On September 14, 1874 an organized militia of white supremacists, mostly Confederate veterans and Democrats, staged an attack and attempted a coup d’etat of the elected Republican government of the state of Louisiana. It is known in history as the Battle of Liberty Place.
The insurrection and attempted coup d’etat was organized and carried out by more than 5,000 members of the White League of New Orleans. The White League was a paramilitary group created after the South lost the Civil War. Like the Ku Klux Klan and other terrorist groups, it existed across the South and was determined to return conservatives, former slave owners, and their supporters to power.
The 1872 gubernatorial race was disputed between Democrat John McEnery and Republican William Pitt Kellogg. Both men were certified, but by different boards, as the winner of the election. Both men had inaugurations. Afterward, members of the White League, supporters of McEnery, 5,000 strong and fully armed, overwhelmed the New Orleans Metropolitan Police and the state militia. They proceeded to occupy the statehouse, the arsenal, and downtown New Orleans for three days, determined to seat their candidates. They only retreated when they learned that federal troops were on the way.