Q. Arms port?
A. I do not know whether I heard arms port or not.
Q. How long after the command was given to charge bayonets before the
firing commenced?
A. About two minutes. It was a different body of men that came up
through the hollow-square.
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. How did they fire. Did they fire altogether, as if they were ordered
to fire?
A. The parties next to the cars. The men in their company did the first
shooting, and they shot very low. At the same time those in front shot
higher.
Q. They commenced?
A. Commenced right where these men fell.
Q. On the road?
A. No; that was, I run back against the car--a lot of flat cars filled
with coal.
Q. Was this the line that was formed parallel with the railroad tracks,
on the right towards the hill side?
A. No; towards the round-house.
Q. There is where the first shot was fired?
A. Yes, sir. A man standing near the end of the cars fell, and just as
he fell, they just put their guns up and shot.
Q. Did you notice in what direction they fired?
A. Towards the hill.
Q. Over the heads of the other line?
A. Yes, over the heads; I could see the dirt fly; the party in front of
them shot.
Q. Did they appear to fire in the direction of where the missiles and
stones came from?
A. The missiles came right in front of this other body of men that shot
towards the side of the hill. The stones were right at the foot of the
hill, and they shot up on the side of the hill. The boys that threw the
stones, were down at the foot of the hill, right back of the tracks.
There was two cannons there, and those boys were right among them
throwing.
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. Did you say the troops came out of the round-house, Sunday?
A. I didn't say they came out of the round-house; I say they passed
Twenty-eighth street. I was on the corner of Twenty-eighth and Penn
when they passed.
Q. Was anybody shooting at them?
A. I saw one man following them up as they came down Twenty-eighth
street.
Q. He followed them up?
A. Followed them so far as I could see, about the middle of
Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth. I was afraid they would shoot at me.
Q. What did he do while he was following up?
A. Threatened to shoot several times--threatened to shoot on an alley
in Twenty-eighth street. We put up our hands at him. He got up again
and followed them at Penn street. I got back of a sign and I believe he
shot after he got a piece further up.
Q. You didn't see him fire?
A. No.
Q. He had a gun?
A. A breech-loader.
Q. Musket?
A. It was one of those breech-loaders. I saw him throw it up and
examine the cartridges.
Q. Did you know the man?
A. No; I knew he wore a linen coat and a white straw hat.
Q. Was it a rifle or a shot gun?
A. Yes; regular musket, called breech-loaders, something similar to
what the militia have.
At this point the committee adjourned, to meet at the arsenal, at
half-past eight o'clock, this evening.
ALLEGHENY ARSENAL,
FRIDAY EVENING, _February 22, 1878_.
The committee met pursuant to adjournment, at the United States
Arsenal, at half-past eight o'clock. All members present.
* * * * *
Major A. R. Buffington, _sworn_:
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. First state your rank and official position here under the United
States Government?
A. Major ordnance United States Army, commanding Allegheny
arsenal--commandant Allegheny arsenal--which ever way you choose to put
it.
Q. If you will go on and get at the facts, probably it will be as easy
as any other way to come at a statement of the facts that came within
your knowledge?
A. I presume what you want from me are simple facts. You want no
opinions, nor anything else--my knowledge of the riot. I have here
three or four little notes addressed to me:
_July 21, 5, P.M._
Major BUFFINGTON,
_Commanding U.S. Arsenal_:
The troops of the first division, after having been fired at by the
rioters, returned the fire, killing and wounding a number. It is
said the rioters will take the arsenal, and take the arms and
ammunition. It may be a rumor; I will give it to you for what it is
worth. It would be well for you to be on your guard.
(Signed)
A. L. PEARSON,
_Major General_.
Q. What time did you receive that note?
A. I received that note somewhere about six o'clock. It is dated
five-thirty, P.M., July 21, about half an hour afterwards--about six
o'clock, I should judge. Previous to this, I would state that three
gentlemen came here from the city--came to my quarters--and informed me
in substance the same thing, before this was received--perhaps an hour.
Was received somewhere about that time. That was the first notice I had
of it.
Q. Who were those gentlemen?
A. Their names I don't know. They were strangers to me, and they
introduced themselves. I have forgotten their names.
Q. Were they citizens of Pittsburgh?
A. Yes, sir; and when they came they were very much afraid that the mob
would see their vehicle out in front of the gate, and they immediately
left and went away on that account, saying they were afraid their
vehicle would be recognized, and they were afraid of the mob. This word
I mention was brought to me by Doctor Speers, of Pittsburgh, in a
buggy, and he also was very much afraid of the mob. Cautioned me saying
anything about it; that they would spot me, or something to that
purpose. I also received this one. Here is a copy of that one written
in the handwriting of General Latta. This was handed through the picket
fence, which is by my quarters, to a young lady visiting my house at
that time, with a request to give it to me, which she did. She refused
to take it, and told him to take it to the guard-house, and he
expressed a fear about taking it to the guard-house, and insisted on
her taking it. In addition, I received this one. It is headed,
"O.D. 7, 21--7th month 21st day.
