1868 — Sep 28-early Aug, Opelousas Massacre (racial/political), St. Landry Parish, LA–150-300   

— 180-350  Chandler. “Opelousas Massacre…Hundreds of Blacks Slain…” NewsOne, 9-28-2012                                             

— 200-300  Hazen, Walter. American Black History. Lorenz Educational Press, 2004, p. 32.

— 200-300  History Engine: Tools for Collaborative.… “Freedmen Massacred at Opelousas.”[1]

—      >150  BlackPast. Timeline of African American History, 1852-1880. “Opelousas.”

—      ~150  Boissoneault. “The Deadliest Massacre in Reconstruction-Era Louisiana…” Smithsonian.

Blacks:

–150-300  Chandler. “Opelousas Massacre…Hundreds of Blacks Slain…” NewsOne, 9-28-2012

Whites:

—  30-50  Chandler. “Opelousas Massacre…Hundreds of Blacks Slain…” NewsOne, 9-28-2012

Narrative Information

BlackPast. Timeline of African American History, 1852-1880. “Opelousas.”

“he Opelousas Massacre occurred on September 28, 1868 in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. The event is also referred to as the Opelousas Riot by some historians. There is debate as to how many people were killed.  Conservative estimates made by contemporary observers indicated about 30 people died from the political violence.  Later historians have placed the total as closer to 150 or more.

“While most Reconstruction-era violence was sparked by conflicts between black Republicans and white Democrats, the initial catalyst for the massacre was the attempt by some Opelousas blacks to join a Democratic political group in the neighboring town of Washington.  White Democrats in Opelousas, mainly members of the Seymour Knights, the local unit of the white supremacist organization Knights of the White Camellia, visited Washington to drive them out of the party.  In response Emerson Bentley, an Ohio-born white school teacher and editor of The Progress, a Republican newspaper in Opelousas, wrote what many local whites thought was a racially inflammatory article, describing violence that the Seymour Knights had used against the African American Democrats in Washington.  Bentley argued that such violence should persuade the blacks to remain loyal to the GOP.

“Shortly after the article appeared, Bentley was assaulted–whipped and severely beaten–by a group of whites while he taught his class.  Bentley fled, literally running for his life for nearly three weeks before escaping back to the North.

“Meanwhile, numerous reports circulated that Bentley had been killed in retaliation for his article. His mysterious absence was enough to support rumors of his death.  Black Republicans urged retaliatory violence on the Knights, who in turn viewed this as the beginning of the long-anticipated, inevitable “Black Revolt” and race war.  The Knights of the White Camellia mobilized thousand of members. Both sides were armed and prepared for conflict as they gathered in Opelousas.

“It is unclear as to who initiated the battle that began on September 28.  What is clear is that the white Democrats had the overwhelming advantage in numbers and weapons.  By the afternoon of September 28 the battle had become a massacre.  A number of blacks were shot and killed or captured and later executed.  Those who were not captured were chased into the swamps and killed on sight.  Twelve leaders of the black Republicans who surrendered were executed the next day on the edge of town.  Those executions seemed to encourage a wave of anti-black violence that spread throughout the parish.  No one will ever know how many people were killed, but the best estimate is that the number was at least 150 and may have exceeded that total.”

Boissoneault. “The Deadliest Massacre in Reconstruction-Era Louisiana…” Smithsonian.

“….‘St. Landrians reacted to armed Negroes and rumors of an uprising in the same manner that Southerners had reacted for generations,’ wrote historian Carolyn deLatte in 1976. ‘If anything, the vengeance visited upon the Negro population was greater, as blacks were no longer protected by any consideration of their monetary value.

“On the first night, only one small group of armed African-Americans assembled to deal with the report they’d heard about Bentley. They were met by an armed group of white men, mounted on horses, outside Opelousas. Of those men, 29 were taken to the local prison, and 27 of them were summarily executed. The bloodshed continued for two weeks, with African-American families killed in their homes, shot in public, and chased down by vigilante groups. C.E. Durand, the other editor of the St. Landry Progress, was murdered in the early days of the massacre and his body displayed outside the Opelousas drug store. By the end of the two weeks, estimates of the number killed were around 250 people, the vast majority of them African-American….”

Chandler: “The Opelousas Massacre in St. Landry Parish, La., has baffled historians over the years. From varying accounts, hundreds of Blacks were reportedly killed, because of their desire to join a local political group that included racist White Democrats. The Seymour Knights violently drove potential Black voters away from the Democratic Party, prompting White Republican reporter Emerson Bentley to write that Blacks should remain loyal to the Republican Party in local paper The Progress.

