Coushatta massacre
Encyclopedia
The Coushatta Massacre was the result of an attack by the White League
, a paramilitary
organization composed of white Southern Democrats
, on Republican
officeholders and freedmen in Coushatta
, the parish seat of Red River Parish, Louisiana
. They assassinated six white Republicans and five to 20 freedmen who were witnesses.
The White League had organized to drive out Republicans from Louisiana
, disrupt their political organizing, and intimidate or murder freedmen to restore white supremacy
. Like the Red Shirts and other "White Line" organizations, they were described as "the military arm of the Democratic Party."
, Marshall H. Twitchell
, a Union
veteran from Vermont
who had led United States Colored Troops
, came to Red River Parish, Louisiana
to become an agent for the Freedman's Bureau, having passed the administrative examination. He married Adele Coleman, a young local woman. Her family taught him about cotton
farming. In 1870, Twitchell was elected as a Republican
to the Louisiana State Senate
. He appointed his brother and three brothers-in-law (the latter natives of the parish) to local positions, including sheriff
, tax assessor and clerk of court Twitchell worked to promote education and to extend public representation and civil rights
to the former slaves, known as freedmen.
The White League
arose in the Red River valley in 1874, first in Grant Parish and nearby parishes. It was a group of Confederate
veterans whose stated purpose was "the extermination of the carpetbag
element" and restoration of white supremacy
. Most had been with the white militias that had taken part in the Colfax Massacre
, but units later arose in other communities across the state. Unlike the secret Ku Klux Klan
, the White League operated openly and were more organized. They intended to overturn Republican rule. They targeted local Republican officeholders for assassination
, disrupted political organizing, and terrorized freedmen and their allies. One historian described them as "the military arm of the Democratic Party."
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."
at a Republican state convention, the White League turned out six white officeholders, including Twitchell's brother, Homer Twitchell, and three brothers-in-law, George A. King, Monroe Willis, and Clark Holland; husbands of the Twitchell sisters. They also rounded up twenty freedmen nearby. They forced the officeholders to sign a statement saying they would immediately leave Louisiana. Before the men could leave the region, they were assassinated by the White League. George King fled but was killed two years later by the League. The freedmen were killed because they were witnesses. Although twenty-five men were arrested for the massacre
, because of lack of evidence, none was brought to trial.
", 5000 White League members overwhelmed 3500 troops of the Metropolitan Police and state militia. After demanding the resignation of Republican governor William Pitt Kellogg, the White League took control of Canal Street, the city hall, statehouse and arsenal.
This armed rebellion finally forced President Ulysses S. Grant
to respond to the governor's request for reinforcements to Louisiana. 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. Grant's decision to send troops was probably too late to prevent further consolidation of Democratic power. In the 1876 election, white Redeemer 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. Although Twitchell survived, his injuries cost him the loss of both his arms.Another Marston in the area was Democratic state Senator B.W. Marston, who served from 1880-1884 and again from 1908-1909.Another Marston, Abbie Marston (1906-1976), married future Louisiana elections commissioner Douglas Fowler
, who served from 1959-1980. Abbie Fowler was the mother of Jerry Marston Fowler
, who succeeded his father in the elections commissioner position and served from 1980-2000.
White League
The White League was a white paramilitary group started in 1874 that operated to turn Republicans out of office and intimidate freedmen from voting and political organizing. Its first chapter in Grant Parish, Louisiana was made up of many of the Confederate veterans who had participated in the...
, a paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
organization composed of white Southern Democrats
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...
, on 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...
officeholders and freedmen in Coushatta
Coushatta
----The Coushatta are a historic Muskogean-speaking Native American people living primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana. When first encountered by Europeans, they lived in the territory of present-day Georgia and Alabama...
, the parish seat of Red River Parish, Louisiana
Red River Parish, Louisiana
Red River Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Coushatta. It was one of the newer parishes created in 1871 by the state legislature under Reconstruction...
. They assassinated six white Republicans and five to 20 freedmen who were witnesses.
The White League had organized to drive out Republicans from Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, disrupt their political organizing, and intimidate or murder freedmen to restore white supremacy
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
. Like the Red Shirts and other "White Line" organizations, they were described as "the military arm of the Democratic Party."
Background
In the period after the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Marshall H. Twitchell
Marshall H. Twitchell
Marshall Harvey Twitchell was a Union Army soldier from Vermont who became a carpetbagger Republican state senator from Red River Parish in northwestern Louisiana during the era of Reconstruction....
