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{{Short description|Colorado National Guard Adjutant General and participant in the Ludlow and Wounded Knee Massacres}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2020}}

{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
| name = Patrick Hamrock
| name = Patrick Hamrock
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{{Colorado coalfield war}}
{{Colorado coalfield war}}


'''Patrick J. Hamrock'''{{ref|Alpha|[α]}} (1860-1939) was an [[Irish-American|Irish-born]] American soldier who served in multiple conflicts as part of the [[U.S. Army]] and [[Colorado Army National Guard|Colorado National Guard]]. He led a portion of the militia that participated in the [[Ludlow Massacre]], part of the 1913-1914 [[Colorado Coalfield War]].
'''Patrick J. Hamrock'''{{ref|Alpha|[α]}} (1860-1939) was an [[Irish-American|Irish-born]] American soldier who served in multiple conflicts as part of the [[U.S. Army]] and [[Colorado Army National Guard|Colorado National Guard]]. He led a portion of the militia that participated in the [[Ludlow Massacre]], part of the 1913-1914 [[Colorado Coalfield War]]. After the [[First World War]], he served as Colorado’s [[Adjutant General]] and head of the [[Colorado Rangers]].<ref name=Journal>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oHItAQAAMAAJ&pg=PT345|work=United Mine Workers Journal|date=1 December 1921|title=Commander of Gunmen at Ludlow Massacre Again At Head of State Rangers in Colorado Strike|first=Felix|last=Pogliano|page=8 |location=[[Indianapolis]]|via=[[Google Books]]|publisher=[[United Mine Workers of America]]|access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Born in Caltragh, Siglo, Ireland in 1860 to James and Catherine Hamrock. Patrick moved to the [[California]] by 1880 and married Ellen McDonnell in 1884.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myheritage.com/names/patrick_hamrock|title=Patrick Hamrock|access-date=25 November 2019}}</ref>
Born in Caltragh, Sligo, Ireland in 1860 to James and Catherine Hamrock. Patrick moved to the [[California]] by 1880 and married Ellen McDonnell in 1884.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myheritage.com/names/patrick_hamrock|title=Patrick Hamrock|access-date=25 November 2019}}</ref>


==Beginning of military career==
==Beginning of military career==
Hamrock joined the U.S. Army as a member of the [[7th Cavalry Regiment]], a unit regularly involved in the battles of the [[American Indian Wars|Indian Wars]] against the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] inhabitants of the Western United States during the latter-half of the 1800s. He was present during the [[Ghost Dance War]] against the [[Miniconjou Lakota|Miniconjou]] and [[Hunkpapa Lakota]], and participated 1890 campaign that included the [[Wounded Knee Massacre]] in [[South Dakota]], where 200-300 [[Lakota people|Lakota]] were killed.<ref name=A>McGovern, George; Guttridge, Leonard. ''The Great Coalfield War''. Boston: [[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|Houghton Mifflin Company]], 1972. 213 p.</ref>
Hamrock joined the U.S. Army as a member of the [[7th Cavalry Regiment]], a unit regularly involved in the battles of the [[American Indian Wars|Indian Wars]] against the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] inhabitants of the Western United States during the latter-half of the 1800s. He was present during the [[Ghost Dance War]] against the [[Miniconjou Lakota|Miniconjou]] and [[Hunkpapa Lakota]], and participated 1890 campaign that included the [[Wounded Knee Massacre]] in [[South Dakota]], where 200-300 [[Lakota people|Lakota]] were killed.<ref name=McGovern&Guttridge>{{cite book|last1=McGovern|first1=George|author2-link=Leonard Guttridge|last2=Guttridge|first2=Leonard|title=The Great Coalfield War|location=[[Boston]]|publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|Houghton Mifflin Company]]|date=1972|author1-link=George S. McGovern}}</ref>{{rp|213}}


Hamrock was involved in founding the Rocky Mountain Sharpshooters for the [[Spanish-American War]], composed of volunteers from the Western US, but they never saw combat.<ref name=A /> He later saw service in the [[United States Military Government of the Philippine Islands|Philippines]] during the [[Philippine–American War]].<ref name=Jones /> In the years that followed, Hamrock became the coach of the state rifle team, was promoted to [[Major (United States)|major]] in the Colorado National Guard, and began operating a saloon in Denver.<ref name=AA>Papanikolas, Zeese. ''Buried Unsung: Louis Tikas and the Ludlow Massacre''. [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]]: [[University of Utah]], 1982. 108 p.</ref> He married Annie Watson there on 12 June 1898.<ref>{{cite web|work=Denver Public Library Digital Collections |title=Colorado Marriages 1858-1939 U-V-W |date=2004 |access-date=25 November 2019 |url=http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p16079coll37/id/26170/rec/23 |page=749}}</ref>
Hamrock was involved in founding the Rocky Mountain Sharpshooters for the [[Spanish–American War]], composed of volunteer [[marksman|marksmen]] from the Western US, but they never saw combat.<ref name=McGovern&Guttridge />{{rp|213}} He later saw service in the [[United States Military Government of the Philippine Islands|Philippines]] during the [[Philippine–American War]].<ref name=Jones /> In the years that followed, Hamrock became the coach of the state rifle team, was promoted to [[Major (United States)|major]] in the Colorado National Guard, and began operating a saloon in Denver.<ref name=Papanikolas >{{cite book|last=Papanikolas |first=Zeese |title=Buried Unsung: Louis Tikas and the Ludlow Massacre|location=[[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah|UT]] |publisher=[[University of Utah]] |date=1982 }}</ref>{{rp|108}} He married Annie Watson there on 12 June 1898.<ref>{{cite web|work=Denver Public Library Digital Collections |title=Colorado Marriages 1858-1939 U-V-W |date=2004 |access-date=25 November 2019 |url=http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p16079coll37/id/26170/rec/23 |page=749}}</ref>


