Labor strife 13th Regiment's first assignment
Font size: [A] [A] [A]
e-mail this
share this
"The American citizen soldier - the volunteer - has had to fight the battles of his country in every war in which we have engaged."
These words of Col. Frederick L. Hitchcock are just as true today as they were when he penned them in 1914. Having served in the Civil War, Col. Hitchcock came home to play a role in the formation of the 13th Regiment of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Originating during the labor riots of 1877, it would play a significant role in labor unrest throughout the state. Shortly after the 1877 riots in Scranton, Gov. Hartranft authorized the formation of the 13th Regiment.
As fast as they could write their names, 200 men enrolled - enough to form four companies. Henry Boies, president of the Moosic Powder Co., was first in line. He commanded the battalion. Frederick L. Hitchcock served as first lieutenant and adjutant.
"A body of 200 raw recruits is," Col. Hitchcock wrote, "very far from being a military battalion." Many of these men had served in the Civil War, but that was more than 10 years before.
The men needed both training and physical conditioning, and they went at it with impressive diligence. Scranton had no armory at the time, so the fourth floor of the Second National Bank building was fitted for armory purposes. The companies took turns keeping the facility in order. A corporal and six men remained on guard duty each night.
Labor strikes continued, and each company detailed 10 men and a sergeant to a reserve guard. This detail was required to take their arms and equipment home with them, together with 20 rounds of ammunition per man. They could be called to action at a moment's notice.
An emergency signal was established for quickly assembling the battalion. A mere week after the 13th Regiment was formed, they were called out when a large group of striking workers declared that they wished to return to work at the Pine Brook breaker. W.W. Scranton, the general manager, guaranteed their protection against other striking workers, and Mayor McKune called up the regiment.
Meanwhile, the battalion underwent two months of training in tactics and discipline. They devoted every spare hour to it. Within three months, Scranton had a regiment of physically fit, proud-standing citizen soldiers.
But their work continued. In May 1878, Maj. Boies, commander of the battalion, introduced a system of rifle practice that brought excellent results. The Nay Aug Rifle Association was formed, with Hugh Hannah, a private of Company B, as president. Maj. Boies adopted "Wingate's Manual of Rifle Practice." The Lackawanna Iron & Coal Co. allowed the use of a parcel of land for practice. W.W. Scranton and W.F. Halstead donated targets. A badge was designed of silver cross rifles on a gold cloth ribbon, to be presented to every soldier who qualified as a marksman.
The government-issue rifles were Springfield .45-caliber breech-loaders. The men were supplied with only a small amount of ammunition, but they reloaded empty shells. The regiment performed fairly well in its first year's competition. But four years later, the regiment took the two big military prizes - the Army and Navy Journal Cup and the Hilton trophy - as well as many individual prizes.
The 13th Regiment was first called into active service in 1892, under the command of Col. Ezra Ripple. It was sent to Homestead, near Pittsburgh, to assist in quelling a labor riot. It assisted in similar disputes in later years.
The 13th Regiment went on to become the 109th. As such, it continued the proud legacy of fighting the battles of its nation with valor.
CHERYL A. KASHUBA writes on behalf of the Lackawanna Historical Society. She is co-author of the book "Scranton."
Contact the writer: localhistory@timesshamrock.com.
Be the first to comment on this article!