The Limit of Endurance Has Been Reached: the 7Th Us Cavalry
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THE LIMIT OF ENDURANCE HAS BEEN REACHED: THE 7TH U.S. CAVALRY REGIMENT, RACIAL TERROR AND RECONSTRUCTION, 1871-1876 A Dissertation by THOMAS GLENN NESTER Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2010 Major Subject: History The Limit of Endurance Has Been Reached: The 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, Racial Terror and Reconstruction, 1871-1876 Copyright 2010 Thomas Glenn Nester THE LIMIT OF ENDURANCE HAS BEEN REACHED: THE 7TH U.S. CAVALRY REGIMENT, RACIAL TERROR AND RECONSTRUCTION, 1871-1876 A Dissertation by THOMAS GLENN NESTER Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Chair of Committee, Joseph G. Dawson III Committee Members, Walter Kamphoefner Albert Broussard Henry C. Schmidt William Bedford Clark Head of Department, Walter Buenger May 2010 Major Subject: History iii ABSTRACT The Limit of Endurance Has Been Reached: The 7th U.S. Cavalry, Racial Terror, and Reconstruction, 1871-76. (May 2010) Thomas Glenn Nester, B.A., Susquehanna University; M.A., Temple University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Joseph G. Dawson III The 7th Cavalry Regiment participated in Reconstruction during two of its most critical phases. Companies from the regiment were deployed to South Carolina, from 1871-73, to conduct the federal government’s campaign to eradicate the Ku Klux Klan and to Louisiana, from 1874-76, in an effort to protect the legally-elected state government against White League depredations. In both cases, the regiment carried out the federal government’s Reconstruction policies under the Enforcement Acts and operated against two distinct white supremacist organizations intent on using racial terrorism to end the Republican party’s dominance in state politics. As a result of these unique experiences, the 7th Cavalry presents an invaluable lens through which to evaluate how Reconstruction, and the Army’s role in it, evolved during the early 1870s as the federal government moved from aggressive enforcement of its policies to acquiescence in the face of Conservative white opposition. In particular, careful examination of the regiment’s performance of its duties offer indications of the effectiveness of military intervention in civil affairs and demonstrate whether or not the iv Army could have protected the new social and political order created in the South under Reconstruction. In suppressing racial terror and upholding African-American civil and political rights, this dissertation concludes that the 7th Cavalry performed its mission professionally and effectively throughout both of its Southern tours, but especially in South Carolina where it helped eradicate the Ku Klux Klan as an active opponent of Reconstruction. In late-Reconstruction Louisiana, however, the regiment confronted new circumstances that mitigated its effectiveness. These included deeply partisan state authorities who frequently manipulated the application of military force to suit their own particular agendas, an Army headquarters opposed to further military intervention in Louisiana affairs, and rapidly diminishing popular support for Reconstruction within the U.S. electorate. v DEDICATION For my girls vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation is the product of much time and effort on my part, but none of it would have been possible without the professional guidance, financial assistance, and emotional support I have received from many individuals and institutions along the way. The completion of this project and my graduate education has been a long time coming and I am pleased to have the opportunity to recognize those whom I am indebted to for sustaining me throughout my intellectual journey and helping me fulfill my academic dream. To begin with, I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Walter Kampheofner, Dr. Albert Broussard, Dr. Henry C. Schmidt, Dr. William Bedford Clark, and especially my committee chair, Dr. Joseph Dawson, who have provided essential guidance, support, and criticism. Their verbal and written comments on my dissertation as it progressed from rough draft to finished manuscript were essential to its improvement. In addition, I thank them for their willingness to write numerous letters of recommendation in support of my fellowship applications. The financial awards that I received made my research trips possible. Most importantly, their flexibility during this past year, when I completed and defended my dissertation while living and working in Doha, Qatar, helped me tremendously in bringing this project to a successful conclusion. My dissertation received a tremendous boost from the financial support I received, both from within the Texas A&M University community and from without. vii The U.S. Army Center of Military History rewarded me with a generous stipend and granted me access to its facility and staff who asked probing