Troops Gather on Bower Hill for Whiskey Rebellion

On July 16, 1794 500 local farmers stormed the gates of protesting the 25 percent revenue tax on whiskey.  

Rob Windhorst, and his historical reenactment group, Wayne’s Fourth-Sub Legion, told a group of enthralled Pennsylvanians about on a walking tour through the area.

Windhorst discussed the significance of the battle in American history that took place right on Bower Hill.

“Alexander Hamilton proposed an excise tax on whiskey to pay down the national debt," Windhorst said. "A lot of farmers used the whiskey distilleries as a main source of income, and the government was demanding 25 percent of that money.”

John Neville, a member of the gentry upper class, was slated to collect the tax from the farmers.Windhorst pointed to a parking lot next to , at the crest of Bower Hill Road, where Neville's home was believed to have once stood. Windhorst and his historical reenactment group then led the group to a shady tree on the grounds of the

“From his Bower Hill home, Neville was able to see down . Neville armed his male slaves with guns to defend the house. On (July) 16th, one of the opposition leaders, Oliver Miller, died in the attack. Neville called for reinforcements from Fort Fayette in Pittsburgh, only 12 soldiers were sent. Five-hundred farmers came back the next day and burned Neville’s home to the ground.”

The tour moved to the entrance of the trails. Don McGuirk, president of the Scott Conservancy, talked about the newly formed trails, all of them have historical names, Neville’s Trail, Tom the Tinker’s Trail, The Whiskey Boys Trail, etc. On the trails, a group of reenactment players were dressed as farmers from the time. They told the tale from the perspective of the farmer.

The tour culminated in a re-enacted battle between members of the federal army back on the trails in the woods. The farmers ran through the woods as the troops fired on them. The farmers fired back. The action sequence went on for a few moments as they battled back and forth. The battle ended with the troops rallying to a battle cry, “Hip, Hip Huzzah!”

Afterward, at a camp at the base of the trail on Scrubgrass Road, the historical reenactment group had a cooking demonstration. The group spoke about the soldiers rations and the meals the might have cooked. Every soldier was given a piece of salted meat, most likely pork. They were given flour, salt and water, and would make a thick biscuit before seeping it into a stew to soften it.

Afterward, Windhorst invited the group to partake in another tour, one at the Woodville Plantation later that same evening.

For more information on Wayne’s Fourth-Sub Legion visit www.wayneslegion.org.