Reconstruction Era | The Great Betrayal | 6
American History Tellers
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The South Carolina Redshirts and the Hamburg Massacre
On October 16, 1876, Democrats and Republicans staged a joint meeting in the village of Kanhoye near Charleston. Despite both parties agreeing to arrive unarmed, many attendees carried pistols with them. Black Republicans, wary of white promises of non-violence, stashed heavier firearms in the nearby woods. When a white Democrat discovered the cache of weapons, the confrontation began and a gun was fired. The black Republicans gathered their heavy weapons and began firing on the Democrats, who were outnumbered and outgunned. Soon, at least five white men were dead and many wounded. In response to this latest breakout of violence, President Grant finally dispatched additional troops to South Carolina.
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