; the state had excluded African Americans from residing in Oregon by constitutional provision and, although African Americans lived in Oregon, they were severely marginalized.