On October 16, 1876 a joint political meeting took place near Cainhoy, South Carolina, a small town located approximately nine miles northeast of Charleston.  A group of about one-hundred and fifty Democrats traveled to the site by steamboat and met their political opponents at “Brick Church.”  The leadership from both sides had agreed beforehand that participants would not bear arms at the meeting, but many of the Republicans, mindful of the sort of violence that had occurred previously in places like Hamburg, arrived to the meeting with their personal firearms.  When their leadership informed them that they were breaking protocol by carrying these weapons they stowed them nearby, some in a dilapidated vestry building on the premises and others in a stand of woods. 

The meeting commenced with a speech from the Democratic candidate for prosecuting attorney of the circuit, who was followed by W.J. McKinlay, a prominent Republican politician.  Shortly after McKinlay began speaking several young men from the Democratic congregation entered the old vestry and discovered the cache of weapons stored there.  They emerged from the structure and shouted warning to their comrades while McKinlay issued a similar warning to his fellow Republicans.  Seeing armed Democrats emerge from the vestry, many of the Republicans rushed to gather the weapons that they had stored in the nearby woods.  The scene quickly devolved into chaos as both sides feared the worst intentions from the other.  In the opening melee one elderly African American man was shot dead.  After this initial casualty the bulk of the Republican group returned from the woods with their weapons and quickly outflanked the Democrat’s position.  Many of the Democrats on the scene had carried sidearms to the meeting and returned fire, but they were ultimately driven from the field.  Between three and six of the white Democrats fell dead on the field before the firing ceased.  Members of Democratic controlled rifle clubs from Charleston quickly organized and arrived on the scene in force within a few hours.  Tensions remained high, but no more organized fighting took place and a small detachment of U.S. military forces arrived a few days later in order to maintain the tenuous peace.

Both sides quickly issued heating warnings about the wanton depredation of the other but, taken alone, the violence at Cainhoy seems largely spontaneous and the product of a genuine misunderstanding.  The Democrats discovered a hidden cache of weapons and believed they were being targeted for an ambush; the Republicans saw armed men emerging from the building and believed another political massacre was about the commence.  Viewed within the larger context of the 1876 election, however, the violence at Cainhoy is indicative of the tense and violent atmosphere that pervaded the state during that volatile political season. 

Part of the Democratic strategy in the election was to arrive at Republican meetings, shout down their opponents and demand “equal time” (26).  The decision to hold a joint meeting at Cainhoy was itself based upon the desire to avoid the direct confrontations that might result from such premeditated disturbances.  And, while the alarm among the Democratic camp upon finding arms hidden in an outbuilding is certainly understandable, given the mass mobilization of the Democratic party and the vivid memory of the recent events at Hamburg, it is also easy to understand why Republican attendees would feel it necessary to carry weapons to the political rally. 

The events at Cainhoy are also interesting because, as more than one commentator noted, it represented a rare instance during Reconstruction where the African American combatants got the better of their opponents.  Certainly the particular circumstances favored their position, but combined with the events that had taken place on King Street the previous month, they also represent the potential strength of a united African American majority in the South Carolina low country.  Their brethren in Edgefield, Aiken, Union, and York counties were often less fortunate.

Visiting Today

The site of the meeting was misidentified in the New York Times as “Erick Church.”  The gathering actually took place at St. Thomas and St. Dennis Parish Episcopal Church (also referred to as “Brick Church” or “White Church”).  Built in 1819, the structure, along with the vestry building that played a prominent role in the events of October 1876, still stands at the intersection of Cainhoy Road (SC Hwy 98) and Brick Church Road, in Wando, South Carolina (see map below).  The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 (Brick Church Nomination).

Links to Sources

New York Times Coverage of the Cainhoy Riot

Martin Gary, “Plan of 1876”