United States Army
75-858: Bill Blizzard Mother Jones Don Chafin William Eubanks The Battle of Blair Mountain was the largest labor uprising in United States history and is the largest armed uprising since the American Civil War . The conflict occurred in Logan County , West Virginia , as part of the Coal Wars , a series of early-20th-century labor disputes in Appalachia . For five days from late August to early September 1921, some 10,000 armed coal miners confronted 3,000 lawmen and strikebreakers (called
150-521: A hero. Blizzard would eventually become president of the district 17 of the UMWA. Blizzard also became a strong opponent of the West Virginia Miners Union, created by ousted UMWA members Frank Keeney and Bill Mooney. Tension between John Lewis and Bill Blizzard continued, coming to a head when Blizzard got into a fist fight with John Lewis’ younger brother. This led to John Lewis ousting Blizzard from
225-568: A letter from then President Warren G. Harding that supported many of the rights the miners were fighting for. This letter turned out to be fake and the word quickly spread. Mother Jones left West Virginia shortly after the presentation of the false letter. The miners wore red bandanas around their necks to distinguish friend from foe, and contributed to the term of "redneck". The miners reached Logan County at Blair Mountain and Crooked Creek gap, where Chafin had entrenched 2,000 non-union supporters and volunteers, determined that Mingo and Logan would keep
300-428: A local hobby archeologist , Kenneth King, led a team of professional archeologists to further investigate the battlefield. King and the team's initial survey "mapped 15 combat sites and discovered more than a thousand artifacts, from rifle and shotgun shell casings to coins and batteries [and] little sign of disturbance " to the site, challenging earlier surveys conducted by Arch Coal Inc ., one of two companies that own
375-588: A march on Logan to organize the southern coalfields for the UMWA . Reaching Blair Mt. on August 31, they were repelled by deputies and mine guards, under Sheriff Don Chafin , waiting in fortified positions. The five day battle ended with the arrival of U.S. Army and Air Corps. UMWA organizing efforts in southern WV were halted until 1933. The marker is on West Virginia 17 , about 8 miles (13 km) east of Logan, between Ethel and Blair . Bill Blizzard William H. Blizzard (September 19, 1892 – July 31, 1958)
450-427: A march on Mingo to free the confined miners, end martial law and organize the county. But Blair Mountain, Logan County, and Sheriff Chafin stood directly in the way. At a rally on August 7, Mary Harris "Mother" Jones called on the miners not to march into Logan and Mingo counties and set up the union by force. Accused by some of losing her nerve, she feared a bloodbath in a battle between lightly armed union forces and
525-770: A much larger organized labor victory a few years later during the New Deal in 1933. That in turn led to the UMWA helping organize many better-known unions, such as the Steel Workers during the mid-'30s, and spurred the creation of labor union affiliations and umbrella organizations, such as the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). In terms of literature, Diane Gilliam Fisher 's poetry collection Kettle Bottom explores "the West Virginia mine wars of 1920-21". Starting in mid 2006
600-461: A rally at the state capitol in Charleston . These leaders were Frank Keeney and Fred Mooney, who were veterans of previous mine conflicts in the region . Both were local, well-read and articulate. Keeney and Mooney met with Governor Ephraim Morgan and presented him with a petition of the miners' demands. When Morgan summarily rejected the demands, the miners became more restless and began to talk of
675-570: A reputation for using violence against groups looking to organize. The agents were also responsible for the Ludlow Massacre of 1914 in Colorado. Albert had already been in the Matewan area and had tried to bribe Mayor Cabell Testerman with $ 500 (equivalent to $ 7,605 in 2023) to place machine guns on roofs in the town; Testerman refused. That afternoon Albert and Lee, along with 11 other men, set out to
750-422: A warrant for Hatfield's arrest. Testerman was alerted, and he ran out into the street after a miner shouted that Sid had been arrested. Hatfield backed into the store and Testerman asked to see the warrant. After reviewing it, Mayor Testerman exclaimed, "This is a bogus warrant." With these words, a gunfight erupted and Chief Hatfield shot the agent Albert Felts. Testerman together with Albert and Lee Felts were among
