George W. L. Bickley

Life & Legacy

George Washington Lafayette Bickley (July 18, 1823 – August 10, 1867) was the founder of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a Civil War era secret society used to promote the interests of the Southern United States by preparing the way for annexation of a "golden circle" of territories in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean which would be included into the United States as southern or slave states. Bickley was arrested by the United States government as a Confederate spy in July 1863, and was jailed without trial until October 1865. During this time he wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln expressing his distaste for Lincoln's handling of the government.