Charleston Riot Historical Marker
SE Corner Coles County Courthouse (Jackson Avenue and 7th Street), Charleston
Erected: 01/01/1977 by the Coles County Historical Society and The Illinois State Historical Society.
On March 28, 1864, a gunfight erupted here between Union soldiers and Civil War opponents known as 'Copperheads.' In easterm Illinois, many Democrats were pro-southern while the Republicans were uniformly pro-Union. Disturbances had occurred earlier in the area, and Copperheads had been killed in Mattoon and Paris. In March, 1863, at Charleston there had been a highly controversial trial of Union deserters. On the day of the riot a large crowd had gathered here for a Democratic rally. Union soldiers were in town on leave. Drinking and fighting led to gunfire. Nine men killed and twelve wounded before troops arrived from Mattoon and quelled the disturbance.
Site Copyright ©2003-2005 Association for the Preservation of Historic Coles
County Illinois, All Rights Reserved
Text information from Illinois State Historical Markers website, http://www.historyillinois.org/frames/markers/54.htm
Mural images from Charleston Illinois Tourism Site http://www.charlestontourism.org/murals.html#3