At noon on Nov. 4, 1914, 455 men of the 5th Cavalry stationed at Ft. Sheridan left for Ft. Smith, Ark., to restore order among rioting coal miners on strike in the Hartford Valley.
The military detachment carried two machine guns, and each man was equipped with a rifle and 40 rounds of ammunition, according to newspaper reports. Troops were ordered not to initiate any action but to quell the riots, enforce the laws and make sure that U.S. Court warrants were served. Army troops had not been called on to restore order in a violent labor dispute since President Grover Cleveland called them out in the American Railway Union strike in Chicago in 1894.
An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 men were on strike, some armed with high-powered rifles. Strikers reportedly blew up mines, took prisoners and fought off law enforcement officers and others who had tried to stop the mayhem.
In response, troops were ordered to the scene by President Woodrow Wilson, who thought the mere presence of the Army would prevent rioting. After a final trackside inspection, the military detachment was dispatched to Ft. Smith.
Eventually the strike was settled, and American troops were not required to fire upon fellow citizens.