"COMMANDANT ARSENAL: Mob has started to the arsenal for the
purpose of taking arms. Serious trouble at Twenty-eighth street
between them and military.
(Signed)
"J. M. or T. M. KING,
_Superintendent_."
I believe he is superintendent of the Allegheny Valley railroad. Having
received information from those gentlemen previous to those notes, I
immediately took steps to receive the mob if they should come out
there. Lieutenant Lyon was staying over there. He came to the office,
and I told him to tell my sergeant to go out quietly and couple the six
pounder guns, have one of them brought down to the inside of the gate,
as you come in. I had but one box of ammunition. All my men had
Springfield rifles, and I had a part of a box of ammunition for them--I
had plenty of ammunition, but none of that kind. My sergeant got some
for my men, and I gave him some general instructions to guard and close
the gates, and lock them, and let no one in without my knowledge. These
preparations were carried on, and we got in readiness, and matters
remained so until night came on, and there was no signs of anybody
coming, and at night I thought I would go out in the street and see
what was going on. Lieutenant Lyon, I believe, went with me. We struck
down street and consulted with various people. Very few people know me
here. I went out in the street and talked with a few of them. In a
field below here--about two squares--is a new livery stable, and over
that building there was some sort of a meeting going on, and we went to
the door. They had sentries at the door. There was quite a concourse of
citizens around. We could not get in, and we waited there until they
came out. They were cheering inside, and somebody making speeches.
Presently they came out, about twenty armed with some muskets they had
gotten out of an armory below here somewhere--half-grown boys they
were, and a few men--and filed off down street cheered by the populace
surrounding them, and one man along side of me fired a musket in the
air, and that is all that I saw. I didn't see any disposition of any of
them to come here at all, and I returned, telling Lieutenant Lyon I had
no doubt they would come out here, but I did not anticipate any trouble
with them at all, and instructed the men to keep in their quarters with
their clothing on--to lie down with their clothing on, ready at a
moment's call. Between ten and eleven o'clock I heard drums beating
down street, and I concluded the rioters were coming. I went out, and
the men were turned out and placed up here behind that building, where
they could not be seen, and by that time the mob had got at the gate.
There was nobody there except a sentry and that six pounder gun there.
I went out in citizen's dress. They were yelling and screaming about
the gate. As I approached, one of them said, "Here comes the commanding
officer, we will talk to him." I walked up to the gate, too--the gate
is armed with open pickets--they stopped their noise, and I said,
"Boys, what is the matter?" They said, "A party of Philadelphia troops
have fired into a crowd down here and killed a lot of women and
children, and we come to get arms; we want to fight them." I says, "I
cannot give you any arms." I said, "I cannot help you, it is impossible
for me to help you." He said women and children had been shot down, and
I said, "It was a sad thing, but it is impossible for me to help you."
"We don't want you, we want that gun." I ignored that request, and kept
talking quiet to them. They seemed to be peaceable enough, except one
man, and I imagined he was slightly intoxicated. "I know there are only
twenty men in the place, and if twenty-five will join me we scale the
walls." He abused them for not following. Presently one of them said,
"He talks well, come on." Finally the better disposed of them called
the others off, and they went up the street a short distance and
returned again. This belligerent fellow staid near the gate and called
for volunteers. There was nobody there except myself and the sentry. I
kept the men out of sight, for I didn't wish to flourish a red
handkerchief in the face of the bull. I was determined to exhaust all
peaceable means. They came back again, and about the time they got
opposite the gate, a cry of fire was raised, and an alarm struck on the
bell, and they all raised the cry of fire, and they went off down the
street. This man who was calling for volunteers, says he, "The guns are
spiked, we will all go;" and they all went off again. That is my
knowledge of the mob.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. What stores of ammunition were here at that time that the mob could
have got if they had entered?
A. We have here many buildings full of ordinance stores. We had for
years, and have yet, something like thirty-six or forty thousand stand
of arms. Don't put these down as the exact figures. We had a great many
thousand stand of arms, and two magazines full of powder and
ammunition, prepared and partially prepared for service; that is, the
powder in the shells, the powder in the cartridges, two large magazines
full. We have there, in fact, two of them full, and another partially
so in the upper park. Besides these arms I speak of, we have many
thousand stands of arms, revolvers, carbines, muskets, and all sorts of
things. We have many large warehouses here. There is one there,
[indicating,] and here is one, [indicating,] and one on the other side
of the street; above that are the magazines. We have got a great deal
of property here, valuable property, too, but we had no small arm
ammunition except some of the old style ammunition--a lot of the old
style paper cartridges which I had broken up. The arms we had are
mostly loaders, except fifty breech-loading muskets, and my men here
are armed with caliber fifty. A year before the riot began I was
impressed with the dangerous position of this place, and I drew the
attention of the authorities in Washington to it. There is a map
showing the arsenal, [indicating.] That is Butler street. There, you
see, are four buildings called temporary magazines. Those are wooden
buildings. There are a great mass of breech-loading ammunition in
there, partially prepared for service. There is one magazine, and there
is the other one. There is Penn avenue--it is called a pike there. A
man might have thrown a lighted cigar over and set fire to this place.
