South Carolina civil disturbances of 1876
Encyclopedia
The South Carolina civil disturbances of 1876 were a series of race riot
s and civil unrest sparked by the intense emotions developed because of the outh Carolina gubernatorial election of 1876. They all occurred in counties where blacks
were in the majority, but not significantly. The Upstate
counties had majorities of whites and racial disturbances were uncommon whereas the Lowcountry
counties had an overwhelming black population and the white people lived in absolute fear from the black mobs and militias. It was only in the Midlands
and Charleston
where a parity in numbers existed between the two races, leading to heated passions and intense confrontations.
from Augusta
, the black town of Hamburg was the scene of a violent race riot key to rallying South Carolina Democrats
for the cause Wade Hampton
in the South Carolina gubernatorial election of 1876
. It started as a dispute over free passage on a public road on July 4 and by July 8 had turned into a confrontation between the Federal African American soldiers and white citizens of Edgefield County. Seven African American men were killed in the incident and it provided the impetus for the Democratic "redemption" of the state.
, a black
Democratic
club held a meeting at Archer's Hall on King Street. A couple of black Radical Republican organizations, the Hunkidories and Live Oaks, assembled on King Street with the intent of disrupting the meeting. A small contingent of white Democrats formed to protect the black Democrats and fired their pistols above the heads of the first row of the black Republicans. However, the black Republicans stood their ground and the police were called to the fight. The arrival of the police resulted in a mêlée
and caused enough confusion for the black Democrats to be escorted safely to The Citadel
grounds at Marion Square.
The police fled and the black mobs ruled the streets of Charleston. They assaulted every white person that they saw, even attacking those not associated with the fighting. Two reporters for The Post and Courier
were beaten and the driver of a street car was assaulted. A white man was killed in the hostilities and over fifty white men were injured.
The officers of the white rifle clubs assembled on the following morning of September 7 and patrols were organized to maintain order and ensure safety of the streets of Charleston. The inability of Governor Chamberlain and the local law authorities to preserve the peace further convinced the people of the state of the failure of Republican
rule. Additionally, the menacing and threatening actions of the black mobs persuaded Northerners
that the black people were not helpless victims, but byproducts of failed Reconstruction policies.
on the afternoon of September 15, two black men attempted to rob Mrs. Alonzo Harley while her husband was working in the fields. She and her ten year old son were brutally beaten, but she managed to ward off the black men by grabbing her husband's shotgun. The citizens tracked down one of the intruders, Peter Williams, who admitted to the crime and named his accomplice to be Fred Pope.
A warrant was issued for Pope's arrest and a party of 14 white men was formed on September 16. Pope was well defended at Rouse's Bridge by 40 armed black men, who refused to give him up. The blacks fired upon any approaching white man and the apprehending party sent in a black woman to obtain the arrest of Pope. However, the blacks held her and instead stated that six men could check to see if they held Pope. The white men showed their arrest warrant, but the blacks said that Pope was not among them and both sides agreed to disperse. As the whites were leaving, the blacks reinforced and laid an ambush from the swamps. They injured one white man, but three blacks were wounded from return fire.
During the night of September 16, the blacks tore up track
of the Port Royal Railway and fired into a derailed freight car. The superintendent of the railroad requested assistance from Governor Chamberlain
, but General Ruger
refused to send troops against the order of the governor. The whites immediately feared an uprising by the blacks and issued a call to arms on September 17 because federal troops
from Hamburg were not sent to restore order. Two forces were organized, one from Aiken
led by Anthony Pickens Butler and the other by Johnson Hagood
out of Barnwell
.
By September 18, the situation resembled Indian warfare
of the previous century as the whites sought to engage the blacks while on horseback and the blacks countered by organizing ambushes along the roads. The blacks were successful during the day in killing one white man, W. Robert Williams http://www.flickr.com/photos/96222383@N00/3154673386/?rotated=1&cb=1234452899501 and wounding another. Later in the evening, two companies
of federal troops under the command of Captain Lloyd were dispatched from Aiken to end the skirmishing.