825-420: Is also known as “Ma,” and Bill would be referred to as “Ma’s son.” At the age of ten, Bill became a coal miner and worked alongside his father. He soon would become a loyal member of the UMWA. Bill was cocky and self-confident and his family's loyalty to the UMWA was very strong, for this reason at the age of ten Bill and his family would be evicted from their home. After a tent camp was set up for evicted miners it
SECTION 10
#1732852452112900-584: The Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency to evict the families of their former employees. On May 19, 1920, a dozen Baldwin–Felts detectives, including Lee Felts, arrived in Matewan in Mingo County and connected with Lee's brother Albert Felts. Albert and Lee were the brothers of Thomas Felts, the co-owner and director of the private detective agency . The Baldwin–Felts agents were union busters who had
975-598: The Little Coal River were among the first to organize, and began actions such as patrolling and guarding the area. Sheriff Don Chafin of Logan County sent troopers to the Little Coal River area, where armed miners captured the troopers, disarmed them and sent them fleeing. On August 7, 1921, the leaders of the United Mine Workers (UMW) District 17, which encompasses much of southern West Virginia, called
1050-592: The Matewan Massacre ) was a shootout in the town of Matewan in Mingo County and the Pocahontas Coalfield mining district, in southern West Virginia . It occurred on May 19, 1920 between local coal miners and their allies and the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency . The dead included two brothers of the detective agency's founder and Matewan's mayor Cabell Testerman, who supported the union. Employed by
1125-421: The United Mine Workers coal strike of 1919 , and from affected mine operators who were now being undercut by nonunion mines in West Virginia. This unionization push included efforts from Mother Jones , who gave fiery speeches at the age of 83, and Frank Keeney , president of the local union district. Over 3,000 Mingo County miners joined the union—and were summarily fired. The coal companies then hired agents of
1200-602: The West Virginia National Guard to command the government and volunteer forces confronting the miners. Sporadic gun battles continued for a week, with the miners at one time nearly breaking through to the town of Logan and their target destinations, the non-unionized Logan and Mingo counties to the south. Gatling guns and machine guns were employed by both sides, along with additional firepower. Chafin's forces consisted of 90 men from Bluefield, West Virginia ; 40 from Huntington, West Virginia ; and about 120 from
1275-529: The West Virginia State Police . Three of Chafin's forces, two volunteers and a deputy sheriff, were killed, and one miner was fatally wounded. Federal troops arrived by September 2. The miners, many of whom were veterans themselves, were unwilling to fire on U.S. troops. Bill Blizzard passed the word for the miners to start heading home the following day. Miners fearing jail and confiscation of their guns found clever ways to hide rifles and handguns in
1350-537: The Baldwin–Felts detectives at the train station. News of the evictions soon spread around the town. When Sid Hatfield approached Felts, Felts served a warrant on Hatfield, which had been issued by Squire R. M. Stafford, a Justice of the Peace of Magnolia District, Mingo County, for the arrest of Hatfield, Bas Ball, Tony Webb and others. The warrant had been directed to Albert C. Felts for execution. Burgraff's son reported that
1425-649: The Battle of Blair Mountain tensions between coal operators and coal miners were at a boiling point. The Paint Creek/Cabin Creek strike and the Battle of Matewan are two examples of hostilities during the Mine Wars. After Albert Sidney Hatfield or “Sid Hatfield” was gunned down on the courthouse steps by Baldwin Felts agents on August 1, 1921, conflict was inevitable, Sid was a hero for his part in
1500-399: The Battle of Blair Mountain, expelled Blizzard from the union. Blizzard continued to fight for miners' rights. In 1933, in the wake of the New Deal , the UMWA was re-organized and re-invented. John Lewis gave Blizzard his job back, and in turn Blizzard was back preaching across the state as a UMWA member once again. Coal miners in West Virginia genuinely trusted Blizzard and some considered him
1575-447: The Battle of Matewan. Miners would turn to Bill Blizzard for leadership. In recent years it has been discovered Bill Blizzard was the miners General during the Battle of Blair Mountain. Frank Keeney and Fred Mooney were charged with murder halfway through the battle and fled to Ohio. The miners proceeded to assemble just below the city of Charleston and had gathered plenty of guns, ammunition, and supplies. The ensuing march became known as
SECTION 20
