The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-08-03
THE STRIKERS RIOT IN PrrTsBURG.
A MiIitian,a,ts Void Account Of the Ter
yiJle Scenes of Saturday Nyht

rJle Scenes of Saturday Nyht.
PIrrsBURu, Pa July 22.-"Great God!
preserve me from another such night as last
nightw said member Of Company G., of
the First Regiment of Philadelphia, to your |
representative to-day. The young man was
q clerk in wholesale tea house, and had
left at homo widowed mother and num-
bcr Of sisters depending upon him for sup
port. He had deserted the regiment when
it had arrived at the United States Arsenal,
and secrctod himself behind great pile
of boards until the mob had left, then came
out and begged protection from Maj. Buff
fington, the commandant Of the arsenal
He had thrown away his uniform and ap-
pearcd in citizens dress. and eagerly piled
me with questions as to how he could get
into the city. and what train might he take
which would carry him safest and soonest
home.
GOING INTO TIE FIGHT.
81 served in tho war of the rebellion"
said he, "and have seen wild fighting and
heard oftcntimes the melancholy music of
whistling bullets, but the night Of terror
such us last night | never experienced, and
hope to God | never will again. 1t was
this way: We came into Pittsburg, ] must
confess, bent on having little fight if any
was going on. We had little to cat some
sandwiches and tin cup of coffee, and Mt
noon yesterday we had some sort of nour-
ishmcnt dealt out to us ut the Union depot.
When we arrived ut Pittsburg we were all
in good spirits, nevertheless, and responded
with alacrity to the command TO move out
to Twenty eighth stcet. where the strikers
had gathered in force. When we arrived
here, Gen. Britton, commanding, formed lis
in front and rear on the outside of 4 net
work of track at this point and stationed
the Keystone battery, with its Gatling guns,
in little fiat plot on ~ hillside. elevation
perhaps ten feet above the level of the
tracks. At this moment the crowd began
to scatter, not in retreat, but apparently to
make room for the military.
Kisses, YELLs AND GRoANs.
As we rested on our arms the silenSss Of
IL. e--~. -----a 49, i-~h'''' '"I .Th.n
platoon of our regiment was ordered to
clear the crowd from the head of Twenty
eighth street, which was blockadng the
tracks Of the railroad. The sheriff and his
deputies mingled with the troops and en-
deavored to make himself heard, urging the
crowd to fall back and retire to their homes
lie could not make himself heard, owing to
the confusion and the cries and the yells of
the people. The platoon of soldiers pushed
into the crowd, surging them back until the
order "Halt!" :" was given at this time the
hillside was literally covered with men, wo-
men and children, mostly spectators, |
judged, who were in manner pcnncd up.
All this time the cries and ycls of the crowd
1onInr opl Al.
made preparations to form hollow square
on platform of tracks, as near the Twen-
ty-cighth street crossing possible, with
two Gatling guns in the centre. The Pitts
burg troops and the Fourteenth regiment, |
believe. were drawn up in line, but remained
passive.
THE CHARGE OF THE GRATS.
After some maneuvering. rendered diff
cs!t by the jostling Of the crowd, three
sides Of a square were formed by our two
rcgimcnts-First and Sccond-numbcring
from four to five hundred men One side
of the square faced the hill, one faced to
the east, and the troops on the other side
stood with their backs to Twcnty-eighth
street and faced also the hill. The crowd was
slow in clearing space for the cast side of
the square, and the soldiers began to force
them back. This occasioncd some scuf
fling, several of the men taking hold of the
muskets and saying, You would not shoot
workingmsn, would your while those on
the outskirts continued to hoot and ycll-
About this moment the Grays were ordered
to charge OH the crowd which was impeding
them. This was done amidst the most in
tense confusion and excitement; but the
troops pushed back the throng and retired
BAYONET CHARGE
The first regiment, when the crowd began
again to press the men, was ordered to charge.
which they did with fixed bayonets, and in
this charge one of the strikers Is reported to
have been wounded by bayonct thrust
The crowd now began pelting us with stones,
and some OF our men were hurt more or less.
This was the match that fired the train, and
goaded to frenzy, either through fear of vio-
lence from the crowd or stung to despcra
ton by being hit with missiles, we fired, and
fire We did. Some say there was no order
gvOn to fire, but one Of the guns in the
hands Of a member Of Company A went off, |
and Others, mistaking this for an order to
fire, lcvelled their pieces and discharged
them. This may be, but heard distinctly
the order to fire, and did not discharge nv