History - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >
The battle of Blair Mountain was the largest civil uprising on American soil since the U.S. Civil War. It was a spontaneous outpouring of rage and grief over conditions in the southern coalfields and the August 2, 1921, cold blooded murder of Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield, who a year earlier had befriended the miners when Stone Mountain Coal Co., tried to evict striking workers from their homes. The battle lines were drawn by August 26, 1921 and by Sept. 5, 1921, the rebellion was over.
Over the course of the disruption, between 10,000 and 15,000 coal miners assembled near Lens Creek in Kanawha County and armed themselves for a march over mountainous terrain to avenge Hatfield and to rescue illegally imprisoned miners in Mingo County.
The miners commandeered trains, company weapons, wagons, food, and other supplies as the rebellion grew. Awaiting them at the Logan County line was a citizen army led by Logan County Sheriff Don Chafin who swore not let an armed mob march through his county. The coal companies paid Chafin some $32,000 per year to keep the UMWA out of Logan County and to prevent Logan and Mingo miners from joining the union.
The two armies clashed along the top of Spruce Fork Ridge of Blair Mountain, firing more than a million rounds of ammunition at each other. The U.S. Army and Air Corps ultimately crushed the rebellion without firing a shot. The union surrendered rather than fire upon American soldiers, making clear their patriotism. Although the rebellion did not succeed, it ultimately served as the rallying cry for organized labor throughout the U.S. and was instrumental in bringing the benefits of organized labor to working class Americans in all major industries.
Historical account by Barbara Rasmussen
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Battle of Blair Mountain….Revisited
Once again, Blair Mountain is at the center of a battle between West Virginians fighting to protect their land, lives and livelihood and out-of-state coal companies intent on maximizing production of coal. [full story]
Other Articles
The Battle of Blair Mountain
by Desmond Kilkeary, Glendale College
Roanoke Times articles
- Special section on mountaintop removal, including Blair Mountain History
- Video: The Battle of Blair Mountain
Preservation Alliance of West Virginia
Blair Mountain: History of a Confrontation
West Virginia Genealogy Society
West Virginia Mine War