Battle of Evarts

Battle of Evarts
Date May 5, 1931
Location Evarts, Kentucky, United States
Outcome Four deaths
Miners working underground.
Eli Sanders, tipple worker, loads coal on car which has fallen off cars enroute to tipple.
Kids walking there way through town

The Battle of Evarts (May 5, 1931) occurred in Harlan, Kentucky during the Harlan County Wars and lasted only one day. The miners wanted improved working conditions, better wages, and more housing options for their families.[1] These reasons along with other factors caused the miners to go on strike. This strike resulted in a dispute that ultimately ended when the Kentucky National Guard was called in to break up the strike. Shots were fired and at the end of the short battle, four people were dead.[2] This battle lasted approximately 15 minutes as well.

Opposing Forces

There were numerous forces and factors at play during the Battle of Evarts. Some opposing forces included privately armed police with orders to shut the strike down while other associations refused or denied help to the striking miners.[2] The United Mine Workers of America, or UMWA, originally tried to help and aid the miners, but once the union realized the amount of resources it was going to take the UMWA decided it wasn't able to offer their support.[3] The red cross was also unable offer support by citing the strike as an "Industrial dispute" and staying clear of the movement.[4] The Black Mountain Coal company was the main opposing force which sent in the armed police to break up the strike, leading to the four deaths that occurred.[5]

Battle

The 'Battle of Evarts' occurred on a May 5, 1931, in the morning. A motorcade was on its way to Harlan to deliver goods to the 'Scab", or a non-union miner who had been hired to replace someone.[6] The motorcade was three cars long with a deputy in each car. The deputies were armed and ready to fight because they thought they were going to have issues with the union miners. The union miners were waiting for the motorcade near the Evarts railroad. When the train approached, a single shot rang out, which prompted both sides to believe that the other one had shot first; however, it is unclear. The cars came to a stop and miner guard Jim Daniels came out and went to hide behind a rock.[6] Daniels was one of the most hated anti-union officers in Harlan County. [6] He got ready to shoot at the miners, but as soon as stuck his head over the rock he was hiding behind he was shot in the head and killed. The battle lasted fifteen minutes with 1,000 shots fired. In the end three deputies and one miner had been killed.[6]

Causes

Since this Battle happened during the Harlan County Wars, other Battles led up to the Battle of Evarts because of months of turmoil. Some of the factors that led to the Battle of Evarts included mine conditions, pay, and independence from the coal company as well as hunger, desperation, and intrigue.[6] [7] Miners were being laid off for attending United Mine Workers meetings. [7] Also, the Black Mountain Coal Company created a grocery store where the miners would be able to spend the money that they earned there. Miners didn't like this because they were not allowed to spend their money elsewhere and If the miners were caught spending their money at somewhere else they would be fired and kicked out of town.[4] The final straw though was when Harlan County Coal Operators Association cut wages mines' by 10 %. [4]After this, the first strike occurred, in which only about 13 % of strikers showed up to work. Out of all these battles, the Battle of Evarts was one of the most violent. It left four dead and had to have the Kentucky National Guard called in for protection.[6] After months of rallies, on June 17, all mine workers reported back to their jobs.[4]

Aftermath

The aftermath of this battle led to wider strikes in the Harlan County area. [7] Coal companies refused to back down while the Red Cross refused to give aid due to a policy of staying neutral during disputes. [7] After about a month and a half of strikes, workers reported back on June 17 because of unresponsive negotiation-partners and starvation due to having no money to spend on food. [7] Eight miners ended up receiving life in jail for conspiracy to murder for the actions that took place on May 5. [7] The Battle of Evarts may have only been 15 minutes long with only four deaths, but it is a huge piece of history when it comes to the Coal Wars.

References

  1. ↑ Soodalter, Ron (2016-11-02). "The Price of Coal, Part II". kentuckymonthly.com. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  2. 1 2 "Remembering Bloody Harlan". Parallel Narratives. 2011-03-13. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  3. ↑ "United Mine Workers". Wikipedia. 2018-04-10.
  4. 1 2 3 4 https://www.theclio.com/web/entry?id=12137
  5. ↑ "The Battle of Evarts, Kentucky, 1931". Clio. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 http://www.kentuckymonthly.com/culture/history/the-price-of-coal/
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 https://wp.nyu.edu/specialcollections/2013/05/07/hell-in-harlan/


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