The Attempted Attack and the Execusion of the Rebellion

By August 1, 1794, 7000 Whiskey rebels gathered together only eight miles from Pittsburgh and were making plans to attack the city. However, the city's leaders, aware of this threat of violence and destruction, took action to defuse and execute this situation. With the Permission from Supreme Court Justice James Wilson to raise an army to defeat the Rebellion that was taking place in Western Pennsylvania. President Washington was now in command of a force of 13,000 militia troops to quell the Whiskey Rebellion once and for all but was met with no resistance. The majority of the insurgents had fled, but some were left and tried for treason. This marked the first significant use of federal military force to enforce domestic policy. At a time when many believed the newly established federal government was too weak to lead the nation, Washington’s handling of the Whiskey Rebellion showed that the newly formed government had the power and the will to “stamp” hard on those who questioned his authority with the militia.

¹ "The Whiskey Rebellion," American Battlefield Trust, June 5, 2024, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/whiskey-rebellion, Accessed September 25, 2024