When 6 Local Men Were Pardoned By George Washington - The Whiskey Insurrection in Northumberland

Part Of The Whiskey Rebellion took place in Northumberland PA

There's been a lot of controversy over the decades on whether or not George Washington every personally visited our area of the Susquehanna Valley.  William Maclay, of Sunbury, had dinner with Washington in Harrisburg, Washington did have friends here, and Fort Augusta was an important stronghold in the area.  But there's no proof that our first President actually stepped foot on the river banks here.  We do know for certain however, that six local men were marched in front of, and then  personally pardoned by, the Commander in Chief, in 1794.

While most of the action in the whiskey rebellion was centered in western PA, the little town of Northumberland, a center for distilling, had their own insurrection, their own liberty pole, and even their own family first fight, between women, over the cause.  

When it was all over,  the instigators were marched to Philadelphia to stand trial.  After being sentenced to a six month sentence, and a fine of 100 pounds each.   Just 20 days later,  Irwin, Montgomery, Mackey, Bonham & McKee  were soon paraded in front of George Washington, who, "with tears in his eyes". personally pardoned the six men.  

The Whiskey Insurrection In Northumberland Pa

Known as the "Whiskey Boys", or anti-federalists - local men hoisted a liberty pole at the southeast corner of Second and Market streets.   "The pole was driven full of nails from the ground, ten feet upward, so that it could not be cut down."  Liberty poles were symbolic of liberty, freedom and independence, dating from the time of Julius Ceaser.  Their use caught on in France during the French Revolution, and  were also used as symbols of protest by farmers throughout  western Pennsylvania during the period of the Whiskey Rebellion, from 1791 to 1794

Two local judges here in the Susquehanna Valley,  Wilson & McPherson, attempted to stop the pole from being erected.  A fight broke out, in which Judge Wilson read the "Riot Act" in an attempt to disperse the crowd, but the crowd paid no attention to him.

Banners may have been hung from the top of the liberty pole, similar to those shown here

THE RIOT ACT
“Our Sovereign Lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the act made in the first year of King George, for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies. God Save the King!”

The law of the riot act was clear and well known. If the unruly crowd did not disperse within one hour, they would be put to death. If there were signs that the riot was too far out of control, it was not necessary to wait one hour.

On this day, the riot act was largely ignored.  One of the dissenters pointed his musket at the "old revolutionary war captain" [McPherson] cocked his pistol and made the man put down the musket under penalty of "having his brains blown out".

"Those friendly to the government cold stand the outrage no longer and were determined to give battle.  The swords of officers that had been sheathed since the war were drawn from their scabbards to protect the laws and the government. "

Soon a  company of 99 men and officers under the command of Captain Robert Cooke arrived from Lancaster to help disperse the rioters, at the point of bayonet.  "The bayonet order was executed, and with bayonets against their breasts the rioters broke ranks and fled in all directions."

An axe was called for, to cut down the pole, and here the local papers describe an almost humorous scene.  Two well respected local sisters, Mrs Barnard Hugley and Mrs Jacob Welker, were both firmly on opposite sides of the rebellion.  Mrs Hugley came running to deliver her axe for the pole to be cut down, but she was stopped by her sister.  The two women, axe on teh ground between them, then duked it out, before Mrs Hugley won, grabbing the axe and taking it to the soldiers.

Several of the Whiskey Insurrection ring leaders were  then arrested and taken to Philadelphia.   Robert Irwin, Daniel Montgomery John Frick, John Mackey Sr, William Bonham & Samuel McKee were each sentenced to a 6 month term in prison, and a fine of 100 pounds. 

"When they were marched in front of General Washington, the old hero was so affected that he shed tears.  He pardoned them all at the end of 20 days and they returned home, all of them "deeply impressed with the goodness and  magnamity of the great man." (Washington had been opposed to the tax from the beginning)

A Re-Enactment Of  the Whiskey Insurrection In Western PA

The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794

Twice in the history of America has there been a large insurrection - or armed uprising against the government.  The second, and largest was the civil war.  But the first, and almost as large, was more than 60 years earlier, and it was spurred by a tax on distilled spirits.  Known as the Whiskey Rebellion, it took nearly 13,000 troops under the command of General Washington and Alexander Hamilton, to put down the revolt.  Much like the civil war to follow, families were split - with members of the same households taking different sides.  Families were split between defending their new government, and recognizing that the new tax was unfair and needed to be challenged.

In 1791, the government was in debt from the Revolutionary War.  To pay down the interest on that national debt, it was decided to add a new tax on whiskey.  The tax was levied not on those who drank whiskey, but rather on the poor farmers who distilled it, at a rate of 8 cents a gallon.

As the small local towns along the rivers throughout Pennsylvania sprung up, one of the first industries to be build in each town would be a grist mill, to grind the grain.  With grain being the primary crop, there was always more than was needed for local food, but it was expensive and difficult to transport to market.  Transporting whiskey was much cheaper, so soon after the grist mills were built, distilleries inhabited every town as well.

Before long,  whiskey was not only a household staple, it was currency.   If a visitor stopped by, they would not be offered a cup of coffee, but rather whiskey.  Hired hands, even ministers, were frequently paid at least part of their wages in whiskey.  

