FOR eleven long
years after the close of the Revolution,
or until 1794, the country was at peace,
save a few unimportant Indian troubles,
and as there was no one else to fight
convenient to hand, some of the people
of Fayette, Allegheny, Westmoreland and
Washington Counties, of this State,
concluded to get up an insurrection.
Open rebellion was, therefore,
proclaimed against the Government
because of the excise tax on whisky.
It was not the amount of tax on the
whisky, but the principle and the
Government's selection of that favored
product of the land that fired the
warlike souls of these good people.
It was not any especial love of the ''craythur"
as an article of regular diet that
caused these threatenings of internal
war, but the fact that at that time
pack-horses were the only mode of
transportation, and the raw products of
the farms could not be carried to the
distant markets, except when reduced by
distillation into whisky, the people
felt that the excise tax was a blow at
their industry that free men should not
in any way tolerate. Hence, nearly
every farmer had his still—often this
was put up before he was able to erect
his barn. Whisky was made
everywhere, and, in a moderate degree,
used in nearly every family. The
evidence of the public sense on this
subject of the use of intoxicants is
furnished in a church trial. A
preacher was tried for drunkenness; the
proof was strong and clear; but the
sessions let him off with a gentle
reprimand, and returned him to his desk.
The next year the same man was put upon
trial for whistling on Sunday—conduct
"unbecoming a minister, and showing a
vacuity of mind." The sessions
convicted, deposed him, and sent him
from his church in disgrace. The
wits of the day said he might "whistle
for his back pay."
The spirit of insurrection was not wholly confined to
the western part of the State—there were
many warm sympathizers east of the
mountains. Gen. James
Chambers, in a letter to A. J.
Dallas, from Loudon Forge, Sept. 22,
1794, says: "On the 16th inst. I
arrived in Chambersburg, and to my great
astonishment I found the Rabble had
raised what they Called a Liberty pole.Page 191 -
Some of the most active of the
inhabitants were at that time absent,
and, upon the whole, perhaps it was
best, as matters has since taken a
violent change. When I came here I
found the magistrates had opposed the
sitting of the pole up, to the utmost of
their power, but was not supported by
the majority of the
Cittyzens. They wished to have the
Royators Subject to the Law, and (Mr.
Justice John Riddle,
John Scott and
Christian Oyster) the
magistrates of this place, informed of
their zealous wish to have them brought
to justice, I advised them to call a
meeting of the inhabitants of the town
on the next morning, and we would have
the matter opened to them and Show the
necessity of Soporting Government,
Contrassed with the destruction of one
of the best governments in the world."
The meeting was duly convened in the "Coorthouse,
" and John Riddle made a
''very animating address" to the people.
Resolutions were drawn pledging them to
support the justices in their efforts to
bring the "Royaters to Tryal."
Gen. Chambers then further
writes to the governor: "I am now happy
to have in my power to request you, Sir,
to inform his Excellency, the Governour,
that these exertions has worked the
desired change. The magistrates
has sent for the men, the very same that
erected the pole, and I had the pleasure
of seeing them, on Saturday Evening, Cut
it down; and with the same wagon that
brought it into town they were oblidgeed
to draw the remains of it out of town
again. The Circumstance was
mortifying, and they behaved very well.
They seem very penetent, and no person
offered them any insult. It has
worked such a change, I believe we will
be able Shortly to Send our Quota to
Carlisle." This letter shows the temper
of the people very plainly. It was
only the great influence and firm stand
by such men as Gen. Chambers
that prevented the spirit of
insurrection from becoming general all
over the State. The people were
very loth to respond to President
Washington's call for troops to
quell the turbulent elements of society.
Secretary Dallas, Sept. 10, 1794,
says: "According to the information I
have from several parts of the country,
it appears that the militia are
unwilling to march to quell the
insurrection. They say that they
are ready to march against a foreign
enemy, but not against the citizens of
their own State."
Aug. 7, 1794, President Washington called
for 12,950 troops, from Virginia,
Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The New Jersey and Pennsylvania troops
assembled at Carlisle. Gov.
Mifflin, of Pennsylvania, and
Gov. Richard Howell,
of New Jersey, commanded the respective
troops of their State. The quota
of this State was 5,196 men. The
quota of Franklin County was 281 men.
It was difficult to fill these quotas,
but this county recruited its number and
sent them to Carlisle. There they
were met by President
Washington,* and the army reviewed
by him. The Pennsylvania troops
were in one division, under command of
Maj. Gen. William Irvine.
It was divided into three brigades: the
first commanded by Gen. Thomas
Proctor, the second by Brig.
Gen. Francis Murray, the third by
Brig. Gen. James Chambers.
In Chambers' brigade were the.
men from Franklin County. The
troops passed through this county, by
way of Strasburg, and crossed the
mountains, passed through Fort Lyttleton,
and reached Pittsburgh in November.
This display of force by the Government
ended the cruel war, and in ten days
after their arrival in Pittsburgh, they
started on their return home. They
came by way of Greensburg, Ligonier.
Bedford, Sideling Hill, Fort Lyttleton,
Strasburg and Shippensburg, to Carlisle,
where they were disbanded. Their
entire term of service was about one
month.
---------------
* In his route to the western part of the State,
Washington tarried over night, some say
over Sunday, in Cambersburg, Oct. 11,
1794, stopping with William Morrow
in a stone note on South Main Street.
Passing through Greencastle he was the
guest of Dr. Robert Johnston.
END OF WHISKY WAR. <
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