Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-08-08
THE BATTLE OF PITTSBURGH.
An Eyewitness Account Of the Fight at
the R0und-IlOuse.
Philadelphia Times.

general on the staff of Gen. f.. Wallace
Matthews, commanding the First brig
AIDE, First division, =. n. g., who was in
the thick Of the battle at Pittsburgh.
gives the Times the following concise
but graphic account. Of that memorable
atirav:
The division, under the command Of
Gen. Brinton, landed in Pittsburgh at
! 40 F. Nj. on Saturday, six hundred
strong, the men each furnished with
thirty rounds of ammunition, and accom-
panied by two Calling guns, obtained in
Harrisburg, in charge of the keystone
battery. When the troops issued from
the cars in the Union depot they were
met by a large number of people, who
appeared to be in perfect good humor,
and even greeted them with cheers.
That the bloodshed that afterward fol
lowed would take place was, therefore,
the last thing that entered the minds OF
the soldiers. After luncheon Of sand
witches and coffee had. been served the
troops remained in the depot until about
half-past o'clock, when the First brig
AIDE, composed Of the 1st regiment,
companies b and c Of the Sd, the Wash
ington grays and Weccacoe legion,
marched down the track as far as
Twenty-eighth street, accompanied by
Vice President Cassatt, Mr. Pitcairn, su-
pcrintendent of the western division of
the Pennsylvania railroad, Sheriff Fife,
and forty-iive deputies, armed with writs
for the arrest of prominent strikers. At
Twenty-eighth street the head Of the
column, composed of the Weccacoc le-
gion and the Washington grays, found
themselves confronted by n mob about
two thousand strong, while on the hill,
some four hundred feet high, that faced
the right of the column, there were
ranged an immense multitude, ut least
ten thousand strong On the brow of
the hill were stationed attachments of
the Nth and 18th Pennsylvania rcgi-
ments pittsburgh troops), and imme-
diately above the railroad two pieces of
Hutchinson's Pittsburgh battery, Sheriff
Fife after in vain endeavorlng to serve
his writs, read the riot act. at which the
mob jcered and groaned, whereupon
the sheriff and his deputies and Mr..
found disgust The troops We're then
deployed for the purpose of sweeping
the mob from the tracks, the grays and
Weccacoe legion facing the two thousand
or more strikers that occupied the tracks.
At the back of the command was train
of coal cars, behind which there were
about two hundred of the strikers. In
order to force the principal mob back
the soldiers of the grays and the legion
crossed their muskcts, their intention
being to avoid doing the strikers injury.
The crowd laughed and jeered and final
~ attempted to wrcst the muskcts from
the soldiers, who then came to Il charge
bayonet, and in the melee that neceSsa-
rily followed one of the strikers was
wounded by a bayonct thrust. The cry
arose from the mob: Stick to it; give
it to them; don't fall bac'," and the
men behind the coal clrs began dis
charging pistols ut the soldiers from I'M
der and between the cars, while the
crowd in front began heaving rocks,
with which number of the soldiers
We're hit, and Sergt. Bernard, of the
NeCcacoe legion, seriously wounded.
The firing of the troops then began.
There was no order given for it. 1t be-
gan with the discharge of n single
musllet and was Immediately followed
10y an almost simultaneous discharge
from front and rear, right and left of
the brigade The firing lasted about
ten minutes, men continually dropping
Ill the fast retreating mob. 1t was at
this time that the Pittsburgh troops
threw down their arms and fraternizcd
with the strikers, Hutchinson's battery
and cavalry company alone excepted.
Within five minutes after the firing
ceased the mob was back again. but re-
Trained for while from further assaults
upon the Philadclphians, and therefore
there was no more firing upon them.
" 1t was the most persistent mob said
Lieut.. Elliott Il ever saw The brig
AIDE remained ON the field of battle until
Gen. Pearson back to the round-house,
adjoining which is building in which
was stationed the Second brigade.
1t was the retreat that was the great
mistake Of the occasion. If the mob
had been pushed Immediately after they
had been fired into the riot would prob
ably have been ended at once and the
immense destruction of property that
afterward happened been prevented.
The Philadelphians spent the night in
the round-housc and adjoining depot
suppcrlesS, their commisSary supplies
being captured Immediately under their
eyes within Il hundred yards of the
round-housc. 1t was about halt-past
or o'clock when the mob began setting
fire to the cars. There We're then in the
rNnnl-hOnsc inclOsurc the two hrigades