User:Tuc09652

The Fort Wilson Riot was a riot by a mob of drunken militiamen against a group of prosperous men at the house of James Wilson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1779. The militiamen had been sent to the city to rid it of disaffected persons and their followers, mostly pertaining to Loyalists of Great Britain. James Wilson would come into disfavor with the militias being sent in as James Wilson had defended 23 people accused of treason. The militiamen gathered at a local tavern and after a while of drinking decided to take action with someone shouting, “Get Wilson.” James Wilson and a group of unwanted Republicans barricaded James Wilson’s house and equipped themselves with muskets and pistols. Fighting ensued at Wilson’s house with waves of militiamen attacking the house. The fighting was eventually stopped when Joseph Reed, President of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Executive Council, and the City Troop of Light Horse broke up the mob. The riot resulted in 6 dead, 17 wounded, and 27 imprisoned with the imprisoned rioters later to be pardoned by President Reed.

Background

At the time of the American Revolution the colonists’ economy began to falter especially Pennsylvania where the British blocked the state’s exports and restricted its imports. Each state in the colony was also printing its own money and depreciating it when it felt like it creating valueless currency in many states and along with international trade halted, America entered into its first economic depression as an independent state. With the economy in shambles and land not at their disposal like it had been for many colonists before, tension was rising with the poor, immigrants, and landless who were looking to someone to blame there misfortunes on. The year 1779 got even worse for Pennsylvanians as it was hit by inflation and as the value of the Continental currency fell, prices for products rose. The Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania tried to keep the prices of bread and other necessities of life at an affordable level as the poor in the state was rising. The Supreme Executive Council's legislative shot at regulating bread and other necessities did not have much effect as the prices for bread among others kept on rising. One group that thought they were being taken advantage of was militiamen who seen disaffected wealthy men evade military service and take advantage of the militiaman's families while they were in the field. Even before the Fort Wilson riot one militia had gone to the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania to share its grievances against the distribution of wealth and what they saw as merchant criminals getting rich off imposing their own price regulations against the behest of the rest of society.

Constitutionalists vs. Republicans

After the framing of the Pennsylvania Constitution in 1776 by the radical Whigs, they had then become to be known as the Constitutionalists with their opposition coming from the conservatives being the Republicans led by James Wilson and Robert Morris. The Republican Society had been started in March of 1779 to oppose the Pennsylvania Constitution and what they saw as its flaws. The Constitutional Society was then founded in late March of 1779 in response to the Republican Society. The Constitutionalists were mainly men who had just came in with new wealth in contrast to the Republicans who were men with old wealth. The Constitutionalists also believed in the democratic quality of majority rule as opposed to the Republicans who thought that some people should not have that kind of power. The Constitutionalists political idea of majority rule was able to conjure up much hatred from the people hurt from the economic depression against the opposing Republicans which eventually led to the Fort Wilson Riot. With the Republicans trying to gain ground in the Pennsylvania House, the Constitutionalists slandered the Republicans by claiming they wanted a House of Lords and the Constitutionalists also used ministers to gain popular support and vilify the Republicans. Pressure grew when a Constitutional Society formed in Philadelphia with Charles Willson Peale as its chairman. Charles Willson Peale then went on the offensive claiming all the Republicans were after were tyranny and inefficiency. The Constitutionalists were able to label the Republicans as greedy businessmen out to become aristocrats and divide and control government. It had not helped that prior to the Fort Wilson Riot, James Wilson had defended 23 men who were accused of treason. Wilson had also opposed the notion of price regulation to allow some people to afford necessities such as food.

October 4, 1779

Gathering of the Mob

In early October of 1779, Philadelphia was crawling with militiamen, many German who were new and incompetent soldiers. On October 4 a handbill was passed out to “drive off from the city all disaffected persons and those who supported them.” A group of militiamen were at Paddy Byrne’s Tavern on Tenth Street between Race and Vine Streets where the group had already caught some Loyalists and had them under guard there. Liquor was freely passed around the tavern among the militiamen with many aiming threats against Tories and profiteers. Soon Charles Willson Peale, president of the Constitutional Society, arrived and the militiamen were looking towards his direction to liberate the city of loyalists and their supporters. Peale tried to get the militia to disperse but it did not happen and liquor gave way as the crowd began to shout, “Get Wilson! The mob of militiamen and sightseers set out for James Wilson’s house. The Constitutionalists were never advocates of violence by a means to reach their political goal even though most of the hatred against Wilson and his friends was due to the Constitutionalists badmouthing Wilson and the Republicans. Charles Willson Peale panicked by the mob and went to Joseph Reed’s, President of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Executive Council, house to get him to intervene.

Fort Wilson Riot

James Wilson who heard he was being sought by the mob looked for government protection, but new they would not be quick to restore order. Wilson and a group of about 20 Republicans who were unpopular with the mob gathered on Second Street and when word heard that the mob was headed to Wilson's house the group of Republicans fell back to Wilson’s house at Walnut and Third Street to fight off the mob. Among the group was Robert Morris, some of their family members, and other friends and associates of Wilson and Morris'. Wilson's house had a clear view down Walnut and the house was made of brick. Wilson and the Republicans barricaded the house which formed the house into Fort Wilson. Wilson and the Republicans were armed with muskets and pistols and were quite skilled soldiers, with a few having led militias in the past. When the mob arrived Wilson and his Republicans were ready with their guns loaded. The militia captain named Faulkner was leading the mob until at Second and Walnut Streets a couple of Continental officers, Colonel Grayson and Captain Allen M'Lane, tried steering the mob away from the house. A few militiamen came forth from the back of the mob and used stabbing gestures with their bayonets to get rid of the Continental officers and the mob marched forward finally reaching Third and Walnut. A defender of the fort from inside, Captain Campbell, yelled out from a window to the mob to keep moving on. The mob's response was a musket shot killing Campbell instantly. After the first shot the mob dispersed to take cover as some dead bodies laid in the cobblestone street. Wilson and his group fought off the mob for a while before President Joseph Reed and the City Troop of Light Horse showed up. The sight of President Reed sobered many of the militiamen up and the majority of the mob dispersed with 27 militiamen being arrested and sent to jail. After the riot was over there were 6 dead and 17 wounded with only one dead from Wilson’s group.

Aftermath

James Wilson left the city after the riot as the number of militiamen inside the city still threatened his life. Then a council of city officers ordered that Wilson and the group of Republicans from his house must leave the city to prevent another riot, which some did and some did not like Robert Morris who went into hiding inside the city. The day after the riot, officers from the militia went to the Court House to demand that their prisoners be released. Another militia was also planning to march on the city in support of their militiamen in jail. James Wilson returned to the city by October 19th to declare his and the other defenders innocence by self defense and to see his pregnant wife. To cool down the talk of the riot in the city each of the defenders of Fort Wilson posted bail for their court appearances in the case as to not start up another riot. In March of 1780, to put a stop to the militia uprising the Executive Council pardoned everyone involved in the riot.