of them were armed, and together they returned fire and kept the whites at bay. After many volleys of shots, the town constable arranged a ceasefire. As the black men left the store, eighteen of the white mob rushed the men and fired at them, killing Orange Rhodes and mortally wounding Calvin Carter. Two other African Americans were severely wounded and two more described as slightly wounded. None of the white men was injured. Given the armed preparation by the whites and their concerted group action against the freedmen, Walsh believed they were likely members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). In addition to the riot, whites killed black people in other local incidents, and conducted campaigns of general harassment against freedmen and their sympathizers in the area. The riot was a demonstration of the KKK's growing power in Giles County, and the Middle Tennessee area. KKK members were said to commit more than 1,300 murders during the run up the Election of 1868. Most of the violence were directed towards black people to intimidate them and break Republican support, though "carpetbagger" and "scalawag" whites were also targeted. References Newspaper articles External links Michael Walsh, "Letter to Bvt. Maj. Genl. W. P. Carlin", January 11, 1868. Transcribed from Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865 - 1869; National Archives Microfilm Publication M999, roll 34; "Reports of Outrages, Riots and Murders, Jan. 15, 1866 - Aug. 12, 1868". Retrieved from The Freedmen's Bureau Online website, 24 December 2011. 1868 riots 1868 in Tennessee 1868 crimes in the United States Giles County, Tennessee Ku Klux Klan crimes Riots and civil disorder in Tennessee Racially motivated violence against African Americans White American riots in the United States Riots and civil disorder during the Reconstruction Era African-American history of Tennessee Ku Klux Klan in Tennessee