==Colorado Coalfield War==
==Colorado Coalfield War==
On 23 September 1913, the [[United Mine Workers of America]] declared a [[strike action|strike]] against the [[John D. Rockefeller, Jr.|Rockefeller]]-owned [[Colorado Fuel and Iron]] company in southern [[Colorado]] in an effort to secure better pay and [[collective bargaining]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23064465?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=colorado&searchText=coalfield&searchText=war&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dcolorado%2Bcoalfield%2Bwar%26amp%3Bacc%3Don%26amp%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff%26amp%3Bgroup%3Dnone&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-4802%2Fcontrol&refreqid=search%3A4ae589d82ba309a1f00f29a7b48f2c41&seq=2#metadata_info_tab_contents |title="From the Eye to the Soul": Industrial Labor's Mary Harris "Mother" Jones and the Rhetorics of Display |last=Boor Tonn |first=Mari |jstor=23064465 |journal=Rhetoric Society Quarterly |volume=41 |issue=3 |year=2011 |access-date=25 November 2019 }}</ref> Up to 20,000 strikers were evicted from the [[company town]]s that dotted the coal-rich [[Sangre de Cristo Mountains|Sangre de Christo]] region, raising [[tent city|tent cities]] nearby with the help of the UMWA.<ref>Martelle, Scott. ''Blood Passion: The Ludlow Massacre and Class War in the American West''. New Brunswick, [[New Jersey]] and [[London]]: [[Rutgers University]] Press, 2007. bib., illus., index, 266 p.</ref> One of these towns-turned-tent cities was the [[Ludlow, Colorado|Ludlow Colony]].
On 23 September 1913, the [[United Mine Workers of America]] declared a [[strike action|strike]] against the [[John D. Rockefeller, Jr.|Rockefeller]]-owned [[Colorado Fuel and Iron]] company in southern [[Colorado]] in an effort to secure better pay and [[collective bargaining]].<ref>{{cite journal|title="From the Eye to the Soul": Industrial Labor's Mary Harris "Mother" Jones and the Rhetorics of Display |last=Boor Tonn |first=Mari |jstor=23064465 |journal=Rhetoric Society Quarterly |volume=41 |issue=3 |year=2011 |pages = 231–249|doi = 10.1080/02773945.2011.575325|s2cid=144700584 }}</ref> Up to 20,000 strikers were evicted from the [[company town]]s that dotted the coal-rich [[Sangre de Cristo Mountains|Sangre de Christo]] region, raising [[tent city|tent cities]] nearby with the help of the UMWA.<ref name=Martelle>{{cite book|last1=Martelle|first1=Scott |title=Blood Passion: The Ludlow Massacre and Class War in the American West|location=[[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick]], [[New Jersey|NJ]] and [[London]]|publisher=[[Rutgers University]] Press|date=2007}}</ref>{{rp|266}} One of these towns-turned-tent cities was the [[Ludlow, Colorado|Ludlow Colony]].


What followed was several weeks of violence between strikers, non-striking and [[strikebreaker|strikebreaking]] miners, hired-gun [[Baldwin-Felts]] detectives, and deputized militia. The Colorado National Guard was mobilized on 28 October and arrived in the strike zone by train before the end of the month.<ref name=Occupation>{{cite report|title=The Military Occupation of the Coal Strike Zone of Colorado by the National Guard, 1913-1914. |year=1914 |author=Colorado Adjutant General's Office}}</ref> The Major Hamrock was in charge of Company B of the National Guard, a 34-man detachment composed largely of enlisted CF&I mine guards and detectives stationed mostly at Cedar Hill near Tabasco.<ref name=B>McGovern & Guttridge, 211.</ref>
What followed was several weeks of violence between strikers, non-striking and [[strikebreaker|strikebreaking]] miners, hired-gun [[Baldwin-Felts]] detectives, and deputized militia. The Colorado National Guard was mobilized on 28 October and arrived in the strike zone by train before the end of the month.<ref name=Occupation>{{cite report|title=The Military Occupation of the Coal Strike Zone of Colorado by the National Guard, 1913-1914. |year=1914 |author=Colorado Adjutant General's Office}}</ref> The Major Hamrock was in charge of Company B of the National Guard, a 34-man detachment composed largely of enlisted CF&I mine guards and detectives stationed mostly at Cedar Hill near Tabasco.<ref name=McGovern&Guttridge/>{{rp|211}}


