Thanks for your questions; that word “antisecession” does indeed need clarification. You are correct that John H. Powell was the cooperationist candidate, as opposed to John M. Baylis, who was the immediate secession candidate. Cooperationists were not necessarily opposed to secession, just to immediate secession. They favored taking a wait and see approach to the election of Pres. Lincoln. Some favored passage of a national amendment (over secession) that would prevent the federal government from interfering with slavery.

The problem in assessing the strength of Unionism in areas like Jones County is that cooperationist candidates generally were coalition candidates who represented views ranging from unconditional Unionism to a more cautious approach to secession.

So, yes, I agree with you that the 166-89 vote against immediate secession likely lost strength once Lincoln called for troops in the wake of South Carolina’s secession. For example, Amos McLemore, the Confederate major murdered for trying to gather up deserters in Jones County, originally opposed secession and would therefore have likely supported the cooperationist candidate, Powell. Others in Jones County, however, are said to have hanged Powell in effigy for eventually voting for secession at the 1861 convention.

As I’ve contended in The Free State of Jones, the core group of men who joined the Knight Company–especially but not limited to certain branches of the Collinses, Knights, Valentines, and Welborns families–likely represented the original unconditional Unionists of the county. And, of course, as the war dragged on, opposition to the Confederacy once again grew in areas like Jones County where support for immediate secession had been the minority position.

Vikki

I thought the choice was between delegates who favored immediate secession and those who wanted cooperative action. Yet I keep reading about anti-secession candidates. Were they truly anti-secession?

Also a number of studies have shown that once Lincoln called for troops to put down secession, public opinion changed rapidly in favor of secession.

So the votes for delegates may not have reflected public opinion a few months later.

Would appreciate any thoughts and info about this.