“A school teacher by day, Bentley was beaten by a group of Whites as a result of his article, which some in the town saw as an affront to the powers that be. Black Republicans, looking to defend and find Bentley, gathered to confront the Knights and other Democrats with both sides armed for war.

“It isn’t said who struck first, but it is known that the White Democrats had the numbers and weapons advantage. On this date in 1868, the groups squared off in town in the early morning.

“As the battles raged on well in to the afternoon and evening hours, several Blacks were caught, shot, and some later executed for the uprising. The White militia forces drove the resistance in to neighboring swamps and captured or killed the opposition on sight, in most cases.

“Twelve leaders of the Black Republicans who were seized were lynched the following day, which sparked a round of anti-Black violence and sentiment throughout the region. In the end, an estimated 150 to 300 Blacks were killed as a result of the race riot and an accurate number has yet to be determined even after years of research. Whites were also killed, with the numbers varying between 30 to 50 in most reports….”  (Chandler, D. L. “Opelousas Massacre Occurred on this Date in 1868, Hundreds of Blacks Slain Over Voting Rights.” NewsOne, 9-28-2012.)

History Engine: “The Opelousas massacre occurred in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, on September 28, 1868. It centered around Emerson Bentley, a white editor for a local newspaper called The Landry Progress and an influential schoolteacher who promoted the education of black children. Bentley wrote an article that local members of the Seymour Knights, a branch unit of the white supremacist group The Knights of the White Camellia, deemed offensive. The backlash to the article led three men to take the attempt to intimidate and severely cane Bentley, causing him to flee St. Landry. Local blacks were told that Bentley had been murdered and banded together to retaliate. While marching towards Opelousas with arms in hand, efforts were made to inform the freedmen that Bentley had not been murdered but escaped; causing some of the men to retreat, while others continued to march.

“The freedmen were met by armed whites determined to defend their town. Shooting occurred by both sides and twenty-nine black prisoners were captured. On September 29, all of the captured prisoners, with the exception of two men, were taken from the prison and executed. The violence at Opelousas continued for weeks to come. The death toll of the massacre resulted in some controversy. Three white Radical Republicans and two Democrats were killed in the assault. Republicans stated that around 200-300 blacks where killed whereas the Democrats denied this claim as fraudulent and stated that only twenty-five to thirty were killed. Historians today have deduced that the Republicans were more correct in their number range….”[2]  (History Engine: Tools for Collaborative Education & Research. “Freedmen Massacred at Opelousas.” University of Richmond, 2008-2009.)

Sources

BlackPast. Timeline of African American History, 1852-1880. “Opelousas.” Accessed 3-13-2024 at: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/opelousas-massacre-1868/

Boissoneault, Lorraine. “The Deadliest Massacre in Reconstruction-Era Louisiana Happened 150 Years Ago.” Smithsonian Magazine, 9-28-2018. Accessed 3-13-2024 at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/story-deadliest-massacre-reconstruction-era-louisiana-180970420/

Chandler, D. L. “Opelousas Massacre Occurred on this Date in 1868, Hundreds of Blacks Slain Over Voting Rights.” NewsOne, 9-28-2012. Accessed 12-1-2012 at: http://newsone.com/2049300/opelousas-massacre/

Hazen, Walter. American Black History. Lorenz Educational Press, 2004. Partially Google digitized: http://books.google.com/books?id=GuvsptYLFL4C&dq=opelousas+massacre&source=gbs_navlinks_s

History Engine. Tools for Collaborative Education & Research. “Freedmen Massacred at Opelousas.” University of Richmond, 2008-2009. Accessed 12-1-2012 at: http://historyengine.richmond.edu/episodes/view/5327

[1] Notes that this is the estimate of Republicans, while Democrats cited much lower numbers (25-30) and states that “Historians today have deduced that the Republicans were more correct in their number range.

[2] Cites:  New York Times. “Louisiana: The Recent Disturbances in Opelousas – Results of the Investigations Ordered by the Freedmen’s Bureau.” 10-8-1968; Delatte, Carolyn E. “The St. Landry Riot: A Forgotten Incident of Reconstruction Violence,” Louisiana Historical Association, Vol. 17, 1976, pp. 41-49; Foner, Eric. Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution 1863-1877. NY: Harper & Row Publishers, 1988, p. 342; and Henry, Robert Selph. The Story of Reconstruction. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1938, p. 341.