#17328524521121650-729: The Keeper's Office decided that the 2009 decision to remove the site from its listings was "erroneous" and issued a statement confirming that as of that date the site was again on the National Register. The Battle of Blair Mountain is related by the State of West Virginia through a Historic Highway marker. The marker was made by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. The marker reads, BATTLE OF BLAIR MT. In August of 1921, 7000 striking miners led by Bill Blizzard met at Marmet for
1725-635: The Logan Defenders) who were backed by coal mine operators during the miners' attempt to unionize the southwestern West Virginia coalfields when tensions rose between workers and mine management. The battle ended after approximately one million rounds were fired, and the United States Army , represented by the West Virginia Army National Guard led by McDowell County native William Eubanks, intervened by presidential order. Since
1800-584: The Stone Mountain Coal Co. property. The first family they evicted was a woman and her children; the woman's husband was not home at the time. They forced them out at gunpoint and threw their belongings in the road under a light but steady rain. The miners who saw it were furious, and sent word to town. As the agents walked to the train station to leave town, Police Chief Sid Hatfield and a group of deputized miners confronted them and told them they were under arrest. Albert Felts replied that in fact he had
1875-747: The Stone Mountain Coal Company, a contingent of the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency arrived on the No. 29 morning train to evict families that had been living at the Stone Mountain Coal Camp just on the outskirts of town. The detectives carried out several evictions before they ate dinner at the Urias Hotel and, upon finishing, they walked toward the train depot to catch the five o'clock train back to Bluefield, West Virginia . While
1950-534: The Tug Fork River. Rows of company houses were boarded up, and the miners and their families, including in one instance a woman with a newborn, were thrown out and had to live in tents or board houses with no sides. In 1920, the UMW's new president John L. Lewis sought to finally end the three-decade resistance to unionization in the area. He was under increased pressure to do so from both miners elsewhere participating in
2025-521: The UMWA in 1955. After this incident Blizzard was relieved of his duties as President of the UMWA district 17. He never forgave John Lewis for this and it is said he regretted being involved with John Lewis. Bill Blizzard retired to a farm in Putnam County in 1955. He died three years later on July 31, 1958. He was 65 years old. Matewan Massacre Sid Hatfield Mayor Cabell Testerman † Albert Felts † The Battle of Matewan (also known as
2100-576: The UMWA out. Each army used an identifying code word. The two opposing forces met in the woods and gave their code words, but neither heard the right reply and started shooting. These were the first casualties of the Battle of Blair Mountain. Blizzard's union forces and Chafin's non-union forces began a week long battle. Estimates of casualties vary among historians: according to some historians, there were 16 killed and an unidentified number wounded. The battle ended when President Harding sent federal troops to restore order. On August 31, 1921, Charles F. Thompson
2175-462: The United States' largest coal producers – Arch Coal , Inc., and Massey Energy Company , ... – [held] permits to blast and strip-mine huge chunks of the upper slopes and ridge of Blair Mountain, removing much of the mountaintop", National Geographic reported. In October 2012 a federal district judge ruled that a coalition of preservation groups did not have standing to sue to protect
2250-509: The West Virginia Division of Culture and History. It is located off Main Street in Matewan. The marker reads: MATEWAN MASSACRE. In 1920 area miners went on strike to gain recognition of UMWA. On May 19 of the same year, twelve Baldwin–Felts Agency guards came from Bluefield to evict the miners from company houses. As guards left town, they argued with town police chief Sid Hatfield and Mayor Testerman. Shooting of undetermined origins resulted in
2325-439: The canvas tents to shreds and scattered the mining families' belongings. Both sides were bolstering their arms, and Sid Hatfield continued to fuel the resistance, specifically by converting Testerman's jewelry store into a gun shop. On January 26, 1921, the trial of Hatfield for killing Albert Felts began. It was in the national spotlight and brought much attention to the miners' cause. Hatfield's stature and mythical status grew as
Battle of Blair Mountain - Misplaced Pages Continue