, a Union
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...
veteran from Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
who had led United States Colored Troops
United States Colored Troops
The United States Colored Troops were regiments of the United States Army during the American Civil War that were composed of African American soldiers. First recruited in 1863, by the end of the Civil War, the men of the 175 regiments of the USCT constituted approximately one-tenth of the Union...
, came to Red River Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
to become an agent for the Freedman's Bureau, having passed the administrative examination. He married Adele Coleman, a young local woman. Her family taught him about cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
farming. In 1870, Twitchell was elected as a 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...
to the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
. He appointed his brother and three brothers-in-law (the latter natives of the parish) to local positions, including sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
, tax assessor and clerk of court Twitchell worked to promote education and to extend public representation and civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
to the former slaves, known as freedmen.
The White League
White League
The White League was a white paramilitary group started in 1874 that operated to turn Republicans out of office and intimidate freedmen from voting and political organizing. Its first chapter in Grant Parish, Louisiana was made up of many of the Confederate veterans who had participated in the...
arose in the Red River valley in 1874, first in Grant Parish and nearby parishes. It was a group of Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
veterans whose stated purpose was "the extermination of the carpetbag
Carpetbagger
Carpetbaggers was a pejorative term Southerners gave to Northerners who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era, between 1865 and 1877....
element" and restoration of white supremacy
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
. Most had been with the white militias that had taken part in the Colfax Massacre
Colfax massacre
The Colfax massacre or Colfax Riot occurred on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1873, in Colfax, Louisiana, the seat of Grant Parish, during Reconstruction, when white militia attacked freedmen at the Colfax courthouse...
, but units later arose in other communities across the state. Unlike the secret Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, the White League operated openly and were more organized. They intended to overturn Republican rule. They targeted local Republican officeholders for assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
, disrupted political organizing, and terrorized freedmen and their allies. One historian described them as "the military arm of the Democratic Party."
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."
The attack
One night in August 1874, while Marshall Twitchell was in New OrleansNew Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
at a Republican state convention, the White League turned out six white officeholders, including Twitchell's brother, Homer Twitchell, and three brothers-in-law, George A. King, Monroe Willis, and Clark Holland; husbands of the Twitchell sisters. They also rounded up twenty freedmen nearby. They forced the officeholders to sign a statement saying they would immediately leave Louisiana. Before the men could leave the region, they were assassinated by the White League. George King fled but was killed two years later by the League. The freedmen were killed because they were witnesses. Although twenty-five men were arrested for the massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
, because of lack of evidence, none was brought to trial.
Aftermath
Violence continued throughout the state. The Coushatta massacre was followed shortly by a large White League insurrection in New Orleans, where they hoped to install the Democrat John 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 PlaceBattle of Liberty Place
The Battle of Liberty Place was an attempted insurrection by the Crescent City White League against the legal Reconstruction state government on September 14, 1874 in New Orleans, Louisiana, where it was then based....
", 5000 White League members overwhelmed 3500 troops of the Metropolitan Police and state militia. After demanding the resignation of Republican governor William Pitt Kellogg, the White League took control of Canal Street, the city hall, statehouse and arsenal.
This armed rebellion finally forced President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
to respond to the governor's request for reinforcements to Louisiana. 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. Grant's decision to send troops was probably too late to prevent further consolidation of Democratic power. In the 1876 election, white Redeemer Democrats
Redeemers
In United States history, "Redeemers" and "Redemption" were terms used by white Southerners to describe a political coalition in the Southern United States during the Reconstruction era which followed the American Civil War...
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. Although Twitchell survived, his injuries cost him the loss of both his arms.Another Marston in the area was Democratic state Senator B.W. Marston, who served from 1880-1884 and again from 1908-1909.Another Marston, Abbie Marston (1906-1976), married future Louisiana elections commissioner Douglas Fowler
Douglas Fowler
Wiley Douglas Fowler, Sr. , was a local politician from rural Red River Parish in north Louisiana, a loyal supporter of Governor Earl Kemp Long, and his state's chief elections officer from 1959, until declining health forced his retirement, effective December 31, 1979...
, who served from 1959-1980. Abbie Fowler was the mother of Jerry Marston Fowler
Jerry Fowler
Jerry Marston Fowler was a Baton Rouge businessman who served as Louisiana's state Elections Commissioner from 1980 until his defeat in the 1999 jungle primary. He was part of the Fowler family Democratic political dynasty...
, who succeeded his father in the elections commissioner position and served from 1980-2000.