The federal troops arrived in Ellenton
on the morning September 19 and convinced both the whites from Aiken and the blacks to disperse. Captain Lloyd and the federal troops left and reported on September 20 that all was quiet in Ellenton. Instead, the departure of the federal troops left a power vacuum
that the blacks exploited by conducting a wave of arson
s across southern Aiken County. Upon hearing that Hagood and his soldiers from Barnwell had reached the outskirts of Ellenton in the afternoon, the blacks reorganized with 70 men and laid an ambush in Penn Branch swamp. The whites managed to overwhelm the blacks killing at least 39 while suffering only two casualties. Simon Coker, a legislator in the South Carolina House of Representatives
, was captured and executed by two red shirts accompanying Benjamin Tillman
. Afterwards, a detachment of whites retired to Ellenton to maintain order while the rest returned to Barnwell.
meeting was held in Cainhoy on October 16 and the steamer "Pocosin" was chartered because many of the Democrats would be attending from Charleston
. However, a throng of black Republicans
assembled at the docks and demanded to be taken to the meeting and given time to speak. The Democrats agreed to the conditions provided that both parties did not bring any weapons to the meeting.
However, the black Republicans had secretly brought weapons to Cainhoy and stashed them in the swamp and an old house nearby a church. They began to riot when hearing rumors that the whites had seized their weapons and that a white man had drawn a pistol in self defense. The blacks rushed from the swamps with their guns and pursued the retreating unarmed Democrats towards the church.
The Democrats became held up in the church, but all managed to escape except for one white man who was beaten to death and mutilated by the blacks. Regrouping in the cemetery, the Democrats conducted a rear-guard action
to allow the wounded and elderly to flee, but suffered many casualties as a result. The "Pocosin" was quickly loaded with the wounded and returned from Charleston with 100 armed men of the Palmetto Guard to provide protection for the white citizens of Cainhoy.
The massacre at Cainhoy resulted in the deaths of six white men and wounding sixteen while only one black man was killed. The operation conducted by the black Republicans gave every appearance of being carefully planned and meticulously executed. With the threat of retaliatory attacks by the whites, Governor Chamberlain
sent a company
of Federal troops
to prevent any more bloodshed.
club were leaving a Democratic meeting in Edgefield
and were ambushed by two black brothers from a cotton patch about three miles outside the town. One of the white men was instantly killed from a headshot and one man departed to fetch the coroner and some reinforcements. Several other black men joined the brothers in the cotton field and fired their rifles, wounding the coroner in the leg. The red shirts threatened retaliation, but were restrained by Martin Gary
and Wade Hampton
because the black men were on state property. A total of five black men were arrested for the assault.
read aloud the election results from Republican
newspapers to a crowd of blacks at the corner of Meeting and Broad streets. He left and went further down Broad street to the office of the News and Courier
to read their bulletins. A drunk white man struck Mackey's face with his hat and in the ensuing scuffle, a gunshot went off. The blacks at the outskirts of the crowd yelled that Mackey had been killed and immediately a mob of blacks charged down Broad Street. They were held at bay when whites began to fire on them and they dispersed when the police arrived.
However, a number of the black policeman joined the rebellion instead of restoring order. A white man who asked for assistance from a black police officer was clubbed and the black policeman fired their guns indiscriminately at any white person they saw. A call to action went out to all the rifle clubs and red shirts
in Charleston and over 500 men had assembled by five o'clock. In addition, two companies
of federal troops
converged with the men of the rifle clubs to end the bloodshed and reestablish order. The whites suffered one killed and twelve wounded in the riot while the blacks had one killed and eleven wounded.
after the closing of the polls, a black Democrat was assaulted and beaten by black Republicans. The next day he went to report the beating to a trial justice who sent Constable J. H. Shuman on November 14 to make arrests, but was killed when the black Republicans violently resisted arrest. Outraged red shirts
across the Lowcountry
gathered and restored order in the area while heeding calls from Wade Hampton
to limit bloodshed and show mercy.
Race riot
A race riot or racial riot is an outbreak of violent civil disorder in which race is a key factor. A phenomenon frequently confused with the concept of 'race riot' is sectarian violence, which involves public mass violence or conflict over non-racial factors.-United States:The term had entered the...
s and civil unrest sparked by the intense emotions developed because of the outh Carolina gubernatorial election of 1876. They all occurred in counties where blacks
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
were in the majority, but not significantly. The Upstate
The Upstate
The Upstate is the region in northwestern South Carolina, United States, also known as The Upcountry, which is the historical term. Although loosely defined among locals, the general definition includes the 10 counties of the commerce-rich I-85 corridor in the northwest corner of South Carolina. ...
counties had majorities of whites and racial disturbances were uncommon whereas the Lowcountry
South Carolina Low Country
The Lowcountry is a geographic and cultural region located along South Carolina's coast. The region includes the South Carolina Sea Islands...
counties had an overwhelming black population and the white people lived in absolute fear from the black mobs and militias. It was only in the Midlands
Midlands, South Carolina
The Midlands roughly refers to an area in the middle of South Carolina. Columbia is the largest city in the region and location of the state government...
and Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
where a parity in numbers existed between the two races, leading to heated passions and intense confrontations.
