South Carolina civil disturbances of 1876 facts for kids

The South Carolina civil disturbances of 1876 were a series of events where people fought and caused trouble. These events happened because the Democratic Party wanted to take control of South Carolina's government from the Republican Party. They used a group called the Red Shirts to help them.

The Democrats' plan was to stop Republicans from holding political events. They also wanted to prevent Black people from voting. This was especially true in areas where the number of white and Black people was almost the same. A former general named Martin W. Gary even wrote a plan for these actions.

Most of these events happened in counties where Black people were the majority. However, these majorities were not very large. In areas like the Upstate, white people were the majority, and there was less trouble. In the Lowcountry, Black people were a huge majority, so white groups were less active there. In the Midlands, especially around Edgefield and Charleston, Democrats worked hard to get more votes for their party. They also tried to stop Black Republicans from voting using threats and violence.

In 1875, Charleston city had a population that was 57% Black. The whole Charleston County was 73% Black. African Americans in the city had a history of being free for a long time. They organized themselves to stay safe during this difficult period.

The Democrats managed to stop many Black people from voting in Edgefield County. They also had election fraud, where 2,000 more votes were counted than there were registered voters. Because of this, Wade Hampton III became the Democratic candidate for governor. He won by a small margin of just over 1,100 votes across the state. The Democrats also won control of the state legislature.

Key Events in 1876

July: Hamburg Massacre

The small town of Hamburg in Aiken County was mostly Black. It was located across the Savannah River from Augusta. On Independence Day, white former slaveholders faced off against a Black militia unit. This unit, made up of freedmen, was parading in the street.

The white men went to court, saying the militia blocked the street. Their lawyer demanded the militia give up their weapons. The militia refused to do so. That night, two freedmen were killed by white paramilitary groups while trying to escape. The white groups captured about two dozen Black men. They then formed a "Dead Ring." Four Black men were murdered that night, and several more were hurt.

Ben Tillman led one of these white groups. He became known for supporting white supremacy. News of what happened in Hamburg spread across the state. A jury looked into the attack and accused 94 white men. These included important people like "M. C. Butler, Benjamin R. Tillman, A. P. Butler." But it seems they were never punished.

September: Charleston Tensions

By September, Charleston was full of political excitement. Earlier in the week, two Democratic meetings were held. At these meetings, Black people explained why they had left the Republican Party. On the night of September 6, a Black Democratic club met at Archer's Hall. Two Black speakers, including J.R. Jenkins, criticized Republicans. One even insulted Black women.

After the meeting, white Democrats walked the last speaker away. Republicans who had heard the speech followed them. The white men fired a pistol into the air. This attracted more African Americans, and fighting began. US troops helped the Black Democrats get to safety. But the white men and police were outnumbered. They could not stop the crowd.

Black people continued to move around, taking things from stores on King Street. The police, who were a mix of races, could not stop them. The police were then safely taken to The Citadel grounds. In this event, more white people were hurt than Black people. One white person died from a shot fired by another white man by mistake.

Democratic rifle clubs did not get involved that night. They talked with the police and feared starting a bigger fight. Their leaders met the next day. They planned to have rifle clubs ready every night when political meetings were held. Tensions stayed high in the city. Guns for sale in the city quickly sold out. Two nights later, Democrats met without any trouble.

Many people in the state felt that Governor Chamberlain and the police could not keep the peace. This made them think that Republican rule was failing. Southerners showed the actions of freedmen as threatening. They tried to get people in the North to agree with them. People in the North found the ongoing trouble in the South upsetting. Historian Ehren K. Foley noted that the event showed the strength of both the Republican Party and the African American community in South Carolina's low country. It also showed that both sides were willing to use force for political reasons.

September: Ellenton Riot

In September 1876, the Ellenton riot took place. It started on September 15 and lasted until the 21st. The riot began when a group of white men tried to arrest two people. An African-American judge named Prince Rivers had issued warrants for them. They were suspected of breaking into a building.

