{"product_id":"9780809330515","title":"The Flag on the Hilltop","description":"\u003cp\u003eEarly in the Civil War, two young brothers boldly flew the Union flag from a tree atop a hill between Makanda and Cobden. This was a towering act of courage in an area teeming with Copperheads.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTheodore and Al Thompson, 18 and 20 years old at the time, raised the flag in defiance of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secessionist group that operated throughout the Midwest. Controlling its membership through terror, this secret society condemned betrayers to death by torture. The Knights, whose goals included capturing a Union prison and liberating the rebels, triggered the Civil War riot in Charleston, instigated anti-draft movements, and aided Northern deserters.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTheodore Thompson, who later owned much of Makanda, Giant City, and the land that became Southern Illinois University describes the tree as a \"tall tulip poplar between 3 and 4 feet in diameter at the trunk and some 60 feet to the first limbs. This noted tree could be seen in some directions 15 or 20 miles away.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Southern Illinois University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47026510856432,"sku":"9780809330515","price":17.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780809330515_p0.jpg?v=1763745640","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780809330515","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}