The Portland daily press., 1876-10-25
SOUTH CAROLINA.
Armed Cavalry Raiding Through
the State.
Good Effect OF the United States
Troops.


WASHINGTON, Oct. 24.-The following official
reports have been forwarded through the reg
ular military channels to the Secretary of War:
AIKER, S G., Oct. q, 1876.
To the Assistant Adjutdnt General Department
of the South, Louisville, Ky., through Com
naanding Officer United States Troops, at al
ken s. g.
ri have the honor to report, that in COM
pliance with the telegram of the Brevet Briga-
der General commanding the department., dat
ed at Louisville, KY, September is, 1876 direct
Ing me to proceed Immediately with the balk
of my force TO Silyerton, South Carolina, and
report the condition of things and the facts as
to any trouble at that place, received at o'clock
p. m. on the 18th inst left the camp at 10. 80
p. NJ, of the same day, with Lieut.. c. b. Hin
ton and 80 men of companies f and /, 18th in
fantry, with three days Iations, and marched
about 20 miles to Rouse's BRIDGE South Caroli-
ma, arriving there about 8. 80 on the morning of
the 10Th inst.
Seven miles from Aiken we were challenged
by detachment of fifteen or twenty men o
the road, mounted and armed, and apparently
organized as regular company OF cavalry.
There were other men secreted in barn near the
road. On questioning the man who had charge
of the party. he stated he had been within
few miles of Rouse's bridge and found the road
picketed, and there had been some skirmishng,
and that he had orders to report there in the
morning.
On arriving at Rouse's bridge we found a
body of about 100 negroes, some of them arm
ed with old patterned muskets and shot guns.
They We're much excited and seemed to possess
no organization. We had scarcely arrived at
our camping ground when when we heard shots
fred and saw the negroes running up the road
crying that one of their number had been shot,
and the white men were coming. They after
wards acknowledged that nobody had been shot,
and that the shots had been fired by them
selves.
A short time after body of some 800 white
men, all mounted and well armed and under
command of one A. p. Butler, were seen COM
ing up the road from the direction of the firing.
Lieut.. Hunton and myself went down the road
| to meet them, and on approaching the party
| found that they had thrown out skirmish line
| in the woods, almost surrounding the negroes,
while the main body marched up to the road.
AS soon as we were recognized as United States
officers we heard the command given the Skin
mishers to halt by man who rode into the
woods, evidently to give the skirmish line in
| formation of our presence There vas un-
doubted evidence of q we'll digested plan of at
| tack, which if carried out would have resulted
| in the slaughter of nearly all the negroes in
| that place. This man Butler, has regularly
organized body of men known throughout this
| country as Buffers cavalry''-a well drilled
| and organized company. Besides this force,
there were other men from this vicinity, and
some from Augusta. Ga, all under the COM
/ mauQ OL Dubl6T. TOm WudU L CAL l6dIu, tu6
| party which intercepted at Rouse's bridge
| was the largest that had got together, and in
| cluded almost all those which had been raiding
| through the country for two or three days pre-.
| ious.
After finding that there were United States
troops on the ground, these men proposed to
disband and go home, provided the negroes
| feet was easily made, as the negroes were al
ready frightened, and both parties left the vi.
| cinity
On the morning of the 18th inst. we marched
from Rouse's bridge to Ellenton, distance OF
| five or six miles, On the road saw at the
house where we stopped for water, the bodies
| of three negroes who had been killed. Two of
| them had been dead since Sunday. The ne.
| groes were afraid to bury them, as they said
| the white men who were there on Monday had
| ordered them not to. l saw two negroes at
| Rouse's bridge. who had been wounded, and
have positive information of five others who
| were killed in the vicinity of Ellenton. As far
as can learn only one white man has beer
| killed during the four days rioting.
| On our arrival at Elenton found party Of
| Is or 30 mounted white men, who left town
| soon after our arrival, with the avowed inten.
| ton of going to their homes. sent a small
which returned in the evening, and reported
| all quiet there, and no armed parties on any of
| the roads in the vicinity.
| 1t was reported to me in the afternoon that
there were disturbances down on the Barnwell
road, and was requested to send down to in
form the peoplein that vicinity of the agree
| ment which had been made at Rouse's bridge.
Lieut.. Hunton, with one of the citizens, rode
| down to Robbins about six miles, and found
there body of rs or 30 white men, who stated
| that they were a detachment from Gen. Hay
| woods command, who were at Steel Creek.
They said Haywood had authority from Judge
| Virgins to make arrests and disarm the me-
| groes, and that they had been sent there to
| protect the negroes while burying the body of
| Simon Cocker, a colored member of the legisla-
morning. Lieut. Hinton saw COker's body.
This man was brought from his home at Rob
bins to Ellenton ond deliberately shot
I estimate the total number of white men en-.
| gagged in the riot at not less than 800. coming
from Edgefeld, Aiken and Barnwell, South
/ Carolina.
The negroes at and about Ellenton were COM
| pletely cowed. Many OF them came in from
their hiding places in the woods while we were
there. They were afraid to 60 to work. saying
they were afraid of being shot down in the cot
ton fields. The Port Royal railroad was TORI
up about ten miles above Ellenton during The
riot.
The general superintendent said his mer
were afraid to work on the road, and requested
me to leave him small guard. Six men were
left at Ellenton for that purpose, and were
| withdrawn and joined their companies mex
day. The road was almost entirely repaired
| when the detachment returned. The detach
ment left Ellenton at II. 80 p. M, Sept. 81, or
| an extra car and engine, connecting with the
2.30 o'clock train from Augusta, and arrived al
Aiken at 4 p. m.
Very respectfully,
Your Obedient servant,
THOMAS j. LLOYD,
Captain 18th Infantry, commanding detach
ment.
| ENDORSEMENTS
| PosT AT AIKEN, S, c., Sept %, 1S76.-Re
spectfully forwarded to the Assistant Adjutant
General of the Department of the South. From
| what have learned since my arrival here,
am satisfied that Capt Lloyds arrival Al
Rouse's Bridge was just in time to prevent 8
massacre of the negroes.
VIM. MILLS, Captain ID Infantry,
Commanding Post.
| HEADQUARTERS, Department of the South
| at Atlanta. Ga, Oct. B. 1885, Respectfully
forwarded to Adjutant General o.. S. A..
| The order from headquarters for Capt. Lloyd
to proceed to the place of disturbance was
based on an application by telegraph from the
Governor of South Carolina, stating that a
| serious conflict was in progress, and that he
had no adequate means for its suppressi on
The presence of the troops appears by the
within report to have averted serious conse
| quences. An investigation of the facts and
circumstances connected with these riots is, ]
| am informed, now being made by the civil
authorities of South Carolina.
THOMAS 81. kUGER,
| Colonel 18th Infantry, brevet Brgadier Gen
eral U. s. A. commanding at headquarters
| Division of the Atlantic.
New YORK, Oct. IA, 1876-Respectfull for
warded to Adjutant General of the Army.
WINFIELD S. HANCOCK, Maj. Gen.,
Commanding at Headquarters of the Army
| HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Washington
Oct. II, 1876 Respectfully submitted to the
| Secretary of War.
VIM. T, SHERMAN, General.