The Suppression of the Opelousas Massacre of 1868: the Blackleg Hunt or “La Chasse A’ La Jambe Noire”

Authors

August Malveaux

Abstract

This article examines the suppression of the 1868 Opelousas Massacre—also known as “la chasse à la jambe noire” or the Blackleg Hunt—and situates it within the broader landscape of Reconstruction-era racial violence in Louisiana. Malveaux argues that the massacre was not an isolated riot but a premeditated act of political terrorism designed to eliminate Black electoral participation and reverse Reconstruction gains. Triggered by Black political mobilization and white supremacist resistance, the violence unfolded over several days in September 1868 and resulted in widespread murder, intimidation, and property destruction. The essay challenges the historiographical minimization of the event, emphasizing how organized groups such as the White Camellias and local Democratic factions weaponized racial fear to restore white dominance. By recovering the massacre’s political context and its long-term implications, the study reframes Opelousas as emblematic of Reconstruction’s fragility and the systematic suppression of Black citizenship in the post–Civil War South.

First Page

68

Last Page

76

Recommended Citation

August Malveaux, . 2026. "The Suppression of the Opelousas Massacre of 1868: the Blackleg Hunt or “La Chasse A’ La Jambe Noire”." The Griot - Southern Conference on African American Studies, Inc. 43, (1):68-76. https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/griot/vol43/iss1/12