Today in Labor History May 18, 1920: The Battle of Matewan occurred in the town of Matewan, Mingo County, West Virginia. It started when the mine bosses fired miners for joining the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and evicted them from their company housing. Sheriff Sid Hatfield supported the miners’ right to organize and tried to arrest the detectives. The detectives, in turn, tried to arrest Hatfield. Unbeknownst to the detectives, armed miners had surrounded them. No one knows who shot first, but when the smoke had cleared, there were 7 dead detectives, including Albert and Lee Felts, and 4 dead townspeople, including the mayor. The episode became known as the Matewan Massacre, and is depicted in John Sayles’ film Matewan. West Virginia bluegrass singer and labor activist Hazel Dickens sings the film's title track, "Fire in the Hole."
Mining was, and still is, one of the most dangerous and corrupt industries around. Owners typically forced the miners to live in company towns and purchase living necessities from their company stores at inflated prices. They paid the men in scrip, which was useless outside of the company towns. In the time leading up to the Battle of Matewan, miners in other parts of the country had won a 27% wage increase. The time was ripe for organizing southern Appalachia. The UMWA sent in their best organizers, including Mother Jones. 3,000 men signed union cards in the early spring of 1920. Yet, at the same time, vigilantes, detectives and goons were murdering miners in the region. And the company was evicting anyone who signed up. So, hundreds of miners and their families were living in the Stony Mountain Camp Tent Colony.
On August 1, 1921, surviving members of the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency assassinated Sheriff Sid Hatfield, in broad daylight, on the steps of Welch County courthouse, as his wife watched in horror. As news of his death spread, miners began arming themselves, leading to the Battle of Blair Mountain. the largest armed insurrection since the Civil War, and the largest labor uprising in U.S. history. 10,000-15,000 coal miners battled 3,000 cops, private cops and vigilantes, who were backed by the coal bosses. Up to 100 miners died in the fighting, along with 10-30 Baldwin-Felts detectives and three national guards. Nearly 1,000 people were arrested. One million rounds were fired. And the government bombed striking coal miners by air, using homemade bombs and poison gas left over from World War I. You can read my complete article on the Battle of Blair Mountain here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2024/04/14/the-battle-of-blair-mountain/