Col. Lewis Merrill-- Part 7: Some Serious Accusations

Another reason it took so long for his promotion to lieutenant-colonel in the Regular Army took so long was that he was now much respected by fellow officers in the 7th Cavalry.

Major Marcus Reno called Merrill a "notorious coward and shirk."   Captain Frederick Benteen, who also didn't like Reno, commented: "Poor a soldier as Reno was, he was a long way ahead of Merrill."  he also labeled Merrill as a "chump."

Finally, Merrill was accused of accepting cash awards from a Carpetbagger government for the Ku Klux Klan members he captured and of accepting a bribe while serving as judge advocate in a court martial.

He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

These are some really strong charges that I'll have to investigate some more on.  At this point, Merrill would, if these are true, to be somewhat like the charges and comments about Jacob Smith in the U.S. Army.

I have also heard somewhere that a lot of the pacification techniques used by Merrill and his commands were a bit excessive.

--Old Secesh

Col. Lewis Merrill-- Part 6: "Cleaning Up" South Carolina and Louisiana

Eight days after the attack on Hill, Merrill met with community leaders in York County and demanded change.  But the violence continued into the summer.

Not to be denied, Merrill's efforts eventually led to the dismantling of the Ku Klux Klan.  Opposition leader J. Rufus Braxton, however, escaped to Canada to avoid prosecution for his role in the deaths.  He lived there for several years and never was prosecuted for his role.

Merrill succeeded so well in defusing the situation that he received the thanks of the War Department.  When a similar situation arose in the Red River area of Louisiana, Lewis Merrill was dispatched there in 1875 and by the following year he had it cleared up as well.

As a consequence of that,  he received nomination for the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Regular Army, but that was held up for several years by Southern sympathizers in the Senate.  But it was finally confirmed in 1886, the same year Merrill retired from the Army.

--Old Secesh

Col. Lewis Merrill-- Part 5: The Situation Worsens in York County, S.C.

That truce was broken the next day, February 12, 1871 when 500 to 700 Whites in neighboring Union County killed eight Blacks.  On March 6, 1871, J. Rufus Bratton and a group of seventy white men  attacked a number of black houses and hung Jim Williams.

Companies B, E and K of George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry led by Lewis Merrill were dispatched to the area to quell the violence.

In the meantime, Elias Hill stepped up to lead the Union League which with the deaths was now in disarray.  In another raid by Whites, Hill's nephews, Solomon Hill and June Moore were attacked and forced to renounce their Republican allegiance in the local newspaper, the Yorkville Enquirer.

Elias Hill was also attacked on May 5, 1871.  By then, Merrill was in York County and this was the first activity that Merrill saw of the Ku Klux Klan.  But he found himself unable to step in to protect the black citizens of the county.

--Old Secesh

Col. Lewis Merrill-- Part 4: Racial Difficulties in South Carolina

The Situation in York County, South Carolina

Before Lewis Merrill arrived in South Carolina, in February 1871, local black preacher Elias Hill met with local Ku Klux Klan leaders to negotiate for the safety of Blacks in the community.  These negotiations were not successful, and around February 12,  eight black men were killed by around  500 to 700 Whites in black gowns and masks.  Nightly Klan raids took place for months after that.

An important black leader in York County at the time was a former Union soldier and local militia leader named James  Rainey, also known as Jim Williams.  At the time, black militias were known as Union Leagues.

On February 11, 1871, Jim Williams, along with June Moore (cousin of Elias Hill) and a group of Blacks met with a group of Whites led by J. Rufus Bratton at a crossroads near Clay Hill in an attempt to deescalate tensions.  Williams said  he would be willing to give up his weapons and other Union league members agreed to stop having nighttime meetings.

It didn't work.  The truce was broken the next day.

--Old Secesh

Colonel Lewis Merrill-- Part 2: Boss of Merril's Horse, Aggressive Guerrilla Fighters

From Wikipedia.

I have written about this Union officer's role in the University of Missouri history.  here is some more information on him.

Lewis Merrill (1834-1896) was a career U.S. Army officer noted for his work in resisting the Ku Klux Klan in several Southern states.  During the Civil War he fought Southern guerrillas in Missouri.

Born in New Berlin, Pennsylvania, and went to college before graduating from West Point in 1855.  Served with the 1st Dragoons in Missouri, Kansas and was on the Utah Expedition.

In 1861, as a colonel and first cavalry officer on the staff of John C. Fremont, he organized the 2nd Missouri Volunteer Cavalry, usually referred to as Merrill's Horse.  They were mostly engaged in fighting guerrillas in central Missouri. and were well known for their strict military organization and aggressiveness carrying out their anti-guerrilla campaign.

--Old Secesh

"Gone With the Wind" Items Displayed-- Part 2

David O. Selznick early on in the filming decided to avoid mentioning the name Ku Klux Klan, even though it was a "meeting" of this organization from which Rhett Butler had to rescue the wounded Ashley Wilkes and several others.

In addition, the "N" word was not used.

Hattie McDowell, Mammy in the movie, and Butterfly McQueen, Prissy, were three dimensinal characters, yet they were also stereotyped.

The exhibit also has the dress Scarlett O'Hara was wearing in the Shantytown scene, Bonnie Blue's velvet dress from her final scene and Belle Watling's burgundy velvet jacket and fur muff.

And, There Are More Things. --Old Secesh