2400-577: The coal fields of southern Appalachia . The union sent its top organizers, including the famous Mary Harris "Mother" Jones . Roughly 3000 men signed the union's roster in the spring of 1920. They signed their union cards at the community church, something that they knew could cost them their jobs, and in many cases their homes. The coal companies controlled many aspects of the miners' lives. Stone Mountain Coal Corporation fought back with mass firings, harassment, and evictions. Matewan, founded in 1895,
2475-459: The conflict had consumed the entire Tug River Valley. This "Three Days Battle" was finally ended by a flag of truce and the implementation of martial law . From the beginning, the miners perceived the enforcement of martial law as one-sided. Hundreds of miners were arrested; the smallest of infractions could mean imprisonment, while those on the side of "law and order" were seen as immune. The miners responded with guerrilla tactics and sabotage. In
2550-495: The detectives had sub-machine guns with them in their suitcases. Hatfield, Burgraff, and Mayor Cabell Testerman met with the detectives on the porch of the Chambers Hardware Store. It was then that Albert Felts fired from his coat pocket, mortally wounding Testerman, and then fired over his shoulder at Sid Hatfield, instantly killing a miner, Tot Tinsley. At this time Sid Hatfield opened fire, killing Albert Felts. When
2625-562: The detectives made their way to the train depot, they were intercepted by Matewan Chief of Police Sid Hatfield , who claimed to have arrest warrants from the Mingo County sheriff. Hatfield, a native of the Tug River Valley, was a supporter of the miners' attempts to organize the UMWA in the southern coalfields of West Virginia. Detective Albert Felts and his brother Lee Felts then produced their own warrant for Sid Hatfield's arrest. Upon inspection, Matewan mayor Cabell Testerman claimed it
2700-404: The end of 1925, Illinois was the only remaining unionized state in terms of soft coal production. In the long term, the battle raised awareness of the appalling conditions miners faced in the dangerous West Virginia coalfields. It also led to a change in union tactics in political battles to get the law on labor's side, by confronting recalcitrant and abusive management. This eventually resulted in
2775-466: The founding of the United Mine Workers union in 1890, coal mines in Mingo County, West Virginia and its surrounds hired only non-union workers, and strictly enforced employment contracts that included union membership as grounds for immediate termination. As miners in the area lived almost exclusively in company towns , termination also meant eviction. Company homes were all that were available, so evicted workers were forced to live in tent colonies along
2850-416: The hardship was the use of coal scrip by the Stone Mountain Coal Company, because the scrip could only be used for those goods the company sold through their company stores . A few months before the battle at Matewan, union miners in other parts of the country went on strike, receiving a full 27 percent pay increase for their efforts. Lewis recognized that the area was ripe for change, and planned to organize
2925-452: The hat.” By 19 Bill was already a local leader of the UMWA, and a fiercely loyal member. He would quickly go on to rise through the ranks of the UMWA. At ten years old Bill Blizzard was evicted from his home along with other miners for being strong supporters of the UMWA. This mainly happened because the loyalty showed by his parents to the union. His sister would describe the eviction as “biscuits and taters thrown out and coal shoveled out of
3000-652: The historic site. On August 26, 2014, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voted 2–1 to overturn the ruling and returned the case. In April 2016 the order to remove the Blair Mountain battlefield from the National Register was overturned by a federal court, and the further decision to add the site back to the register was turned over to the Keeper of the National Register . On June 27, 2018,
3075-416: The last being paroled in 1925. At Blizzard's trial, the unexploded bomb was used as evidence of the government and companies' brutality, and he was acquitted. In the short term the battle was an overwhelming victory for coal industry owners and management. United Mine Workers of America (UMWA or UMW) membership plummeted from more than 50,000 miners to approximately 10,000 over the next several years, and it
Battle of Blair Mountain - Misplaced Pages Continue
3150-486: The leadership of Bill Blizzard, along with Frank Keeney and Bill Mooney, and the intercession of Governor Hatfield, the miners and the UMWA temporarily prevailed to the extent that the coal operators at least acknowledged the union and listened to the UMWA's demands. While Blizzard was one of the key members of the UMWA district 17 in Charleston, WV , he was not an advocate of peaceful agreements. Miners liked his enthusiasm and many became strong supporters of Blizzard. Before
