[Thomas] Hines went to the Confederate capital of
Richmond, Virginia, after his escape in January 1864. He convinced
Confederate President Jefferson Davis of a plan to instill mass panic in the Northern states, by means of freeing prisoners and causing arson in larger Northern cities. Impressed by Hines' plan, Davis agreed to back him. Davis urged Hines to tell Secretary of State
Judah P. Benjamin and Secretary of War
James Seddon his plan. Both men agreed to the plan, and encouraged Hines to proceed, with the only hesitation by Davis, Benjamin and Sheldon being the effect on public opinion on such a plan, including what
Great Britain and France would think of Hines' actions.
[13]
Hines thought it would be easier to enter the North from Canada and traveled there during the winter. Hines led the
Northwest Conspiracy from Canada in the fall of 1864. Colonel
Benjamin Anderson was involved in the plot, along with other Confederate soldiers. It was hoped that Hines and his men would be able to free the Confederate prisoners held at
Camp Douglas in
Chicago,
Illinois.
[14]
Hines led sixty men from
Toronto,
Ontario, on August 25, 1864. They arrived during the
Democratic Party National Convention held in Chicago that year. The Copperheads had told Hines to wait until that time, as they said that 50,000 Copperheads would be there for the event. However, encountering Copperhead hesitation to assist Hines and his force, and with Federal authorities apparently knowledgeable of the plot, Hines and his men were forced to flee Chicago on August 30, 1864. Many of the men thought Anderson may have been a double agent, forcing him to leave the group. A second attempt to free the Camp Douglas Confederate prisoners occurred during the
United States Presidential Election of 1864, but that plan was also foiled.
[14]