Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 7.75 x 9.75, October 1876. President Grant directs the Secretary of State to affix the Seal of the United States to “my Proclamation.” Signed boldly at the conclusion by U. S. Grant. In fine condition, with surface loss to the document’s date; the second digit of the month’s day appears to have been neatly removed, resulting in a date of October 2nd, which does not align with any found Grant proclamation.
This document ostensibly pertains to Proclamation 232—Law and Order in the State of South Carolina, which Grant proclaimed on October 17, 1876. A print of this presidential order, entitled “A Proclamation,” is included, which finds the president invoking the use of military force. It begins: ‘Whereas it has been satisfactorily shown to me that insurrection and domestic violence exist in several counties of the State of South Carolina, and that certain combinations of men against law exist in many counties of said State known as 'rifle clubs,' who ride up and down by day and night in arms, murdering some peaceable citizens and intimidating others, which combinations, though forbidden by the laws of the State, can not be controlled or suppressed by the ordinary course of justice.’
President Grant was forced to proclaim this order due to the ongoing violence surrounding the 1876 South Carolina gubernatorial election. The Red Shirts, a white Democratic paramilitary group backing candidate Wade Hampton III, attacked Republican blacks in numerous areas of the state, particularly the Piedmont, in violent incidents including the Hamburg Massacre, and riots at Ellenton and Cainhoy. Following the latter incident on October 16, 1876, which resulted in the deaths of six whites and one African American, President Grant made this proclamation, directing all private armed organizations to disband and ordering more U.S. troops into the state. Although nearly 1200 federal soldiers would be on duty for the 1876 election, the soldiers were only a temporary, piecemeal fix and were unable to quell all disturbances or protect all Republicans. The turbulent atmosphere ended before election day, which concluded with a controversial victory for Hampton.
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