S8 Ep1089: Robert Cwiklik, guest author, describes how, following the legislative intervention, Sheridan sent his infamous "Banditti" telegr

The John Batchelor Show · Jul 5, 2026 · 12m

Robert Cwiklik, guest author, describes how, following the legislative intervention, Sheridan sent his infamous "Banditti" telegrams to Secretary of War William Belknap. He proposed that Congress declare the White Leagueringleaders "Banditti" so they could be tried by military commissions and executed. Sheridan's blunt call for military justice against "respectable" white citizens sparked national outrage, leading to "indignation meetings" across Northern cities. Even prominent Republicans like Senator Carl Schurz denounced the move as unconstitutional and lawless, reflecting a growing…