The 1877 railroad strike that burned Pittsburgh and forced America’s first federal war against workers

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

In 1877, America was deep in a four-year economic slump. Railroad bosses kept cutting wages while workers struggled to survive. When Baltimore & Ohio workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia walked off the job on July 16, they sparked the biggest labor uprising in American history up to that point.

The strike spread like wildfire across the nation, bringing trains to a halt from Pittsburgh to Chicago. President Hayes sent in federal troops to crush the rebellion, but not before workers had made their point loud and clear.

Here’s how it all unfolded.

Workers Stopped Every Train That Day

Baltimore & Ohio workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia had enough on July 16, 1877. The company announced another 10% pay cut, the third that year. Forty railroad men uncoupled every locomotive and rolled them into the roundhouse.

No trains would move until they got their wages back. By evening, 600 freight trains sat stranded while hundreds of townspeople gathered to support the workers. Local police arrived but retreated when they saw the crowd’s size.

Federal Troops Arrived With Gatling Guns

West Virginia’s militia proved useless when Governor Henry Matthews called them out. Many militiamen were railroad workers themselves and refused to act against their own.

With freight backing up across 2,700 miles of track, Matthews begged President Hayes for federal troops. Hayes reluctantly sent 325 soldiers with rifles and three Gatling guns under General William French.

As federal forces headed to Martinsburg, the strike spread to Pittsburgh on July 19 when Pennsylvania Railroad workers joined after flagman Gus Harris refused to run longer trains that eliminated jobs.

Two Trains Finally Left Martinsburg

General French’s federal troops broke the blockade on July 20. Soldiers escorted two freight trains out of Martinsburg while angry crowds watched from the streets.

The trains departed without bloodshed, but the strike kept spreading along railroad lines. In Pittsburgh, iron mill workers and factory hands swelled the strikers’ ranks into the thousands as the Pennsylvania Railroad faced a complete shutdown.

Philadelphia Militia Killed Twenty People

Pennsylvania Governor John Hartranft had a crisis when Pittsburgh’s militia refused to act against local strikers. He sent Philadelphia’s National Guard instead, figuring outside troops would be tougher.

On July 21, the Philadelphia soldiers advanced with bayonets against crowds throwing stones. When pressed, they opened fire without warning. Twenty people died, including a woman and three children. The massacre turned Pittsburgh residents against the troops.

Strikers Burned the Roundhouse Down

The killings enraged thousands of Pittsburgh residents who joined the strikers. The outnumbered Philadelphia troops retreated into the Pennsylvania Railroad’s roundhouse.

By nightfall, several thousand people surrounded the building. Strikers pushed burning railcars loaded with oil and whisky toward the roundhouse, setting it ablaze.

The fire forced troops to fight their way out at dawn on July 22, fleeing through hostile crowds toward the river.

Pittsburgh Exploded Into Flames

With the troops gone, strikers spent two days systematically destroying Pennsylvania Railroad property. They burned 39 buildings, 104 locomotives, and over 1,200 railcars.

Fires lit the night sky as angry crowds torched the Union Depot and company offices. The destruction spread beyond railroad property as residents attacked symbols of corporate power. Damage reached ten million dollars.

The Strike Became a National Uprising

The Pittsburgh violence sparked strikes across America. Workers in Baltimore, Chicago, Buffalo, and St. Louis walked off their jobs. The movement reached its peak in St. Louis on July 23, where the Workingmen’s Party organized America’s first general strike.

Over 20,000 workers from different industries joined, demanding eight-hour days and an end to child labor. Black and white workers united for the first time in American labor history.

Chicago Streets Turned Into Battlefields

Chicago erupted on July 25 when police clashed with striking workers near the Halsted Street viaduct. Mayor Monroe Heath had recruited 5,000 civilian vigilantes to support regular police.

Gunfire broke out during what became known as the Battle of the Viaduct. Twenty strikers died in the street fighting while many more fell to police clubs and bullets.

The Chicago Times screamed headlines about “howling mobs” taking over the streets.

Federal Forces Crushed St. Louis

Wealthy St. Louis businessmen organized a “Committee of Public Safety” and hired 3,000 special police to break the general strike. On July 27, mounted troops attacked a mass meeting at Turner’s Hall where thousands of workers had gathered.

The assault scattered the crowd and arrested key leaders. Federal troops seized the strikers’ headquarters the next day and jailed seventy more organizers. With their leadership gone, workers abandoned the strike.

Hayes Sent Troops City by City

President Hayes systematically deployed federal forces across the country to end the remaining strikes. Fresh National Guard units arrived in Pittsburgh with federal artillery support.

The overwhelming military presence convinced most strikers to return to work. Railroad operations resumed in major cities as troops escorted trains and guarded company property. By July 30, freight traffic moved again on most major lines.

The Great Strike Died After 45 Days

The strike officially ended on August 2, 1877, crushed by federal military force. About 100 people had died and over 1,000 sat in jail. Railroad companies kept their wage cuts, leaving workers no better off.

The uprising’s scale terrified business leaders who expanded state militias and built armories in industrial cities. Though the strike failed immediately, it showed the power of organized workers and inspired future labor movements.

Visiting the B&O Railroad Museum

The B&O Railroad Museum at 901 W Pratt Street in Baltimore preserves the birthplace of America’s first commercial railroad, where the 1877 strike began. You can explore the original 1851 Mount Clare Station where B&O workers first walked off the job on July 16, 1877. 

The massive roundhouse built in 1884 displays over 200 locomotives and railcars, including original B&O engines from the strike era.

You can ride the first mile of commercial railroad track in America and see authentic 19th-century locomotives that were targets during the uprising. The museum’s 40-acre campus includes exhibits on labor history and the Underground Railroad that also used this station.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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