The Secrets of the Knights of the White Camellia-White Terror in Louisiana 1868-1869

In 1869 a report on white supremacist terrorism connected to the Election of 1868 was published by a Joint Committee of the Louisiana Legislature. Entitled Supplemental Report of the joint committee of the general assembly of Louisiana on the conduct of the late elections and the condition of peace and order in the state it included a section on the alleged secrets of the Knights of the White Camelia (KWC). The KWC was a white supremacist terrorist group that operated in Louisiana and surrounding states. Its activities were often confused with those of the Ku Klux Klan. The section of the report describing the KWC’s “secrets” begins here.

The Joint Committee claimed that it had an informant who was a member of the KWC, but refused to reveal his name because it would purportedly place his life in danger. Here is how the informant joined the KWC:

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The oath of those seeking admission is then administered before any secrets are revealed:

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Here is the questioning of the initiate:

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The Grand Commander then swears in the recruits, who pledge to maintain white supremacy:
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The new recruits now received the secrets known only to members:

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For those of you who might wonder if the term “terrorism” was used to describe political violence back during the Reconstruction Era, I have put together a thread with many examples of that word being used back in 1868-69.

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Author: Patrick Young

5 thoughts on “The Secrets of the Knights of the White Camellia-White Terror in Louisiana 1868-1869

  1. The article bears no truth of the Camelia knights. Facts stand secret today. I a natural born native Indian found an estate for sale in1998 in Mississippi. After purchasing the acres of white camelias estate it was realized.
    These records are retained secret.

    1. I am very interested in why you stated “the article bears no truth of the Camellia knights.” I have been looking for information about the KWC but most of what I find is simply a regurgitation of the same article.

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