I drew the attention of my chief to it, and called particular attention
to this dangerous place. He saw the importance of it, and ordered me to
break up the ammunition and otherwise get rid of it. Fortunately, all
that was cleared out before the riot began. These magazines were all
full, and the small arm ammunition I had broken up. Here the shops are
below the work-shops, on a plateau just below this, and here is the
road over which you came. Here is a sort of open space, and nothing but
a low wall here with a picket. Right opposite, there is another gate
leading into the upper park. My men were here, and this part is utterly
defenseless, and in that place were a number of cannon. The mob would
have cleaned me out here. There is not a man there, but a man in charge
of the magazine, and twenty men, you see, would be a small force to
defend it. It is not a fortified place, it is the same as houses
surrounded by a wall with a wooden picket fence. The mob could push it
over and come in, and there would be no trouble about it.
Q. Not a very strong fortification?
A. It is utterly defenseless; but, at the same time, I was not afraid
the mob would do me any injury.
Q. How many cannon had you that they could have taken and moved off?
A. I don't know how many are in that shed. I have five or six pieces
which I call in current service. Those pieces are mounted. Those are
six-pounder guns, and there is plenty of ammunition which could be used
for that purpose in those magazines. I had one of them on this side,
[indicating,] and one on the other side. As mobs generally do, they
always come where the danger is. Here was those six-pounder guns, with
canister. The only hostile demonstration they made was to rush for the
gate, but I merely raised my hands, and says, that won't do, and they
stopped instantly. To show what the state of affairs was here, and my
information of what was going on, sometime on Saturday night I received
this communication from General Latta, addressed to the commanding
officer, United States arsenal, Pittsburgh, without date, or anything
else. He says:
"Have you communicated with General Government about prospects of
attack on your arsenal.
(Signed)
"GEN. LATTA."
That was sometime late in the night. I don't know whether it was before
the mob came or not. Here is the reply I sent to him:
"UNITED STATES ARSENAL, _July 21_.
"JAMES W. LATTA: In reply to your pencil note, without
date, I have to say I have not communicated with General Government
about prospects of attack on me, and shall not until such a course
is necessary."
I had no communication with Washington, and none with the State
authorities, except just what I showed you. They didn't advise me about
what was going on. I knew nothing but just what you see here, except to
give them all the assistance I could, and, by a strange mistake, I gave
them all the defense I had. Here is a communication:
"HEAD-QUARTERS SIXTH DIVISION, PITTSBURGH, _July 21, 1877, 11.30,
P.M._
"Major E. R. BUFFINGTON: It is of the utmost importance
that I should have two hundred rounds metallic ball cartridges.
Please deliver them to Colonel Moore. In case I have none in store,
I will deliver you the order of the Secretary of War to-morrow.
(Signed)
"A. L. PEARSON,
_Major General_."
To explain, the State had here some ammunition which I had been giving
to them as they wanted all along, and we had given it all out. General
Pearson had been informed that there was no more here belonging to the
State, but he said if he had none to give him some, and he would get
authority from Washington. Down here is the note of the man in charge
of the magazines. This is dated eleven-thirty, P.M. It did not come to
me till long afterwards. I sent them with a guard to the upper park
with instructions to tell the magazine man to give them if they had any
of the State stores, and to tell this gentleman that I had none except
a part of a box for my own men. It was just nine hundred rounds, and
the guard carried the written order, and down to the bottom, pasted to
it, is:
"_July 22, '77._--4.20 A.M."
You see how late it was in the morning.
"Deliver to General Pearson's messengers eight hundred and sixty
center prime metallic ball cartridges United States property, there
being no ball cartridges belonging to the State at this arsenal.
(Signed)
"JAMES FITZSIMMONS."
By mistake, the State troops got all the cartridges I had. My men got
forty out of the nine hundred. Each man had two rounds simply.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. Do I understand you to say that you had no ammunition for any of
your arms?
A. I had not a round of ammunition suitable for any arm I had in here,
for the simple reason that we are in profound peace, surrounded by
friends. Since the Frankford arsenal got making metallic cartridges, we
had a few rounds here for the use of my men, in case we wanted to
shoot. We had a few blank cartridges. We had cannon ammunition, but all
the small arm ammunition was broken up and powder taken out of it and
balls thrown into the lead pile. We did not have any for arms we had
here except, perhaps, a few cartridges for revolvers, which I issued
afterwards to the citizens in the town to defend the city--two or three
days afterwards.
Q. You have some muzzle loaders?