Military Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh’s military history reaches back to the founding of our nation and beyond.  Before the Revolutionary War, George Washington, “The Father of our Country,” began his military career in Western Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War.  In 1758, he and General John Forbes drove the French from Fort Duquesne.  The fate of over half of North America was decided right at the “point,” where Pittsburgh meets the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers.

Gateway to the West

At the beginning of the 19th century, Pittsburgh was the “Gateway to the West.”  Settlers heading for the new frontier came to Pittsburgh to board flatboats and embark on adventurous, sometimes difficult new lives.  Because of this and because of escalating tension with the British Empire, the War Department decided that the area would be an ideal site for an arsenal.  Colonel William Foster, the father of noted Pittsburgh composer, Stephen Foster, sold 30 acres of property to the government in what is now known as Lawrenceville, for the building of an arsenal.

Commodore Perry

Conflict with the British eventually erupted into the War of 1812, which gave rise to one of the area’s greatest naval battles.  Many places in Pittsburgh bear the name of the hero of the Battle of Lake Erie, Commodore Perry.  But did you know that two Perrys fought in this battle?  Oliver Hazard Perry and his younger brother Matthew C. Perry both were instrumental in this pivotal battle.  Oliver Perry commanded the younger Perry.

Commodore Oliver Perry’s flagship the USS Lawrence was destroyed in the battle, and Perry rowed a half mile under heavy fire carrying his battle flag, “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” to establish his command on the USS Niagara.  With the Niagara nearly destroyed, Commodore Perry defeated the British, reporting to General William Henry Harrison with the famous words:  “We have met the enemy and they are ours,” thus establishing him as the “Hero of Lake Erie.”

The Lawrenceville Arsenal

While no Civil War battles were fought in the area, Pittsburgh played an important role in the battle between the states, and as a consequence suffered devastating losses not only in terms of soldiers but in civilian losses as well.  The arsenal, established in the beginning of the century, figured heavily during the war.  Lawrenceville, named after Captain James Lawrence (another naval hero from the War of 1812) grew up around the arsenal.  Many residents of Lawrenceville worked at the arsenal, and it became a social center, with the Post commanders holding dances and receptions there.  In 1842 Charles Dickens visited the site and described it as a “pretty arsenal.”  In addition to Dickens, President James Monroe, the Marquis de Lafayette, and former President John Quincy Adams all visited the Allegheny Arsenal.  When President William Henry Harrison died in 1840, his cortege passed through Pittsburgh and the arsenal guns saluted him.

When the Civil War broke out, the arsenal ramped up production, manufacturing arms and munitions.  One-hundred and eighty-six people worked at the arsenal, 156 of them women and girls.  Cartridges and cannon balls were some of the war materials made there.  On the afternoon of September 17, 1862, the same day as the fateful Battle of Antietam, the arsenal exploded.  A series of three explosions shattered the windows of the homes in Lawrenceville and was heard two miles away.  The cause has never been determined, but it is believed that a spark ignited the explosives used in manufacturing the weapons.

Lawrenceville had just received its first fire engine only days earlier, and it was pulled by hand to the site while women rushed to the disaster to attend to the victims.  Seventy-eight workers perished in the explosion, mostly young women, 54 of whom were never identified and were buried in a mass grave in nearby Allegheny Cemetery.  The Allegheny Arsenal explosion was the single largest civilian disaster of the Civil War, and a marker commemorating the disaster can be found at the former site.

Pittsburgh’s Modern Military Contributions

During the 20th Century, war moved off American soil as GIs fought overseas in two World Wars and numerous other conflicts around the globe from Korea and Vietnam to the Persian Gulf.  Thousands of Pittsburghers served their country during these conflicts, and there was even a heavy cruiser called the USS Pittsburgh which served in the Pacific fleet during World War II, earning two battle stars for Iwo Jima and Okinawa.  During World War II, the Pittsburgh area and its workers figured prominently in the war effort, becoming, just as it had during the Civil War, a major manufacturer.  Pittsburgh produced more steel for weapons, ships, and planes during World War II than all the allied countries combined, earning the city the title “The Arsenal of Democracy.”

Pittsburghers took to heart the old adage “If you wish for peace, prepare for war” during the Cold War.  Thirteen of 20 Nike missile sites in Pennsylvania were situated around Pittsburgh.  These domestic missile sites were established to defend the area and were prepared to launch anti-aircraft weapons should conflict erupt between the world’s nuclear superpowers.   The establishment of so many missile sites in the region attests to how vital the manufacturing in the area is during war time.

Not only has the region contributed to the country’s military might with manpower, manufacturing, and missile sites, but it has produced or been home to some distinguished soldiers as well.  General Matthew Ridgeway, who became Chief of Staff after serving bravely during World War II and Korea and who succeeded General Douglas MacArthur as commander of United Nations forces in Korea, chose to settle in Fox Chapel after his noteworthy military career.  The Medal of Honor winner served at the Mellon Institute from 1955 to 1960 and the Center for International Security Studies at the University of Pittsburgh is named for him.  Ridgeway lived in Pittsburgh until his death at 98 in 1993.

Most recently, Pittsburgh native Ret. General Michael Hayden served his country as the former director of the CIA and National Security Agency.  Hayden was reared on Pittsburgh’s North Side and attended North Catholic High School and Duquesne University.

Many Pittsburgh natives have served honorably in the U.S. military, and their sacrifice is remembered at Pittsburgh’s Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum.  Located in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, Soldiers & Sailors is the nation’s only military museum dedicated to honoring the men and women of all branches of service, the citizen as well as the professional soldier.  In 2010, Soldiers & Sailors celebrated its 100th birthday as it continues to honor Pittsburgh’s contributions to the service of our enduring nation, the United States of America.   

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