Hamburg
Located across the Savannah RiverSavannah River
The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the northernmost part of the border...
from Augusta
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
, the black town of Hamburg was the scene of a violent race riot key to rallying South Carolina Democrats
South Carolina Democratic Party
The South Carolina Democratic Party is the South Carolina affiliate of the United States Democratic Party. The Democratic party thrived during the Second Party System between 1832 and the mid-1850s and was one of the causes of the collapse of the Whig Party....
for the cause Wade Hampton
Wade Hampton III
Wade Hampton III was a Confederate cavalry leader during the American Civil War and afterward a politician from South Carolina, serving as its 77th Governor and as a U.S...
in the South Carolina gubernatorial election of 1876
South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1876
The 1876 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1876 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. The election campaign was a referendum on the Radical Republican-led state government and their Reconstruction policies...
. It started as a dispute over free passage on a public road on July 4 and by July 8 had turned into a confrontation between the Federal African American soldiers and white citizens of Edgefield County. Seven African American men were killed in the incident and it provided the impetus for the Democratic "redemption" of the state.
Charleston
On the night of September 6 in CharlestonCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, a black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
club held a meeting at Archer's Hall on King Street. A couple of black Radical Republican organizations, the Hunkidories and Live Oaks, assembled on King Street with the intent of disrupting the meeting. A small contingent of white Democrats formed to protect the black Democrats and fired their pistols above the heads of the first row of the black Republicans. However, the black Republicans stood their ground and the police were called to the fight. The arrival of the police resulted in a mêlée
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
and caused enough confusion for the black Democrats to be escorted safely to The Citadel
The Citadel (military college)
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, also known simply as The Citadel, is a state-supported, comprehensive college located in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. It is one of the six senior military colleges in the United States...
grounds at Marion Square.
The police fled and the black mobs ruled the streets of Charleston. They assaulted every white person that they saw, even attacking those not associated with the fighting. Two reporters for The Post and Courier
The Post and Courier
Charleston's The Post and Courier is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the South and the eighth oldest newspaper still in publication in the United States. It is published in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the Charleston Courier, founded in 1803, the...
were beaten and the driver of a street car was assaulted. A white man was killed in the hostilities and over fifty white men were injured.
The officers of the white rifle clubs assembled on the following morning of September 7 and patrols were organized to maintain order and ensure safety of the streets of Charleston. The inability of Governor Chamberlain and the local law authorities to preserve the peace further convinced the people of the state of the failure of Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
rule. Additionally, the menacing and threatening actions of the black mobs persuaded Northerners
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
that the black people were not helpless victims, but byproducts of failed Reconstruction policies.
Ellenton
Near Silverton in Aiken CountyAiken County, South Carolina
Aiken County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 2000, its population was 142,552; in 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that its population had reached 160,099...
on the afternoon of September 15, two black men attempted to rob Mrs. Alonzo Harley while her husband was working in the fields. She and her ten year old son were brutally beaten, but she managed to ward off the black men by grabbing her husband's shotgun. The citizens tracked down one of the intruders, Peter Williams, who admitted to the crime and named his accomplice to be Fred Pope.
A warrant was issued for Pope's arrest and a party of 14 white men was formed on September 16. Pope was well defended at Rouse's Bridge by 40 armed black men, who refused to give him up. The blacks fired upon any approaching white man and the apprehending party sent in a black woman to obtain the arrest of Pope. However, the blacks held her and instead stated that six men could check to see if they held Pope. The white men showed their arrest warrant, but the blacks said that Pope was not among them and both sides agreed to disperse. As the whites were leaving, the blacks reinforced and laid an ambush from the swamps. They injured one white man, but three blacks were wounded from return fire.
During the night of September 16, the blacks tore up track
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
of the Port Royal Railway and fired into a derailed freight car. The superintendent of the railroad requested assistance from Governor Chamberlain
Daniel Henry Chamberlain
Daniel Henry Chamberlain was a planter, lawyer, author and the 76th Governor of South Carolina from 1874 until 1877....