3225-419: The main objective of getting the UMWA out of the state and to keep them out. The guards would evict miners that were loyal to the union or that were striking, literally throwing their belongings out on to the street and sometimes beating them and in some instances, killing the miners. Their main objective was to intimidate union sympathizers. The UMWA during this time started to be plagued by corruption, especially
3300-414: The midst of this tense situation, Hatfield traveled to McDowell County on August 1, 1921, to stand trial on charges of dynamiting a coal tipple . Along with him traveled a good friend, Ed Chambers, and their wives. As they walked up the courthouse stairs, unarmed and flanked by their wives, a group of Baldwin–Felts agents standing at the top of the stairs opened fire. Hatfield was killed instantly. Chambers
3375-481: The miners and their families from the company owned houses. As a result, hundreds of miner families spent the spring of 1920 in tents. The assemblage of tents was known as Stony Mountain Camp Tent Colony. On the day of the fight, a group of the Baldwin–Felts enforcers arrived to evict families living at the mountain coal camp, just outside Matewan. The sheriff and his deputy, Fred Burgraff, sensed trouble and met
3450-580: The miners the "Blue Steel Special", to meet up with the advanced column of marchers at Danville in Boone County on their way to "Bloody Mingo". During this time Keeney and Mooney fled to Ohio, while the fiery Bill Blizzard assumed quasi-leadership of the miners. Meanwhile, the anti-union Sheriff Chafin had begun to set up defenses on Blair Mountain. He was supported financially by the Logan County Coal Operators Association, creating
3525-422: The miners turned back toward Blair Mountain, many traveling in other stolen and commandeered trains. By August 29 the battle was fully underway. Chafin's men, though outnumbered, had the advantage of higher positions and better weaponry. Private planes were hired to drop homemade bombs on the miners. A combination of poison gas and explosive bombs left over from World War I were dropped in several locations near
3600-606: The mining rights to Blair Mountain. In April 2008, Blair Mountain was chosen for the list of protected places on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The site was accepted and added to the NRHP list on March 30, 2009, but clerical errors by the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) failed to notarize all objections, and it was removed. In mid-2010, "subsidiaries of two of
3675-537: The more heavily armed Logan County deputies. Yet, feeling Morgan had lied to them again, armed men began gathering at Lens Creek Mountain, near Marmet in Kanawha County , on August 20. Four days later an estimated 13,000 had gathered and began marching towards Logan County. Impatient to get to the fighting, miners near St. Albans , in Kanawha County, commandeered a Chesapeake and Ohio freight train , renamed by
3750-505: The nation's largest private armed force of nearly 2,000. The first skirmishes occurred on the morning of August 25. The bulk of the miners were still 15 mi (24 km) away. The following day, President Warren G. Harding threatened to send in federal troops and Army Martin MB-1 bombers. After a long meeting in Madison , the seat of Boone County, the miners were convinced to return home. But
3825-510: The number of casualties inflicted on the Baldwin–Felts detectives. This incident, along with events such as the Ludlow Massacre in Colorado six years earlier, marked an important turning point in the battle for miners' rights. At the time, the United Mine Workers of America had just elected John L. Lewis as their president. During this period, miners worked long hours in unsafe and dismal working conditions, while being paid low wages. Adding to
SECTION 50
#17328524521123900-509: The railroad tracks to prevent the armed mine guards from committing more shootings. Douglas Estep draws this conclusion about West Virginia, “it is an industrial police state where all roads and train depots were patrolled by armed guards…to defy the guards or to even hint at union sympathy was to invite a beating, exile, or even death." During the Paint Creek/Cabin Creek Strike armed mine guards were sent to West Virginia with
3975-438: The shooting finally stopped, there were casualties on both sides. Seven Baldwin–Felts detectives were killed, including Albert and Lee Felts. One more detective had been wounded. Two miners were killed: Tinsley and Bob Mullins, who had just been fired for joining the union; both were unarmed. Mayor Testerman died in hospital the next day from his gunshot wound. Four other bystanders were wounded. Governor John J. Cornwell ordered
