As the Civil War raged in the late summer of 1863, the labor situation in the anthracite coal mines of Pennsylvania grew extremely tense.

Mineworkers, especially those in the mine patches around Schuylkill County where Irish immigrants predominated, realized that they had significant leverage over mine management. The demand created by the industrial needs to fuel the Civil War, paired with a relative lack of workers as residents of Pennsylvania served in the United States Army, caused the price of coal to skyrocket.

In consequence, mineworkers used this leverage to demand better pay, better working conditions, and more control over their day-to-day existence in the mining towns. Violence often accompanied these efforts – everything from assault to murder was used by some bands of laborers, especially in far-flung patch towns.

Needless to say, management was not happy with this situation. A consistent voice of the mine operators in Schuylkill County was the editor of the Miners’ Journal newspaper in Pottsville – Benjamin Bannan.

On September 12, 1863, Bannan published an editorial in the Journal that documented the role he felt that United States military authorities should have in preventing mineworkers from organizing, striking, and even attempting to attain more power over their working situation in the Coal Region. Bannan even went so far as to say martial law should be used to keep the anthracite flowing from collieries of Schuylkill County.

This is, in effect, the beginning of the use of armed force in Schuylkill County to break up efforts at organizing among mineworkers, especially those at the bottom rungs of the colliery hierarchy. In the 1860s, these were the often Irish immigrant laborers taking up the worst paying, most dangerous positions in the mines.

With the armed force of the United States Army close at hand to prevent anti-draft violence in Schuylkill County, these soldiers were increasingly used to intimidate mineworkers into obeying mine management.

Bannan’s editorial:

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The Troubles in Our Coal Mines.—

The quiet in the coal regions still continues under the occupation of the military, and the increase in the production of coal also continues. Hands are becoming more plenty in consequence of the high wages paid in the coal regions, and it is now even doubtful whether the supply will be much, if any diminished, even after the draft takes place.

During the week there has been only one disturbance in this region, as far as we can learn, and that was at the colliery of R. Gorrell & Co., above Ashland. This colliery is located in Columbia county, a short distance over the Schuylkill county line. [located adjacent to the now abandoned mine town of Centralia]

They had trouble some time ago with the men, who demanded the discharge of the boss—this was unfortunately complied with at the time. The new state of affairs did not work as well as they supposed, and some of the men demanded the discharge of the new boss, and suggested the name of a person that would suit their purposes.

At this juncture the proprietors found it necessary to discharge two or three laborers who were working on a night shift, which was discontinued at the colliery, when a large number of those engaged at the colliery also quit work and finally all left, and threatening notices were put up against all those who would continue to work, and also against the proprietors, requesting them to sell out their colliery, in fact giving them notice to quit. Application was made to the civil authorities at Bloomsburg for aid, which was not given.

Governor Curtin was telegraphed and he promptly responded by stating that if the civil authorities would not act, to call upon the military for protection, which was done, and Gen. Whipples immediately despatched troops to the colliery to maintain order. We learn that a portion of the men commenced work again yesterday under the protection of the military.

There is evidently a disposition on the part of a body of Irishmen to gain possession of the collieries in portions of the region, and drive out all the English, Welsh, Scotch and Germans, by threats and intimidations, who will not unite with them, so that they can control everything to suit themselves.

This cannot and will not be tolerated, even if it becomes necessary for the Government to declare martial law in these districts, and take possession of the collieries.

—Miners’ Journal, Sept. 12.

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As the Civil War continued into 1864 and 1865, military personnel were increasingly used to arrest striking mineworkers and intimidate labor organizers.

As the conflict drew to a close and units were disbanded with the coming of peace, companies turned to their own private police forces and detective agencies to carry on the militarized effort to put down labor organization and nascent unions in Schuylkill County.

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