, but General Ruger
Thomas H. Ruger
Thomas Howard Ruger was an American soldier and lawyer who served as a Union general in the American Civil War. After the war, he was a superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York....
refused to send troops against the order of the governor. The whites immediately feared an uprising by the blacks and issued a call to arms on September 17 because federal troops
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
from Hamburg were not sent to restore order. Two forces were organized, one from Aiken
Aiken, South Carolina
Aiken is a city in and the county seat of Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. With Augusta, Georgia, it is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. It is part of the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area. Aiken is home to the University of South...
led by Anthony Pickens Butler and the other by Johnson Hagood
Johnson Hagood (governor)
Johnson Hagood was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and the 80th Governor of South Carolina from 1880 to 1882.-Early years:...
out of Barnwell
Barnwell, South Carolina
Barnwell is a city in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States, located along U.S. Route 278. The population was 5,035 at the 2000 census...
.
By September 18, the situation resembled Indian warfare
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
of the previous century as the whites sought to engage the blacks while on horseback and the blacks countered by organizing ambushes along the roads. The blacks were successful during the day in killing one white man, W. Robert Williams http://www.flickr.com/photos/96222383@N00/3154673386/?rotated=1&cb=1234452899501 and wounding another. Later in the evening, two companies
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
of federal troops under the command of Captain Lloyd were dispatched from Aiken to end the skirmishing.
The federal troops arrived in Ellenton
Ellenton, South Carolina
Ellenton was a town that was located on the border between Barnwell County and Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. Settled around 1870, it was acquired by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in 1950 as part of a site for the Savannah River Plant. It was located between the current CSX...
on the morning September 19 and convinced both the whites from Aiken and the blacks to disperse. Captain Lloyd and the federal troops left and reported on September 20 that all was quiet in Ellenton. Instead, the departure of the federal troops left a power vacuum
Power vacuum
A power vacuum is, in its broadest sense, an expression for a condition that exists when someone has lost control of something and no one has replaced them. It is usually used to refer to a political situation that can occur when a government has no identifiable central authority...
that the blacks exploited by conducting a wave of arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
s across southern Aiken County. Upon hearing that Hagood and his soldiers from Barnwell had reached the outskirts of Ellenton in the afternoon, the blacks reorganized with 70 men and laid an ambush in Penn Branch swamp. The whites managed to overwhelm the blacks killing at least 39 while suffering only two casualties. Simon Coker, a legislator in the South Carolina House of Representatives
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the upper house being the South Carolina Senate. It consists of 124 Representatives elected to two year terms at the same time as US Congressional elections...
, was captured and executed by two red shirts accompanying Benjamin Tillman
Benjamin Tillman
Benjamin Ryan Tillman was an American politician who served as the 84th Governor of South Carolina, from 1890 to 1894, and as a United States Senator, from 1895 until his death in office. Tillman's views were a matter of national controversy.Tillman was a member of the Democratic Party...
. Afterwards, a detachment of whites retired to Ellenton to maintain order while the rest returned to Barnwell.
Cainhoy
A DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
meeting was held in Cainhoy on October 16 and the steamer "Pocosin" was chartered because many of the Democrats would be attending from Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. However, a throng of black Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
assembled at the docks and demanded to be taken to the meeting and given time to speak. The Democrats agreed to the conditions provided that both parties did not bring any weapons to the meeting.
However, the black Republicans had secretly brought weapons to Cainhoy and stashed them in the swamp and an old house nearby a church. They began to riot when hearing rumors that the whites had seized their weapons and that a white man had drawn a pistol in self defense. The blacks rushed from the swamps with their guns and pursued the retreating unarmed Democrats towards the church.
The Democrats became held up in the church, but all managed to escape except for one white man who was beaten to death and mutilated by the blacks. Regrouping in the cemetery, the Democrats conducted a rear-guard action
Withdrawal (military)
A withdrawal is a type of military operation, generally meaning retreating forces back while maintaining contact with the enemy. A withdrawal may be undertaken as part of a general retreat, to consolidate forces, to occupy ground that is more easily defended, or to lead the enemy into an ambush...
to allow the wounded and elderly to flee, but suffered many casualties as a result. The "Pocosin" was quickly loaded with the wounded and returned from Charleston with 100 armed men of the Palmetto Guard to provide protection for the white citizens of Cainhoy.
The massacre at Cainhoy resulted in the deaths of six white men and wounding sixteen while only one black man was killed. The operation conducted by the black Republicans gave every appearance of being carefully planned and meticulously executed. With the threat of retaliatory attacks by the whites, Governor Chamberlain
Daniel Henry Chamberlain
Daniel Henry Chamberlain was a planter, lawyer, author and the 76th Governor of South Carolina from 1874 until 1877....
sent a company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
of Federal troops
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
to prevent any more bloodshed.