4050-503: The side of the road. The trial for the miners who killed the seven agents started January 26, 1921, and ended March 19, 1921, with all defendants being acquitted of all charges. Tom Felts, the last remaining Felts brother, sent undercover operatives to collect evidence to convict Sid Hatfield and his men. When the charges against Hatfield and 22 others for the murder of Albert Felts were dismissed, Baldwin–Felts detectives assassinated Hatfield and his deputy Ed Chambers on August 1, 1921, on
4125-567: The state police force to take control of Matewan. Hatfield and his men cooperated, and stacked their arms inside the hardware store. The miners, encouraged by their success in getting the Baldwin–Felts detectives out of Matewan, improved their efforts to organize. Hatfield and Testerman's widow, Jessie, were married twelve days after the May 19 shootout. On July 1 the miners' union went on another strike, and widespread violence erupted. Railroad cars were blown up, and strikers were beaten and left to die by
4200-509: The steps of the McDowell County courthouse located in Welch , West Virginia. Of those defendants whose charges were not dismissed, all were acquitted. Less than a month later, miners from the state gathered in Charleston . They were even more determined to organize the southern coal fields, and began the march to Logan County . Thousands of miners joined them along the way, culminating in what
4275-484: The stove.” This would have a profound impact upon the young Bill Blizzard and he later became an outspoken asset to the UMWA. In 1912-1913 the Paint Creek–Cabin Creek strike broke out. The UMWA came to support the miners during the strike. The coal operators sent armed mine guards, who were their own private police force, to break the striking miners. This led Blizzard's mother, Sarah Blizzard, to try to pry up
4350-467: The struggle was far from over. After spending days assembling his private army, Chafin would not be denied his battle to end union attempts at organizing Logan County coal mines. Within hours of the Madison decision, rumors abounded that Chafin's men had shot union sympathizers in the town of Sharples , just north of Blair Mountain—and that families had been caught in crossfire during the skirmishes. Infuriated,
4425-596: The summer and into the fall of 1920 the union gained strength in Mingo County , as did the resistance of the coal operators. Sporadic shootouts occurred up and down the Tug River . In late June state police under the command of Captain Brockus raided the Lick Creek tent colony near Williamson . Miners were said to have fired on Brockus and Martin's men from the colony, and in response the state police shot and arrested miners, ripped
4500-443: The ten men killed (three from the town and seven from the agency). This gunfight became known as the Matewan Massacre , and its symbolic significance was enormous for the miners. The seemingly invincible detective agency Baldwin–Felts had been beaten. Chief Sid Hatfield became an immediate legend and hero to the union miners, and a symbol of hope that the oppression by coal operators and their hired guns could be overthrown. Throughout
4575-465: The towns of Jeffery , Sharples and Blair . At least one did not explode and was recovered by the miners; it was used months later to great effect as evidence for the defense during treason and murder trials. On orders from General Billy Mitchell , Army bombers from Maryland were also used for aerial surveillance. One Martin bomber crashed on its return flight, killing four of the five crew members. On August 30, Morgan appointed Colonel William Eubanks of
SECTION 60
#17328524521124650-410: The trial proceeded. He posed and talked to reporters, fanning the flames of his own legend. All men were acquitted in the end, but overall the union was facing significant setbacks. Eighty percent of mines had reopened with imported replacements and ex-strikers who signed yellow-dog contracts to return to work. In mid-May 1921 union miners launched a full-scale assault on non-union mines. In a short time
4725-405: The union officials. The miners became discontented with the corruption, seeing it as damaging to the fight for miners' rights. Eventually in elections held by the UMWA they would vote out the corrupt officials and would elect Frank Keeney , Bill Mooney, and Bill Blizzard. Blizzard was 19 years old when he got elected. Bill Blizzard was very persuasive and at times created a lot of controversy. With
4800-443: The woods before leaving Logan County. Some were found later, along with many spent and live cartridges which helped archeologists reconstruct the course of the fighting. After the battle, 985 miners were indicted for murder , conspiracy to commit murder, accessory to murder, and treason against the State of West Virginia. Though the majority were acquitted by sympathetic juries, others were imprisoned for up to four years, with