The situation quickly got worse. In the end, two white men and 39 African Americans were killed. One of the most well-known people killed was Simon P. Coker. He had served as a member of the state Legislature from Barnwell.

October: Cainhoy Incident

In Charleston County, leaders of the political parties set up "discussion meetings." Democrats still wanted to talk to Republican audiences. Both parties would have speakers. Because of the tensions and violence, they agreed that people should not bring rifles or shotguns to the meetings.

A Republican Party meeting was planned at the White Church in Cainhoy. This was on October 16, about 12 miles from Charleston. When Democrats from Charleston heard about this, they rented a boat called the Pocosin. About 150 white men went to Cainhoy for the meeting. The meeting had about 500 people, mostly Black.

In the South, men of both races often carried pistols. These were not counted as "arms" like rifles. The leaders had asked men to leave their weapons behind. Many Black men had hidden their weapons in the swamp and an old house near the church. Some young white men found the rifles. They approached the meeting. One gun accidentally fired, and the crowd started to scatter. One of the white men shot an elderly Black man, who died.

Black people quickly ran to get their weapons. They chased the retreating Democrats, who only had pistols and were outnumbered. The incident at Cainhoy resulted in the death of one Black man. Five to six white men also died. An estimated 16 to 50 people were wounded. This was the only political event in 1876 where more white people were killed than Black people.

According to Reynolds, the Black Republicans were not surprised by the Democrats. They successfully made the Democrats run away. Most historians say that the Democrats were caught off guard by the Black resistance. To prevent more fighting, Governor Chamberlain sent a company of Federal troops to the town.

October: Edgefield Ambush

On October 17, six white men from the Red Shirts were leaving a Democratic meeting in Edgefield. Two Black brothers ambushed them from a cotton field about three miles outside town. One of the white men was shot and killed. The other went to get the coroner and more help.

Several other Black men joined the brothers in the cotton field. They fired their rifles, wounding the coroner in the leg. The Red Shirts threatened to get revenge. But General Martin Gary and Wade Hampton stopped them. They did this because the Black men were on state property. A total of five Black men were arrested for the attack.

October: Mt. Pleasant Occupation

At Mt. Pleasant in Charleston County, on the night of October 23, an armed group of Black people took over the town. They threatened to kill everyone living there. The white citizens gathered in one house. A mixed group of white and Black Democrats stood guard through the night. The Black group left in the morning. They said they planned to come back and scare the people.

November: Charleston Election Day Trouble

In Charleston, on the afternoon of November 8, Edmund W. M. Mackey read election results. He was a white Republican leader. He read from Republican newspapers to a crowd of Black people. This happened at the corner of Meeting and Broad streets.

As he walked down Broad Street, a man hit Mackey's face with his hat. During the struggle that followed, a gunshot went off. Black people at the edge of the crowd yelled that Mackey had been killed. They rushed towards him. White men fired at them. Both groups scattered when the police arrived.

Some of the Black police officers joined the fighting instead of stopping it. A white man who asked a Black police officer for help was hit with a club. The Black police officers fired their guns without aiming at any white person they saw. A call went out to all the rifle clubs and Red Shirts in Charleston. More than 500 white paramilitary men gathered by five o'clock. Two companies of federal troops approached the rifle clubs. They tried to get them to back down and bring back order. The white side had one person killed and twelve wounded. The Black side had one person killed and ten wounded.

November: Beaufort Incident

On election night, November 7, in Beaufort, a Black Democrat was attacked and beaten by Black Republicans. This happened after the polls closed. The next day, he went to report the beating to a judge. The judge sent Constable J. H. Shuman on November 14 to make arrests. But the constable was killed when the Black Republicans fought back violently.

Red shirts across the Lowcountry were very angry. They gathered and brought order back to the area. They listened to calls from Wade Hampton III to avoid too much bloodshed and to show mercy.

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