The Battle of Blair Mountain, 1921

[Story]

On a sultry August morning in 1921, some 15,000 coal miners converged at the foot of the steep, brambly slopes of West Virginia's Blair Mountain. On a high ridge above, coal industry forces, private detectives, and state police officers peered out from fortified positions, training Thompson submachine guns and high-powered rifles on the men below.

After years of violent confrontations with mine operators in West Virginia coalfields, the miners were marching to Mingo County, West Virginia, to free miners imprisoned by state authorities and unionize workers who lived in dire poverty in company towns. But the 1,952-foot-tall (595-meter-tall) Blair Mountain stood in the marchers' path. So the miners—armed with machine guns and other weapons, and wearing red bandannas around their necks—started up the slopes.

The ensuing battle, the second largest civil insurrection in U.S. history, lasted about five days and claimed dozens of lives. And while the miners eventually decided to lay down their arms when federal troops arrived, the battle of Blair Mountain focused national attention on the oppressive company towns of West Virginia and dangerous mines, resulting in part from lagging state safety regulations.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...ent-blair-mountain-coal-massey-energy-nation/

 

[WH1]

as I understand it this event is the orgin of the term "redneck" the miners wore red bandanas to identify their allegiance.

 

[Shangas]

I always thought that the term "redneck" came from Southern farmhands. They spent so much time bent over in the fields that the sun turned the skin on the backs of their necks red through sunburn.

 

[dr greg]

follow on

didn't that follow the strike that was so well portrayed in John Sayles' MATEWAN?
Not many movies around on early 20thC US labour relations, and there are some pretty amazing stories.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I sincerely hope that they can preserve this site. It would stand as a testimony to the integrity of the working man.

 

[WH1]

as I understand it this event is the orgin of the term "redneck" the miners wore red bandanas to identify their allegiance.

This was the story told in a recent history channel show about the "hillbilly" culture. Granted it was hosted by Billy Ray Cyrus and his Achy Breaky heart so who knows the veracity of the story.

 

[The Ringneck]

I had three relatives that "fought" at Blair Mountain. Long since passed of course. LaGrange's were big in pro-Union activities in WV. Check out "Harlan County USA", a 70's documentary for a more contemporary look and everyone should see "Matewan" for the story of Sheriff Sid Hatfield.

BradLaGrange

 

[Johnnysan]

It's sad how few of these historic struggles for worker's rights are remembered today, much less, taught as part of our collective history. I hope that Blair Mountain can be preserved as a tribute to those countless men and women who were willing to fight and die for many of the benefits we continue to enjoy today.

 

[k9bite]

Found this petition to save the historic site

http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/saveblairmountain

 

[Big Man]

The 1920's was an interesting, and often violent, time in America. The conflicts between management and labor, while not on the scale of the Blair Mountain incident, were wide spread across the country.

Locally here in western NC, in the small town of Marion, there was a textile strike in 1929 that resulted in a confrontation between workers and law enforcement. After the smoke cleared, eight workers were dead. This incident is still referred to as the "Marion Massacre".

The old mill where the "Marion Massacre" took place has been closed for several years, and is now being torn down. Just like the Blair Mountain site (and the story of the Battle of Blair Mountain), the history of these early labor conflicts is in grave danger of being lost.

 

[The Ringneck]

The actual origin for the term redneck goes back further and does apply to farm workers---usually in MS and AL, though it wasn't known much out of the area at the time. Though "redneck miners" recieved national exposure via the news it did not lead to the adoption of redneck as a phrase for the working class. That happened later as Appalachians and Southerners moved north after the war, and when post war money gave all working people greater power and their culture became more mainstream.

Older slang for rural people were "Hick" which actually comes from a version of Richard that country people used, "Rube" (also from the fact only rural folks were using it as a short form of Ruben)---both kind of in the vein of using "Bubba" today. Yahoo, which comes from "Gulivers Travels" was common too. More polite terms were "country jake" and "country John". And of course "hillbilly" goes back pretty far though it originally was only applied to mountaineers, not people in teh South East.

Because of the popularity of L'il Abner it created it's own slang. In WWII the wide brimmed fatigue caps were known as "Daisy Mae's", GI's from rural background might be called "Abner", and in Korea and Vietnam the villiages might be called "Dogpatch".

And others that have posted here are right, there are many and varied stories from the battle for worker's rights. From all over the US--mills and mines, factories and docks. You could almost throw in the Bonus Army too. Many people felt we were really on the brink of Marxist revolution (look what was going on in Mexico around the same time). Very intersting subject alot of people don't think to much about.