4875-449: The “Armed March,” starting at Charleston and ending in Logan County where they encountered Don Chafin and his forces. The miners' strength is estimated at about 10,000 men. Bill Blizzard was an organizer of the armed march and played a key role in supplying guns, ammunition, and supplies to the army. Mother Jones, a well-known advocate of the UMWA labor movement, tried to halt the miners before they entered Logan County. She claimed she had
4950-539: Was a small independent town with only a few elected officials. The mayor at the time was Cabell Testerman, and the chief of police was Sid Hatfield . Both refused to succumb to the company's plans, and sided with the miners. In turn, the Stone Mountain Coal Corporation hired their own enforcers, the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency , dubbed the "Baldwin Thugs" by the miners. The coal operators hired them to evict
5025-479: Was acquitted at his trial on these charges. From that time forward, he remained an important leader within the UMWA and organized labor. Blizzard was born on September 19, 1892, in Cabin Creek, West Virginia . He was born to his parents Timothy Blizzard and Sarah H. Blizzard . His father, Timothy, was a coal miner and his mother, Sarah, was a strong supporter of the UMWA. Sarah has been compared to Mother Jones and
5100-403: Was an American union organizer, a commander of the miners' army during the Battle of Blair Mountain , and president of District 17 of the United Mine Workers (UMWA). Blizzard is most remembered for his role in the Battle of Blair Mountain, leading the miners against the forces of Logan County sheriff Don Chafin . For his leadership role in the battle, Blizzard was charged with treason , but
5175-406: Was asked if he was the leader of the army he replied "What army, I guess the boys will listen to me alright." After the Battle of Blair Mountain (Blizzard was considered the miners' general and leader) Blizzard was charged with treason against the state, but was acquitted. The coal operators capitalized on this opportunity to crush the union in West Virginia. UMWA leader John Lewis, who had opposed
5250-491: Was bullet-riddled and rolled to the bottom of the stairs. Despite Sally Chambers' protests, one of the agents ran down the stairs and shot Chambers once more, point-blank in the back of the head. Hatfield's and Chambers' bodies were returned to Matewan, and word of the slayings spread through the mountains. The miners, angry that Hatfield had been murdered and knowing the assassins would escape punishment, began to take up arms and pour out of their mountain settlements. Miners along
5325-424: Was fraudulent. Unbeknownst to the detectives, they had been surrounded by armed miners, who watched intently from the windows, doorways, and roofs of the businesses that lined Mate Street. Accounts vary as to who actually fired the first shot and the ensuing gun battle left seven detectives and three townspeople dead, including the Felts brothers and Testerman. The battle was hailed by miners and their supporters for
5400-618: Was not until 1935—following the Great Depression and the beginning of the New Deal under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt —that the UMW fully organized in southern West Virginia. This union defeat had major implications for the UMWA as a whole. As World War I ended, the demand for coal declined adversely impacting the industry. Because of the defeat in West Virginia, the union was also undermined in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. By
5475-453: Was part of the contingent of troops that attempted to restore order. He testified at Blizzard's May 1922 trial that he had been disregarded after he read the president's proclamation demanding an end to violence, after which he communicated to his superiors that troops were needed. The plan to restore order by dispatching troops worked because the miners refused to fight against soldiers many had fought alongside during World War I. When Blizzard
5550-399: Was shot up by armed guards and it was rumored Bill's mother tore up part of the railroad in an attempt to halt the shooting of tent camps. Bill was 18 or 19 at the time his mother tried to destroy the railroad and defend tent camps full of miners. At the age of 16 Bill was already a seasoned coal miner, and it has been stated “Bill would fight at the drop of the hat and sometimes you didn’t need
5625-498: Was to become known as the Battle of Blair Mountain . The headquarters of the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency was the Urias hotel and was destroyed in a fire in December 1992. The Matewan Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 27, 1993. The Matewan massacre is related by the State of West Virginia through a Historic Highway marker produced by
#111888