| Coushatta massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of theReconstruction Era | |
| Location | Coushatta, Louisiana |
| Date | August 1874 |
| Target | Republicans and African Americans |
| Deaths | 6 Republicans and 5 to 20 freedmen |
| Perpetrators | White League |
| Motive | Enforce white supremacy |
TheCoushatta massacre (1874) was an attack by members of theWhite League, awhite supremacistparamilitary organization composed of whiteSouthern Democrats, onRepublican officeholders andfreedmen inCoushatta, the parish seat ofRed River Parish, Louisiana. They assassinated six white Republicans and five to 20freedmen who were witnesses.[1][2]
The White League had organized to restorewhite supremacy by driving Republicans out ofLouisiana, disrupting their political organizing, and intimidating or murderingfreedmen.[3] Like theRed Shirts and other "White Line" organizations, they were described as "the military arm of theDemocratic Party."
In the period after theAmerican Civil War,Marshall H. Twitchell, aUnion veteran fromVermont who had ledUnited States Colored Troops, passed an administrative examination and came toRed River Parish,Louisiana to become an agent for theFreedmen's Bureau. He married Adele Coleman, a young local woman. Her family taught him aboutcotton farming. In 1870, Twitchell was elected as aRepublican to theLouisiana State Senate. He appointed his brother and three brothers-in-law (the latter natives of the parish) to local positions, includingsheriff, tax assessor and clerk of court. Twitchell worked to promote education and to extend public representation andcivil rights to the former slaves, known asfreedmen.[1]
TheWhite League arose in the Red River valley in 1874, first inGrant Parish and nearby parishes. It was a group ofConfederateveterans whose stated purpose was "the extermination of thecarpetbag element" and restoration ofwhite supremacy. Most had been with the white militias that had taken part in theColfax Massacre, but units later arose in other communities across the state. Unlike the secretKu Klux Klan, the White League operated openly and were more organized. They intended to overturn Republican rule. They targeted local Republican officeholders forassassination, disrupted political organizing, and terrorized freedmen and their allies. One historian described them as "the military arm of the Democratic Party."[4]
In Coushatta, the White League criticized Republican leadership. Members publicly accused Twitchell and his brothers-in-law of inciting what they termed "a black rebellion."
On the night of August 25, 1874, Thomas Floyd, an African-American farmer, was murdered inBrownsville.[5] Members of the White League subsequently arrested several White Republicans and twenty freedmen, accusing them of plotting a "negro rebellion".[5] Among the White Republicans were Sheriff Edgerton, William Howell (the parish attorney), Robert Dewees (De Soto Parish tax collector), Homer Twitchell (a tax collector and Marshall Twitchell's brother), and three brothers-in-law, Monroe Willis, and Clark Holland; Marshall Twitchell was inNew Orleans at a Republican state convention.[6] Within two days, hundreds of armed Whites arrived in Coushatta.[6]
After holding their hostages several days, the captors forced the officeholders to sign a statement saying they would immediately leave Louisiana. While travelling out of the region, six white captives were murdered by a band of armed whites led byDick Coleman.[6]
Elsewhere in Coushatta and nearby, Whites attacked numerous African Americans, resulting in at least four deaths.[5] Levin Allen had his arms and legs broken before being burned alive.[6] Louis Johnson and Paul Williams, two of the freedmen arrested by the White League, were hanged by Dick Coleman and his mob.
Although twenty-five men were arrested for themassacre, because of lack of evidence, none were brought to trial.[1][7][8]
Violence continued throughout the state. The Coushatta massacre was followed shortly by a large White League insurrection inNew Orleans, where they hoped to install the DemocratJohn McEnery as governor. He had been a contender in the disputed state election of 1872, in which both parties claimed victory. In the New Orleans "Battle of Liberty Place", 5000 White League members overwhelmed 3500 troops of the Metropolitan Police and state militia. After demanding the resignation of Republican governorWilliam Pitt Kellogg, the White League took control of Canal Street, the city hall, statehouse and arsenal.[9]
This armed rebellion finally forced PresidentUlysses S. Grant to respond to the governor's request for reinforcements to Louisiana. Then, within three days, Kellogg was back in office due to the arrival of Federal troops. The White League disappeared before they came. More troops arrived within a month to try to tame the Red River Valley.[7] Grant's decision to send troops was too late to prevent further consolidation of Democratic power. In the 1876 election, whiteRedeemer Democrats gained a majority in the state legislature.
Two years later, when Twitchell returned briefly to Red River Parish, he was shot six times (two in each arm and one in each of his legs), perhaps by a local rival, James G. Marston or by Dick Coleman.[6] His remaining brother-in-law, George King, died in the attack. Although Twitchell survived, his injuries cost him the loss of both his arms.[1]