Edgefield
On October 17, a group of six white men of red shirtRed Shirts (South Carolina)
The Red Shirts or Redshirts of the Southern United States were white paramilitary groups in the 19th century, active primarily after the formal Reconstruction era of the United States. They first arose in Mississippi in 1875, when Democratic Party private militias adopted red shirts to make...
club were leaving a Democratic meeting in Edgefield
Edgefield, South Carolina
Edgefield is a town in Edgefield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,449 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Edgefield County.Edgefield is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area.-Geography:...
and were ambushed by two black brothers from a cotton patch about three miles outside the town. One of the white men was instantly killed from a headshot and one man departed to fetch the coroner and some reinforcements. Several other black men joined the brothers in the cotton field and fired their rifles, wounding the coroner in the leg. The red shirts threatened retaliation, but were restrained by Martin Gary
Martin Witherspoon Gary
Martin Witherspoon Gary was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and a Democratic politician in postbellum South Carolina.-Early life and career:...
and Wade Hampton
Wade Hampton III
Wade Hampton III was a Confederate cavalry leader during the American Civil War and afterward a politician from South Carolina, serving as its 77th Governor and as a U.S...
because the black men were on state property. A total of five black men were arrested for the assault.
Mt. Pleasant
At Mt. Pleasant on the night of October 23, an armed mob of blacks occupied the town and threatened to kill all the inhabitants. The white citizens congregated in a single house and a mixed force of white and black Democrats were posted as sentries through the night. The black mob left in the morning and stated their intentions to return and terrorize the population.Charleston
In Charleston on the afternoon of November 8, Edmund W. M. MackeyEdmund William McGregor Mackey
Edmund William McGregor Mackey was a United States Representative from South Carolina. Born in Charleston, he became a representative after the end of the American Civil War. As an active Republican, he was nominated to be a delegate from Charleston for the constitutional convention of South...
read aloud the election results from Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
newspapers to a crowd of blacks at the corner of Meeting and Broad streets. He left and went further down Broad street to the office of the News and Courier
The Post and Courier
Charleston's The Post and Courier is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the South and the eighth oldest newspaper still in publication in the United States. It is published in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the Charleston Courier, founded in 1803, the...
to read their bulletins. A drunk white man struck Mackey's face with his hat and in the ensuing scuffle, a gunshot went off. The blacks at the outskirts of the crowd yelled that Mackey had been killed and immediately a mob of blacks charged down Broad Street. They were held at bay when whites began to fire on them and they dispersed when the police arrived.
However, a number of the black policeman joined the rebellion instead of restoring order. A white man who asked for assistance from a black police officer was clubbed and the black policeman fired their guns indiscriminately at any white person they saw. A call to action went out to all the rifle clubs and red shirts
Red Shirts (South Carolina)
The Red Shirts or Redshirts of the Southern United States were white paramilitary groups in the 19th century, active primarily after the formal Reconstruction era of the United States. They first arose in Mississippi in 1875, when Democratic Party private militias adopted red shirts to make...
in Charleston and over 500 men had assembled by five o'clock. In addition, two companies
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
of federal troops
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
converged with the men of the rifle clubs to end the bloodshed and reestablish order. The whites suffered one killed and twelve wounded in the riot while the blacks had one killed and eleven wounded.
Beaufort
During the night of November 7 in BeaufortBeaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...
after the closing of the polls, a black Democrat was assaulted and beaten by black Republicans. The next day he went to report the beating to a trial justice who sent Constable J. H. Shuman on November 14 to make arrests, but was killed when the black Republicans violently resisted arrest. Outraged red shirts
Red Shirts (South Carolina)
The Red Shirts or Redshirts of the Southern United States were white paramilitary groups in the 19th century, active primarily after the formal Reconstruction era of the United States. They first arose in Mississippi in 1875, when Democratic Party private militias adopted red shirts to make...
across the Lowcountry
South Carolina Low Country
The Lowcountry is a geographic and cultural region located along South Carolina's coast. The region includes the South Carolina Sea Islands...
gathered and restored order in the area while heeding calls from Wade Hampton
Wade Hampton III
Wade Hampton III was a Confederate cavalry leader during the American Civil War and afterward a politician from South Carolina, serving as its 77th Governor and as a U.S...
to limit bloodshed and show mercy.