Those being asked to pay this new tax were frequently men who fought valiantly for the new nations independence, and then returned home, not having received the pay they were promised.  

On September 11, 1791,  officer Robert Johnson was riding through western Pennsylvania in an attempt to collect the new tax,  when he was surrounded by 11 men dressed as women. The mob stripped him naked and then tarred and feathered him before stealing his horse and abandoning him in the forest.

Having recognized two men in the mob, Johnson made a complaint and warrants were issued for their arrest. A cattle drover named John Connor was sent with the warrants, and he soon suffered the same fate as Johnson; He was tied to a tree in the woods for five hours before being found. 

Many of the events of the Whiskey Rebellion, like the one above,  seem almost comical today, but in 1794, in a country with a brand new hard won independence, it was a scary time.  The French Revolution was raging in Europe, spreading discontent among the young men in the United States.  There were still colonial holdings in America, and there was a growing concern that the western territories may join forces with them, or with Spain, who held New Orleans. 

 It was a time of unrest, unease, and uncertainty.

In 1793, the home of Pennsylvania excise officer Benjamin Wells was broken into twice. The first time, a mob of people forced their way in and assaulted Wells’ wife and children.

protests against the new tax began immediately, arguing that the tax was unfair to small producers. Under the new law, large producers paid the tax annually at a rate of six cents per gallon, and the more they produced, the further the tax breaks. Small producers, however, were stuck with paying nine cents per gallon in taxes. Farmers took further issue because only cash would be accepted for tax payment.

In the summer of 1794, federal marshal David Lenox began the process of serving writs to 60 distillers in western Pennsylvania who had not paid the tax.  Tax collector and wealthy landowner John Neville served as his guide through Allegheny County.  

On July 15, they approached the home of William Miller, who refused to accept his summons. An argument ensued, and when Lenox and Neville rode off, they were face-to-face with an angry mob, armed with pitchforks and muskets, who had been told that the federal agents were dragging people away.  Once they understood that was untrue, they allowed Lenox & Neville to pass.

The next morning,  Lenox & Neville were  asleep at Bower Hill, Neville's home, when they were awakened by a crowd of angry men.   The men, many of whom had received summons the day before,  claimed that Lenox needed to come with them because there was a threat to his life. Neville didn’t them, and ordered them off his property. When the mob refused to move, Neville grabbed a gun and shot at the crowd, striking and killing Oliver Miller. 

In retaliation, the mob shot fired back. Neville managed to return to the house and  there he sounded a signal horn, after which he heard the sound of his slaves attacking the crowd with firearms. Six members of the mob were wounded before they fled with Miller’s body.

The battle lines had been drawn.  The angry farmers met that evening, as Neville summoned soldiers to come guard his property.  On July 17, 1794, as many as 700 men marched to drums and gathered at Neville’s home, demanding his surrender.

 Major James Kirkpatrick, one of 10 soldiers who had come to the Bower Hill property to help defend it, replied that Neville was not there. This was true, as Kirkpatrick had helped Neville to escape and hide in a nearby ravine. Next the mob demanded that the soldiers surrender, and when that request was refused, they set fire to a barn and slave dwellings. The Neville women were allowed to flee to safety, after which the mob opened fire on the house. Following an hour of gunfighting, James McFarlane, leader of the angry mob, was killed. In a rage, the men set fire to other buildings and the soldiers soon surrendered as the Bower Hill estate burned to the ground.

Less than a week after the incident at Bower Hill, the mob met with local dignitaries who warned that Washington would send a militia to strike them down and they had to strike first. Wealthy landowner David Bradford, along with several other men, attacked a mail carrier and discovered three letters from Pittsburgh expressing disapproval of the attack on Neville’s property. Bradford used these letters as an excuse to encourage an attack on Pittsburgh, inciting 7,000 men to show up at Braddock’s Field, east of the city.

The city of Pittsburgh, fearing violence, sent a delegation to announce that the three letter writers had been expelled from the city and to offer a gift of several barrels of whiskey.  As the day ended, the crowd had drunk deeply from the barrels and weren’t inspired to descend on Pittsburgh with any fury, instead gaining permission to march through Pittsburgh peacefully.

With signs that the rebels were hoping to reignite the conflict, a peace envoy was sent, and failed. Washington then assembled more than 12,000 men from the surrounding states and eastern Pennsylvania as a federal militia.  The large and well-armed militia marched into western Pennsylvania and was met with angry citizens but little violence. When a rebel army didn’t appear, the militia rounded up suspected rebels and marched them to Philadelphia for trial.  Only two men were found guilty of treason, and both were pardoned by Washington.

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For More Stories & History Of Northumberland [The Borough]

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2021/03/northumberland-pennsylvania.html

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In February of 1833 the Miltonian reported that "Philip Roaraugh of Lewisburg, died.  He was a hero of three wars - he Revolution, Whiskey Rebellion, and War Of 1812."  

"“If the mob, collectively, or a part of it, or any individual, within or before the expiration of that hour, attempts or begins to perpetrate an outrage amounting to felony, to pull down houses, or by any other act to violate the law, it is the duty of all present, of whatever description they may be, to endeavor to stop the mischief, and to apprehend the offender.”
In 1803 Thomas Jefferson repealed the whiskey tax, having found it nearly impossible to collect.