Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

was a thriving and important city during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, and provided a significant source of personnel, war materiel

Materiel

Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....

, armament, ammunition, and supplies to the Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

. Situated at the confluence of the Monongahela

Monongahela River

The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...

, Allegheny

Allegheny River

The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

 and Ohio

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 rivers, Pittsburgh was an important transportation hub for both riverine and rail transport, as well as overland via its system of roads.

Production of materiel

The antebellum iron industry in Pittsburgh had thrived, fueled by access to coal

Coal

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

, iron ore, and other raw materials, as well as transportation routes to get the iron to markets. In 1859, the Clinton and Soho iron furnaces introduced coke

Coke (fuel)

Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...

-fired smelting

Smelting

Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...

 to the region. Within three years, the growing needs of the military effort during the Civil War had boosted the city's economy with increased production of iron and armaments, especially at the Allegheny Arsenal

Allegheny Arsenal

The Allegheny Arsenal, established in 1814, was an important supply and manufacturing center for the Union Army during the American Civil War, and the site of the single largest civilian disaster during the war....

 and the Fort Pitt Foundry

Fort Pitt Foundry

The Fort Pitt Foundry was a nineteenth century iron foundry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was originally established at Fifth Avenue and Smithfield Street in 1804 by Joseph McClurg, grandfather of Joseph W. McClurg. It was later moved to the area of Pittsburgh now known as the Strip District at...

. Arms manufacture included ironclad warships and the world's first 21" heavy artillery gun. By war's end, over one-half of the steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

 and more than one-third of all U.S. glass was produced in Pittsburgh.

During the war, Pittsburgh's heavy industry provided significant quantities of weapons and ammunition. The Fort Pitt Foundry made mammoth iron castings for giant siege howitzer

Howitzer

A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...

s and mortars

Mortar (weapon)

A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....

, among the largest guns in the world. One of the largest was a 20-inch bore Rodman Gun

Rodman gun

Rodman gun refers to a series of American Civil War-era columbiads designed by Union artilleryman Thomas Jackson Rodman . The guns were designed to fire both shot and shell. These heavy guns were intended to be mounted in seacoast fortifications. They were built in 8-inch, 10-inch, 13-inch,...

, a large black powder, smoothbore, muzzle-loading coastal defense gun. The foundry produced 1,193 guns (15 percent of the total U.S. wartime artillery production) and almost 200,000 artillery projectiles. Other prominent Pittsburgh area factories included Singer, Nimick and Co. (maker of 3" Ordnance rifles) and Smith, Park and Co., which produced more than 300,000 projectiles. Pittsburgh industries collectively manufactured 10 percent of the total U.S. wartime production of artillery rounds.

The Allegheny Arsenal was the primary military manufacturing facility for U.S. Army accoutrements, as well as saddles and other cavalry equipment. In addition, the sprawling factory produced as many as 40,000 bullets and cartridges every day (more than 14 million per year), supplying between 5 and 10 percent of the Army's annual small arms ammunition requirements. A significant explosion on the afternoon of September 17, 1862 (coincidentally, concurrent with the Battle of Antietam

Battle of Antietam

The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...

 in central Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

), killed 78 factory workers, mostly young women.

Five Ellet-class rams were converted from civilian towboats at Pittsburgh. In addition, four ironclads were built from the keel up—the USS Manayunk

USS Ajax (1869)

-Construction and Commissioning:The contract for construction of USS Manayunk was signed by agents of the United States Navy and the shipbuilding firm of Snowden and Mason on 15 September 1862, and the keel of the Canonicus-class monitor was laid down shortly thereafter at Pittsburgh, PA The ship...

, Marietta, Sandusky, and Umpqua

USS Umpqua (1865)

USS Umpqua, a single-turreted, twin-screw monitor, was laid down in March 1863, before the official order had been placed, at Brownsville, Pennsylvania, by Snowden & Mason; launched on 21 December 1865; and completed on 7 May 1866....

. Pittsburgh's rolling mills supplied the armor for many of the ironclads that were built in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and Philadelphia for the Union Navy

Union Navy

The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...

.

Defending Pittsburgh

Concerned that the Confederate Army

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

 might target Pittsburgh for invasion, the U.S. War Department

United States Department of War

The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...

 established the Department of the Monongahela

Department of the Monongahela

The Department of the Monogahela was a military department created by the United States War Department during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War.-History:On June 9, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, responding to Robert E...

 to provide a formal Federal military presence in Western Pennsylvania during the Gettysburg Campaign

Gettysburg Campaign

The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...

, with departmental headquarters in Pittsburgh. The Army dispatched Maj. Gen. William T. H. Brooks

William T. H. Brooks

William Thomas Harbaugh Brooks was a career military officer in the United States Army, serving as a major general during the American Civil War.-Early life:...

 to organize the defenses of Pittsburgh. Brooks authorized the construction of several miles of earthwork

Earthworks (engineering)

Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...

s and a series of small forts to control access to the city. He suspended liquor sales, closed the bars and taverns, and put the citizenry to work digging trenches and erecting forts.

