secesh (1862); nickel [coin] (1863); Knight of the Golden Circle (1863); black-snake [Republican] (1863)

[Jonathan Lighter]

A year earlier:

1861  Sgt. Francis A. Donaldson in J. Gregory Acken, ed. _Inside the Army of
the Potomac_ (Mechanicsville, Pa.: Stackpole, 1998) 20: The bite of the bold
Virginia Secesh mosquito is as unlike the gentle puncture of the educated
abolition mosquito of the Quaker City as is the kick of a mule to a gentle
tap from the paw of a kitten....My head looks like a big plum pudding

JL
On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 2:33 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      secesh (1862); nickel [coin] (1863); Knight of the Golden
> Circle
>              (1863); black-snake [Republican] (1863)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> In Albert Matthews, "Origin of Butternut and Copperhead", Reprinted
> from The Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Vol.
> XX [1920] (Cambridge: John Wilson and Son, 1918), pp.
> 205--237.  [Same pagination in both publications.]
> -----
> secesh, 1862 (OED 1862-)
>
> The Crisis, Columbus, Ohio, 1862 Nov. 5.  [Matthews, 210]
>
> "The following is about as severe a commentary on the heartless
> conduct of the authorities a Washington as anything we have seen in
> papers the Journal delights to call 'secesh.' Had it appeared in The
> Crisis, the Journal and such like papers would have cried out
> 'suppress the secesh sheet.'"
>
> [The Crisis appears to be available in America's Historic Newspapers
> and on microfilm.]
> -----
> secesh 1863
>
> The Crisis, 1863 March 25.  [Matthews, 217]
>
> "Whereas, Major Muse did ... say that 'Northern Traitors [an
> Abolition nick-name for Democrat, alias Butternut, alias Copperhead,
> alias Secesh, &c.] ought to be hung up at their door-posts;"
> -----
> nickel [U.S. coin], 1863 (OED 1857, 1858, 1881, &c.)
>
> Chicago Tribune, 1863 May 1.  [Matthews, 222]
>
> "The heavy coinage of 'nickels' still continues"
> -----
> knight of the golden circle, 1863 (OED not in)
>
> The Crisis, [1863] May 27.  [Matthews, 228]
>
> "The Abolitionists, who were bent upon a muss, instead of obeying the
> orders of the Justice, commenced abusing him in the most scandalous
> manner, calling him a 'butternut,' 'secessionist,' a 'Knight of the
> Golden Circle,' &c."
> -----
> black-snake [Republican], 1863  (OED not in, but has "black
> Republican, from 1852)
>
> The Crisis, [1863] April 15.  [Matthews 233]
>
> "The Abolition Black-snakes are now using every effort to obtain
> subscribers to a new ism that Greeley has put forth ... The
> Black-snake editors appear to be urging their followers up to 'blood
> letting' among us. We are dubbed Copperheads and Traitors ..."
> -----
> black snake [Republican]
>
> The Crisis, [1863] April 15.  [Matthews 234]
>
> "The "Copperheads' wiped out the Black Snakes (or Black Republicans)
> on Monday last".
>
> -----
> blacksnake ticket, 1863  (OED not in)
>
> The Crisis, [1863] April 15.  [Matthews 234]
>
> "We held our annual election on Monday, and elected our Copperhead
> ticket clean through, whipping the Blacksnake ticket by some 52 majority."
> -----
>
> Joel
>
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>

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