Works of Indiscretion

A systematic survey based on extensive research in Indiana newspapers and archival sources reveals that violence against the newspaper press, both Democratic and Republican, was widespread during the Civil War. Most violence was directed at Democratic newspapers and editors with Union soldiers perpetrating the violence and threats of violence in the majority of cases. Ideologically driven troops, disgusted by what they perceived to be “fire in the rear” disloyalty by Democrats, took violent steps to punish “treasonable” speech; and civilian authority was often powerless to stop soldiers, who were rarely called to account for their deeds. This article finds far more instances of violence, coercion, threats, and arrest than previous studies and points to the partisan nature of the press as a key factor in understanding why and how violence occurred.