Leader of the Civil War Democrats, Clement Laird Vallandigham
The recent accusations of sedition involving members of Congress have historical roots. Back during the Civil War, a Democratic congressman faced conviction for sedition by a military tribunal after he encouraged Union soldiers to abandon their posts and defy what he termed “unlawful orders.” Clement Laird Vallandigham, a 44-year-old congressman from Ohio, was a charismatic […]