Orangeburg: A Retrospective
Bobby Eaddy's Story

On February 8, 1968, during the escalating tensions of the civil rights movement, South Carolina Highway Patrolmen fired shots into a crowd of student demonstrators on the campus of the historically black South Carolina State University in Orangeburg.

Samuel Hammond, Henry Smith and Delano Middleton were killed, and 28 others were wounded, including Bobby Eaddy.

Although the tragedy was the first event of its kind on any United States college campus, it remains largely unrecognized in American history.

The Orangeburg Massacre occurred two nights after efforts to integrate the All-Star Bowling Lanes—the city’s only bowling alley—erupted in violence, sending nine students and one city policeman to the hospital.

On the night of February 8, 1968, students lit a bonfire in front of campus and state troopers arrived with the fire department to douse the flames. As students retreated to campus, a banister was thrown and struck a trooper in the face.

Minutes later, officers positioned themselves on the edge of campus and began firing at the students.

The bullet that struck Bobby Eaddy entered the back of his upper torso and traveled through his body until it stopped near his heart. The bullet could not be removed, so it remains in his chest as a permanent reminder of the night that three young men lost their lives.