“Are you a Tom the Tinker’s man?” — Pennsylvania State Quarter Coin

Today, the Pennsylvania State Quarter Coin remembers when a large number of men in western Pennsylvania met to protest the excise tax on their whiskey production.

The History of the County of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania edited by George Dallas Albert, published in 1882, contained detailed descriptions of the Whiskey Rebellion.

An excerpt:

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The next attack was made on Capt. Webster, the excise officer for Somerset County, by a company of about one hundred and fifty men from Westmoreland.

They took his commission from him, and made him promise never to act again as collector of excise.

Taking him with them for a few miles, during which time he was submissive in the extreme, they made him, before releasing him, mount a stump and hurrah three times for ” Tom the Tinker.”

This term, Tom the Tinker, had come into popular use to designate opposition to the excise, and it was assumed by the insurgents themselves.

Brackenridge traces its origin to a certain John Holcroft, who made the first application of it at the attack on William Coughran, whose still was cut to pieces.

This was called mending the still; the menders were tinkers, and the name in a collective sense became Tom the Tinker.

Advertisements threatening prominent individuals, admonishing or commanding them, and signed by Tom the Tinker, were put upon trees and in conspicuous places, and menacing letters were sent over the same signature to the Gazette, with threats against the person of the editors if they dared refuse to publish them.

At Braddock’s Field the exclamations were, “Are you a Tom the Tinker’s man?” and “Hurrah for Tom the Tinker.”

The flame of this uprising spread with an infatuation almost incredible.

For a time the voice of reason could not be heard, nor dared scarce be uttered.

The minister was only orthodox who took the side of the people, the lawyer was only popular who defended the rabble when accused, and no man of property felt himself safe if he knew of the least suspicion against him.

The populace at first were instigated by such men as Gallatin, Findley, Smiley, Brackenridge, Cook, Young, Cannon, and Ross, and then led by such as Bradford and Holcroft.

In June, 1794, the excise law was amended by Congress. The people, however, desired its absolute repeal, and indeed demanded nothing short of it.

It was therefore high time that the government should meet the sedition with some opposition.

Indictments were found against a few as rioters, but they had the ablest lawyers at the bar of the Western circuit to defend them, and a jury who could not agree.

At the same time process issued against a number of non-complying distillers in Fayette and Allegheny.

The processes requiring the delinquent distillers to appear in court arrived in the West in mid-harvest. The District Court was held at Philadelphia.

The marshal executed his process in Fayette, and in Allegheny he had served all but the last.

In the company of Gen. Neville he went, on the 15th of July, 1794, to serve this writ on a distiller named Miller, near Peters Creek.

This gave occasion for the first general outbreak.

The appearance of Neville, whose official position had made him particularly obnoxious, incensed the men about the fields to such a degree that they, with arms in their hands, pursued the two men for a distance.

One gun was fired, but with what intent is not known.

On the day when this occurred there was a military meeting at Mingo Creek for the purpose of drafting men to go against the Indians.

This place was seven miles from the inspector’s house.

The report of the attack on the marshal and the inspector was carried to this meeting, and on the following day about thirty men appeared before the marshal’s house and demanded the surrender of his papers.

This was refused, and firing commenced. On a general discharge of guns from the negro quarters about the house, for they were all armed, some five or six of the insurgents were wounded, one of them mortally.

Upon this the news spread that the blood of a citizen had been shed in the cause of the people, and a call was made on all who valued their lives or their liberty to assemble at the Mingo Creek meeting-house.

Thereupon a large number assembled there.

Three men among them were appointed to direct the expedition, and Maj. Macfarlane, an old Revolutionary officer, was chosen to command the armed force.

A squad of United States soldiers had been sent out to protect Neville’s house.

The insurgents surrounded the house. Then a parley took place.

They again demanded the surrender of Neville and his commissions. But Neville was not there.

The women and children were allowed to withdraw from the house, and when this was done the firing began on both sides.

When they had fired promiscuously for some time, Macfarlane, the commander of the insurgents, stepped out from behind a tree to confer with Maj. Kirkpatrick, who was in command of the regulars.

He had no sooner done so than a ball struck him. He died immediately.

The barn and the outhouse were set on fire, and Kirkpatrick and his men were allowed to retire.

The death of Macfarlane increased the excitement.

The rabble could not go backward.

The post-boy, carrying the United States mail, was waylaid by two men within a mile of Greensburg. The mail-bag was broken open and rifled of its contents.

From the headquarters of the insurgents Bradford and others issued circular letters to the colonels of the several regiments, requesting them to assemble their commands at their place of rendezvous, fully equipped with arms, accoutrements, and provisions for four days.

From here they were to march to Braddock’s Field, so as to arrive there on Friday, the 1st of August.

In many instances the order was promptly obeyed.

Within three days a vast and excited crowd, numbering not far, as it is well reported, from sixteen thousand, was brought together.

Many of the companies had arms.

Some were there through inclination, some through fear and from necessity, some from curiosity.

Bradford was chosen commander-in-chief, Edward Cook was one of the generals, and Col. Blakenay officer of the day.

Bradford proposed to march for Pittsburgh, to take possession of the town, and wreak their vengeance upon such of their enemies as Neville, Gibson, Brison and Kirkpatrick.

When it was seen that it would be useless to oppose such leadership, Cook and Brackenridge (who was along) assented, and urged them to go there by means.

The rabble could not well resist the directions of Brackenridge; he was possessed of wonderful tact and volubility, was one of the first lawyers in the State, and had defended the ringleaders when they were arrested, without money and without charge.

“Yea,” said he, “let us go there by all means, if for nothing else just to show them that the strictest order can be observed by us; that we are not the rabble they take us for, but the people; that we are asserting our rights. We will do them no danger nor put them in fear. We will march through the town, take a turn, come out again upon the fields by the bank of the river, and after drinking a little whiskey with the inhabitants, who will gladly receive us, the troops will cross over to the other side of the river.”

A number of people met them before they came to the town, who treated them to drink, and soon after, by good management, the best part of the rabble were gotten across the river without going through the streets. But those that remained were still excited, and wanted to burn the houses of at least Neville and Gibson and a few others.

Had this been done, there can be no doubt but that the whole of the town would have lain in ashes, and that blood would have flown as freely as whiskey.

Cook, Marshall, and others in command exerted themselves in urging the men to retire, using persuasion and promises big in the eyes of men drunk and capricious.

In the day no harm was done, but at night the barn of Maj. Kirkpatrick was burnt.

The people of the town passed a night of uneasiness, but the next day the men were scattering off, and the danger was over.

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The Pennsylvania State Quarter Coin shows with an artist’s image of Braddock’s field, circa 1908, where the men of the Whiskey Rebellion gathered on August 1, 1794.

Pennsylvania State Quarter Coin