Statehouse Massacre

The Statehouse Massacre was a confrontation on 20 May 1863 in Indianapolis, Indiana, in which Union soldiers fired upon Democratic supporters at a state convention of Democratic supporters, killing 53 people including Senator Thomas A. Hendricks. The incident was heavily publicized by leading Copperheads, such as Harrison H. Dodd, to strengthen anti-war sentiment in the United States, ultimately leading to the collapse of the Governor Morton's control of Indiana.

Background
The massacre was the culmination of rising tensions between the predominantly Democratic and anti-war Indiana legislature and the pro-war Republican Governor, Oliver P. Morton, who had used his gubernatorial powers to have almost dictatorial control over the state.

Deeply controversial during and following the war, Governor Morton frequently used his power and influence to bully and arrest Democratic and Copperhead supporters, actively preventing the Indiana legislature from meeting. One of Lincoln's "War Governors", Morton maintained power within the Republican party by being a strong supporter of President Abraham Lincoln.

Following the defeat of the Union Army at the Triumph at Chancellorsville, Democratic opposition to the war throughout the United States reached a fever pitch, especially within the Democratically dominant Indiana government. Shortly before the massacre, Governor Morton received reports that the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secret society of Pro-South sympathizers, were planning to overthrow the Indiana government during the Democratic State Convention. He had placed Union troops at the convention specifically to intimidate the delegates to the convention.