Coushatta, Louisiana

24-Aug-1874

Coushatta Massacre

“After whites murdered African American Republican Thomas Floyd in Brownsville on August 25, tensions in the region mounted. The White League arrested several white Republicans and twenty African Americans, accusing them of planning a “Negro rebellion.” The whites’ rumors of uprising spread, attracting hundreds of heavily armed whites from nearby areas to Coushatta within two days. After being held hostage for days, the white prisoners agreed to resign and to leave the state. While traveling under guard, the prisoners were attacked by heavily armed whites determined to kill the men. All six were killed. The violence was not confined to this group; whites in Coushatta and the surrounding area beat, burned, and hanged several African Americans. By the end of the massacre, at least four African Americans and the six white officeholders were dead. Although a handful of men were arrested, no one was ever convicted for the murders.”