Student Handout 1—Summary of the Battle of Homestead
What happened on July 6, 1892? Nothing less than a “show down” between the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers (AAISW) and the hired guns of management of the Carnegie Steel Works. Homestead had been one of the few companies where unions were able to make inroads on company policy and fair compensation. The wage contract they had negotiated, however, expired in July 1892, and the management—both Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Carnegie—had decided that when it did, they would seize the moment to break the union and restore their company to a non-union work force. Carnegie was on holiday in Scotland during the unfolding of these events, but before he left, he gave Frick his permission to run the company as he saw fit and backed him up on his decisions. (Carnegie’s note to Frick is in the management folder some of you will study.)
Wages were cut for 325 skilled workers. After wage negotiations—not surprisingly—failed, the plant was locked-down. Frick built a solid board fence with barbed wire at the top around the property which worker’s consequently renamed “FortFrick.” Not wanting strike breakers to take-over their jobs, the union workers organized to be on the lookout for any evidence of outsiders coming to threaten their jobs. The union formed an advisory committee which coordinated the procedure workers would execute. They organized themselves into army positions (captains, etc.), and took shifts guarding different key locations (river, railroad, plant entrance). Hugh O’Donnell was the chairman of this advisory committee and a leader of the union men. (His description of the organization effort and of the event are to be investigated later). It was through this thorough organization and communication that the men were able to catch the barges full of Pinkertons attempting to land at the Homestead plant.
300 Pinkertons were on the barge that was surreptitiously trying to land in the early morning of July 6th. These men were hired by Henry Frick to “protect the plant property” and allow strike breakers to enter, but the Pinkerton Agency also had the reputation of being unnecessarily rough. These men have their stories of the day too (of which a group of you will analyze in more detail). Many were unaware of where they were headed or the task they were being asked to do when they boarded the ill-equipped barges. In the end, many of the Pinkertons were wounded and three were listed as dead: J.W. Klein, Edward A. R. Speer and T. J. (Mike) Connors. (sample coroner reports available for further study).
The Battle of Homestead took the lives of not only several Pinkertons, but seven workers as well: Joseph Sotak, John E. Morris, Silas Wain, Thomas Weldon, Henry Striegel, George W. Rutter, and Peter Farris. When called upon to put these men to rest, several of the town’s pastors gave eloquent eulogies. Reverend James J. McIlyar was the pastor at Fourth Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church who was called upon for the funeral service of John E. Morris. A fervent supporter of the union, his feelings were apparent in his sermons which were widely listened to by the town. Eventually his involvement with the union limited his effectiveness in the church, and he was asked to step down to his retirement at 77. In the Catholic church, Reverend Father John J. Bullion gave the sermon for Thomas Weldon. His remarks, while more guarded than McIlyar’s, also weigh in on the rights of the worker to protect their jobs. With thousands of people attending these sermons, the thoughts of these men and their churches were most likely an effective influence and comfort to the community of Homestead.
And what of the deaths of these men? Did they serve a higher purpose? What happened after July 6th, 1892? While the Pinkertons did surrender that day—a source of great pride to the town—Frick won the larger battle. The sheriff was unable to protect the Pinkertons from the passions of the crowd as they were being escorted to jail, and many were badly beaten. With Sheriff McCleary’s inability to raise a peace-keeping militia of any size within the town, the Governor was called upon to send troops. 8500 National guardsmen were eventually sent to maintain order.After anarchist Alexander Berkman attempted to assassinate Frick on July 23, 1892, public opinion was less supportive of the union’s position. The strike eventually ended—approximately five months after the state militia marched into town--and the power of company policy now clearly belonged solely to management. 13 men were tried for murder, 33 for treason, 81 for riot/conspiracy acts, and many were blacklisted from ever working in the steel industry again.The company was to remain non-union for the next 40 years. One positive outcome, however, was the passage of the Kearns Act in 1893. This act was anti-Pinkerton legislation, making it a misdemeanor for unauthorized people to carry out the functions of an officer.