BradLaGrange

 

[The Ringneck]

Also Herrin Illinois was almost as violent as the Southern coal fields http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herrin_massacre

 

[Chas]

Oh, mercy. I gotta let this thread be. The same thing happened in British Columbia; the police and other gov't goons killed a couple of miners on Vancouver Island back in the '20s.

Union bashers take note: people have died for the right to strike. The RCMP and other gov't hired goons (masquerading as police) incited the riot in Winnipeg during the On To Ottawa Trek. A couple of friends of my grandpa were hurt. We Canadians have a dodgy history when it comes to human rights. Despite what you may have heard, read or supposed....

I believe that the US army commander that directed the attack on the Bonus Army camp in Washington DC was none other than Dugout Doug McArthur. Two veterans were killed. and two of their wives had miscarriages which may or may not have been caused by the poison gas that was used. McArthur used tanks to attack the veterans, their wives and children and George Patton led a gallant cavalry charge on the camp as well. I guess you could say that they were "career minded."

Dugout Doug referred to the veterans as "a bad mob" and later tried to polish his image when it came to dealing with the memory of the event. Nice. Of course, a decade and a half later the press was kissing his butt.

 

[The Ringneck]

police weren't even the worst problem for the striking workers----private detective agencies like Pinkerton and Baldwin-Felts. The would, in addition to normal goon activities, even resort to tactics such as attacking strikers with armored cars! Earlier in WV a minining company made a special armored train they used to fire into a camp of workers on strike. And of course there is Ludlow CO which was immortalized in a song by Guthrie.

Bonus March: Yep, MacArthur led it, Patton was the cavalry commander and I believe Ike was working under MacArthur at the time (but not positive). Apparently part of the compromise once it was over was more relief programs for the vets. A group were working in the Florida Keys when the big hurricane hit and almost all killed unfortunatley.

 

[Chas]

And I believe that Ike told Doug to cool it, Doug ignored him and went a little overboard in saving Washington DC from the red menace.

It kind of makes you stop and think about which American icons were with the American people, and which ones were there for themselves.

 

[LizzieMaine]

MacArthur defied a specific order from President Hoover in crossing the Anacostia River and invading the veterans' camp. Major Eisenhower, the General's adjutant, counseled him against this, but to no avail. It wouldn't be the last time MacArthur placed himself above a President.

One of the veterans routed by Patton's sabers was a former private by the name of Joseph T. Angelo -- who had won the DSC during the Battle of the Argonne in 1918, for saving the life of his commanding officer, Colonel George S. Patton.

 

[Akubra Man]

A very young Tommy Douglas watched the Winnipeg General Strike from atop a downtown Winnipeg building. Years later he formed the first socialist government in North America and became Premier of Canadian province Saskatchewan. His government brought in the first comprehensive government paid health care system in Canada in the province of Saskatchewan. Shortly after this, the plan was introduced federally in Canada. It lives on today albeit not every Canadian feels it should. He was voted the greatest Canadian in a nationwide poll.

 

[The Ringneck]

@Chas: Although I support the Bonus marchers(and labor, historical and current) I think we have to look at it from the perspective of the times. Many people were very afraid that the workers rights movement was part of something larger and more sinister---Events like the Russian Revolution seemed all to close to home to people on the side of the rich when events like Blair Mountain had been in the news. The Depression was feared could be the spark to light the powder keg. Therefore I think MacArthur honestly felt his actions were in the right and in line with preserving America. Since he was a general from a military family he was probably only looking at "the big picture" vs. looking at the individual suffering of the veterans and their families.

Although as Lizzie(btw, thanks for hte added info!) pointed out he may have had some delusion about on which rung his station really was.

Oddly enough he deconstructed a Japanese society after the war to allow for socialist/communist parties, took land away from the land barons, and made other populist reforms.

I wish there was more talk and more exposure for the pre WWII labor struggles. Recently they have shown the History Channel Appalachian documentary which talked about the struggle there, and PBS had a near identical documentary too (though not sure if it showed nationally) so maybe more people will get interested. Since we are loosing our industrial base maybe the movies and documentaries can be made without stepping on to many toes or getting lost in controversy.

 

[Story]

Apparently part of the compromise once it was over was more relief programs for the vets. A group were working in the Florida Keys when the big hurricane hit and almost all killed unfortunatley.

Backstory, for those unfamiliar with it
http://hnn.us/articles/16158.html

 

[Historyteach24]

As a native West Virginian the Battle of Blair Mountain is a perfect example of the struggle that our state has gone through. It has been very much a love/hate relationship with coal.