CHAPTER V

THE WHISKEY INSURRECTION 

The Whiskey Insurrection is dismissed with a few paragraphs by historians with little significance, but we in this area, do not agree. 

The Western people had their grievances and real hardships by reasons of the excise law, against which they rebelled. The refusal to register for the manufac­ture of spirits, failure to pay taxes, abuse of tax collectors, and destruction of their property, persecution of complying distillers, attack and burning of the home of the chief excise officer by armed bands of men, with loss of life resulting, robbing of the U. S. mails, and great convocation of armed men when secession from the Union was boldly advocated and applauded. 

Grain distilled into whiskey could be carried to the eastern market and sold at a bargain. Some of the staples, such as salt and gun powder, were not produced in the western region but had to be transported here. 

There was little money on the border. The government script was almost valueless. Exchange of commodities was the common form of commerce among people of the region. 

Their whiskey was carried over the mountains on pack horses and bought the things they needed. A result of this was that whiskey was a product of every farmer. 

There were 272 whiskey stills in Washington County in 1791. James Parkinson, an early settler in the present Monongahela, owned a still and defiantly operated it. 

Farmers were not the only ones to raise their voices against the excise. Prom­inent men in various walks of life also joined the farmers in protest, among whom were Robert Gallitin and Colonel Edward Cook of Rostraver. When the movement got out of control, these men with few exceptions, sought to stem the tide of law­lessness and warfare against the government. 

The area between Peters Creek and Mingo Creek was the main center of re­volt, as it was the natural rallying ground of the region. The first meeting, how­ever, was held at Brownsville. The greatest concourse was held at Braddock, when 7000 men under arms gathered at Braddock. 

The excise law was passed in 1791. Early in 1794, John Neville was appointed by the government, as inspector of excise in the fourth survey, which comprised the southern counties of Pennsylvania. The tactics of the officers were resented. 

A party of about forty men, appeared at the home of Neville, overlooking the valley of Chartiers Creek. A battle ensued in which one of the attacking party was killed and others wounded. Killed, was Oliver Miller, who had been one of the justices of the Yohogania Virginia Court House. 

The country blazed with wrath and fury, as word of the attack and it’s results quickly spread. Men began a march on Neville’s home. Against his better judg­ment, Major James McFarlane, brother of Andrew, accepted the leadership of the insurgents. Results of the fighting included the killing of the Major. 

Soon, President Washington issued a proclamation, in which he declared that formation existed whose object was to defeat the government, and he defined it as treason. 

He then issued a call for 12,950 troops to be raised in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey. The army marched in November of that year and met in the “Forks” of the Youghiogheny and Monongahela Rivers. The main army remained only a few weeks, but a contingent of 1500 men, under command of Gen­eral Daniel Morgan, remained during the winter. 

The Commander of the entire Colonial Army was Governor Harry Lee of Virginia popularly known as White Horse Harry Lee. The army met at Gabriel Peter­sons, Black Horse Tavern and for a time. operations was conducted from there. 

For a time, General Lee was quarter at the home of Benjamin Fell, near the Fells Methodist Church. Fell later told his descendants that the encampment was between there and the Youghiogheny River. (Rostraver makes no mention of this.) 

The 1500 men who remained under command of General Daniel Morgan, camped near the Monongahela River, with it’s principal force on the west side, adjacent to Andrew McFarlane’s home. Mr. Wiley states this entire force was ferried across the river in one day at McFarlane’s Ferry. Huts were built in which the men were quartered. Tradition of the neighborhood, states that the officers had their quar­ters in the Old Yohogania Court House. (The property at this time would be owned by Benjamin Bentley the original owner Richard McMahon.) It is located on present property of Ashland Oil Company. During the winter, a scourge of small­pox broke out, and a number of deaths resulted. The victims were buried in Lobbs Cemetery. 

General Lee and some of his staff stayed for a short time in Elizabeth Town, present Elizabeth and one of his important acts was to proclaim amnesty except those who were named in the document itself. 

A few of those yet to be apprehended in Union Township, Jefferson Borough and Monongahela were Benjamin Parkinson, John Holcroft (Tom the Tinker), Thomas Lapsley, William Miller, Edward Wright and Richard Holcroft who set the fire brand on Neville’s home, William Bradford, William McEllheny and Thomas Patton. All of these men were finally apprehended and were later pardoned. 

For the most part, prisoners taken from other areas were kindly treated, but not so of the above named and others who lived in the hot bed of the rebellion between Mingo and Peters Creek. 

The contingent selected for service in this region, were taken from New Jersey Troops, who were still hot with indignation against the insurgent because they had ridiculed them as a watermelon army, fit only to make war on crabs and oysters. These soldiers took revenge against the local prisoners, and in some cases, mistreated them. 

Most of the material in this chapter has been taken from books of Mr. Wiley. Boyd Crumrine agrees in general with what Wiley says and it is as follows: (Except he makes no mention of the troops camping in Rostraver Township, or crossing the river at McFarlanes Ferry.) 

“A troop of horsemen. were encamped at or near Ginger Hill. In the vicinity, lived William Jones, a blacksmith, who died in 1863 at the age of one hundred. When the raid was made on Neville’s home under command of Major James McFarlane, they had taken Jones’ horse, Morgan with them. It was on the back of this horse, the dead body was taken to Mingo burial ground for interment.” 

On November 13, 1794, the militia had other prisoners, James Stewart, and Joel Ferree of Jefferson Borough. They were harshly and severely treated. 

Varner’s history quotes as follows: 

On November 29th, at Elizabeth, General Lee issued a proclamation of Amnesty and pardon to all persons in Washington, Fayette, Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, except John Holcroft, Benjamin Parkinson, Richard Holcroft and William McElheny. These four, in a short time, were also pardoned.