Among these bastions was Fort Robert Smalls

Fort Robert Smalls

Fort Robert Smalls was a Civil War redoubt built by free Blacks for the defense of Pittsburgh in 1863. It stood at the top of McGuire's Hill at the mouth of Becks Run in Arlington Heights. It is named for Robert Smalls, a slave who commandeered a Confederate transport and brought his family and...

, a redoubt

Redoubt

A redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main defensive line and can be a permanent structure or a...

 built by free blacks on McGuire's Hill at the mouth of Becks Run

Becks Run

Becks Run is a tributary of the Monongahela River. As an urban stream, it is heavily polluted, receiving combined sewer outflow from Carrick and Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania. There is a waterfall on a tributary, just downstream from a slate dump, near the intersection of Wagner Avenue and Mountain...

 in Arlington Heights

Arlington Heights (Pittsburgh)

For the Monroe County community, see Arlington Heights, Pennsylvania.Arlington Heights is a south neighborhood on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The zip code used by residents is 15210, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 3...

. Another of these emergency fortifications was the circular earthwork known as Fort Laughlin

Fort Laughlin

Fort Laughlin was an Civil War redoubt, built in 1863 for the defense of Pittsburgh by the employees of Jones and Laughlin Iron Works, and named for James H. Laughlin. It was also known as Fort McKinley or Fort Ormsby. It was a circular earthwork on Ormsby's Hill, now part of Arlington Park on...

, constructed by the employees of Jones and Laughlin Steel on Ormsby

John Ormsby (Pittsburgh)

John Ormsby was a soldier in the French-Indian War, Pontiac's Rebellion, and the American Revolution, and among the first settlers of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The son of the Anglo-Irish landed gentry, he emigrated from Ireland to the Thirteen Colonies in 1752...

's Hill, now part of Arlington Park on Arlington Avenue. It was also known as Fort McKinley or Fort Ormsby. Concurrent with Fort Laughlin, Jones and Laughlin Steel employees constructed Fort Jones

Fort Jones (Mount Oliver)

Fort Jones, with its companion, Fort Laughlin were Civil War redoubts, built by the employees of Jones and Laughlin Steel in June and July of 1863 for the defense of Pittsburgh from a suspected invasion by Confederate troops. It is named for Benjamin Franklin Jones, a local businessman. Fort Jones...

, named for the mill's co-owner, Benjamin Franklin Jones . Fort Jones occupied the top of a hill in Mount Oliver

Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania

Mount Oliver is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a largely residential area situated atop a crest about west of the Monongahela River. The borough is surrounded entirely by the city of Pittsburgh....

. It was sometimes known as Fort Jackson, in honor of Brig. Gen. Conrad Feger Jackson

Conrad Feger Jackson

Conrad Feger Jackson was a businessman and soldier from the state of Pennsylvania who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed in action during the Battle of Fredericksburg.-Early life and career:Jackson was born in Alsace Township in Berks County,...

, killed in the Battle of Fredericksburg

Battle of Fredericksburg

The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...

, Virginia, in December 1862.

Notable leaders from Pittsburgh

The greater Pittsburgh area was the birthplace or long-time residence of several Union army and navy officers, as well as some leading politicians of the era.
Other important personalities of the Civil War born in the immediate Pittsburgh area included Col. Daniel Leasure

Daniel Leasure

Daniel Leasure was an American soldier and physician who served as a colonel and brigade commander in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Early life:...

, Congressman Robert McKnight

Robert McKnight

Robert McKnight was a Republican United States Representative from Pennsylvania.Robert McKnight was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended the common schools and a private school at Xenia, Ohio. He graduated from Princeton College in 1839. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1842...

, industrialist William Metcalf

William Metcalf (steel)

William Metcalf was an American steel manufacturer.Metcalf was born at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Troy, New York, in 1858...

, and Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Rowley

Thomas Algeo Rowley

Thomas Algeo Rowley was a Union Army general in the American Civil War from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Early life:...

.

Among the recipients of the Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

 for gallantry in action during the war were Alexander Kelly

Alexander Kelly

Alexander Kelly was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm.-Biography:...

, a free black who fought in the 6th U.S.C.T..

The mayors of Pittsburgh during the Civil War were George Wilson

George Wilson (mayor)

George Wilson , served as Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1860 to 1862.Wilson was born in Baltimore. He worked in a Tobacco plant and eventually went into business for himself. Wilson served as a City Councilman and as the Director of the Public School System...

 (1860–62), Benjamin C. Sawyer

Benjamin C. Sawyer

Benair C. Sawyer , was the Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1862 to 1864.This name is misspelled. The correct spelling for this historical person is Benair Clement Sawyer.His family was in the soap making business...

 (1862–64), and James Lowry, Jr.

James Lowry, Jr.

James Lowry, Jr. , served as Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1864 to 1866.Lowry was born in Scotland in 1820. He owned a foundry and was also a Coal merchant. The city's industries were all booming during Mayor Lowry's term. He would eventually be elected Coroner of Allegheny County.Lowry died in St. Louis...

 (1864–1866).

Civil War attractions in Pittsburgh

The Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial

Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial

Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial is a National Register of Historic Places landmark in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...

 is a National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

landmark. It is the largest memorial in the United States dedicated solely to honoring all branches of military veterans and service personnel.