questions regarding my conclusions at the end of my year-long fellowship. Dr. Willie Dobak and Dr. Mark Bradley proved particularly helpful in sharing their knowledge of the late-19th Century U.S. Army, in offering advice on navigating the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and supplying books, a meal and conversation when it was badly needed. In my opinion, the funding opportunities available to graduate students on the campus of Texas A&M is second-to-none and is one of the many reasons why I thoroughly enjoyed my studies in College Station, Texas. I would like to thank the Association of Former Students for awarding me the Charles Keeble ’48 Dissertation Fellowship, the College of Liberals Arts for supporting my research through a Dissertation Research Award, and the Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research for naming me a Stipendiary Fellow. The expenses I incurred in conducting research in the nation’s capital were substantially reduced by several people who kindly invited me into their homes. Dr. Janet Valentine allowed me to cat/apartment-sit for her for three weeks while she attended West Point’s Summer Seminar in military history. Steve Wiley and Mary Donovan, my uncle and aunt in-law, invited me in and helped sustain during my last week of research when my resolve was rapidly diminishing after weeks of relative isolation in the reading and microfilm rooms at the downtown archives. In addition to research funding, I would like to recognize the Society of Military History and the Texas A&M Office of Graduate Studies for providing me with travel viii awards that facilitated my attendance at professional conferences where I presented some of the preliminary findings of my dissertation research. Also, the Centre for the Study of the United States at the University of Toronto funded my travel to attend its conference on the American Civil War: Causes and Consequences in 2005 where I had the opportunity to “rub elbows” with some of the leading scholars of the Civil War and Reconstruction period. There are many members of the department of history, faculty, staff and fellow graduate students, who made my time at Texas A&M enjoyable. In entering the working world I have lost that sense of community that sustained me over the years. I could not have asked for a better, more supportive, environment. In addition to moral support, I received generous funding from the department in the form of a graduate assistantship that provided a salary and benefits that made my graduate education possible. In the process, I have had the opportunity to work with many splendid professors from whom I have learned a great deal about being a successful historian and an effective teacher. Also, I would like to extend my thanks to the department staff, Mary Johnson, Barbara Dawson, Rita Walker, and Kelly Cook for all of their assistance; I always enjoyed a break in the day to chat with the ladies in the main office. Most importantly, I do not know what I would have done without fellow graduate students Andy Clink, Niles Illich, Mike Krivdo, Derek Mallet, Verity McInnis, Chris Mortenson, Casey Motl, and Paul Springer. They provided fellowship, an opportunity to commiserate on the challenges of graduate school, and offered many important tips on ix research, funding, and teaching that I came to rely upon. I already miss their collegiately more than they could ever imagine. When I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in history from Susquehanna University in 1995, I knew the career path I wanted to follow. My less than inspiring performance as an undergraduate, however, also indicated to me that I needed a little seasoning before I returned to school. Making the decision to go back to school required me to make some significant changes in my life. During this sometimes difficult adjustment, I leaned heavily on my parents, Thomas P. and Christina Nester. Not only did they provide love and emotional support, they manifested unwavering confidence in my ability to succeed in my chosen profession and this helped carry me through some difficult days as I worked full time while attending graduate school at night at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In addition I lost several cherished members of my family during the completion of this project. My grandfathers, Glenn D. Graff and Thomas J. Nester, and my grandmother Mary Ellen Nester passed away before I completed my dissertation. I miss them terribly and hope that they know I finally got it done. Perhaps more than most others, graduate school transformed my life. Halfway through my studies I met and eventually married my wife, Courtney Beggs, whom I love and adore. She has given me three extraordinary daughters, Hannah, Eliza, and Amelia, who make every day worth living. Without their love and emotional support, I doubt this dissertation would have reached a successful conclusion, or attained whatever values x it may possess.