Term used during the American Civil War to describe a Northerner who opposed the war policy and favoured a negotiated settlement with the South.
The term was first used in 1861 by the New York Tribune , referring to the copperhead snake that strikes without warning. Most Copperheads (also called Peace Democrats) were from the Midwest, where agrarian interests distrusted the growing federal power. The movement's leaders included Clement Vallandigham . Though the movement was unable to influence the conduct of the war, Republicans used the Copperhead label to discredit the Democratic Party.