After six months of deployment to the largely isolated strike zone, the majority of the National Guardsmen were allowed to return to their livelihoods.<ref name=DU>{{cite web|url=https://www.du.edu/ludlow/cfhist3.html |title=A History of the Colorado Coal Field War |work=Colorado Coal Field War Project |access-date=25 November 2019}}</ref> Company K, commanded by the amicable attorney-Captain Phillip Van Cise, withdrew from Ludlow, leaving Hamrock to send a 12 troops to fill their place.<ref name=AA /> Tensions in the region had decreased from a peak in October–November 1913, but rose again in March 1914 following the discover of a non-striking miner's body near the [[Forbes Park (Costilla County)|Forbes Colony]] of strikers. General [[John Chase (general)|John Chase]], in command of the National Guard, order the strikers' colony razed and the men arrested, an action that indirectly resulted in two infants dying of [[hypothermia|exposure]].<ref>Andrews, Thomas G. ''Killing for Coal: America's Deadliest Labor War''. Cambridge, Mass: [[Harvard University]] Press, 2008. 270 p.</ref>
After six months of deployment to the largely isolated strike zone, the majority of the National Guardsmen were allowed to return to their livelihoods.<ref name=DU>{{cite web|url=https://www.du.edu/ludlow/cfhist3.html |title=A History of the Colorado Coal Field War |work=Colorado Coal Field War Project |access-date=25 November 2019}}</ref> Company K, commanded by the amicable attorney-Captain Phillip Van Cise, withdrew from Ludlow, leaving Hamrock to send a 12 troops to fill their place.<ref name=Papanikolas />{{rp|108}} Tensions in the region had decreased from a peak in October–November 1913, but rose again in March 1914 following the discovery of a non-striking miner's body near the Forbes Colony of strikers. General [[John Chase (general)|John Chase]], in command of the National Guard, order the strikers' colony razed and the men arrested, an action that indirectly resulted in two infants dying of [[hypothermia|exposure]].<ref name=Andrews>{{cite book|last=Andrews|first=Thomas G.|title=Killing for Coal: America's Deadliest Labor War|location=[[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge, MA]]|publisher=[[Harvard University]] Press|date=2008}}</ref>{{rp|270}}


===Ludlow Massacre===
===Ludlow Massacre===
{{Main|Ludlow Massacre}}
{{Main|Ludlow Massacre}}
[[Image:Karl linderfelt.jpg|thumb|Lt. Karl Linderfelt (center) with two of his brothers (left) and Major Hamrock (right, mustache).]][[File:President of UMWA District 15 John McLennan in custody with Major Patrick Hamrock.jpg|thumb|Arrested President John McLennan, who led UMWA District 15 at start of 1913-1914 Strike, with Major Patrick Hamrock following the Ludlow Massacre.]]
[[Image:Karl linderfelt.jpg|thumb|Lt. Karl Linderfelt (center) with two of his brothers (left) and Major Hamrock (right, mustache).]][[File:John McLennan and Patrick Hamrock 1914.jpg|thumb|President John McLennan, who led United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) District 15 at start of 1913-1914 Colorado coal strike, in the custody of Major Patrick Hamrock following the Ludlow Massacre.]]
The troops at Ludlow under Hamrock's direction were stationed on Water Tank Hill, an elevated position that overlooked the colony. Alongside Hamrock's troops were militia under the command of Lieutenant [[Karl Linderfelt]], who had previously seen combat against the strikers in the early stage of the conflict and also had authority over Company B.<ref name=B /><ref>Andrews, 270.</ref> Inside the 1,200-person Ludlow Colony, [[Crete|Cretan]]-born [[Greek-American|Greek]] striker [[Louis Tikas]] was helping to sooth tensions between the other Greek miners and a growingly-anxious Guard and militia presence.<ref name=A />
The troops at Ludlow under Hamrock's direction were stationed on Water Tank Hill, an elevated position that overlooked the colony. Alongside Hamrock's troops were militia under the command of Lieutenant [[Karl Linderfelt]], who had previously seen combat against the strikers in the early stage of the conflict and also had authority over Company B.<ref name=McGovern&Guttridge />{{rp|211}}<ref name=Andrews />{{rp|270}} These militia and troops were what remained after the bulk of the National Guard withdrew north, though the withdrawn troops were yet to be demobilized. Inside the 1,200-person Ludlow Colony, [[Crete|Cretan]]-born [[Greek-American|Greek]] striker [[Louis Tikas]] was helping to sooth tensions between the other Greek miners and a growingly-anxious Guard and militia presence.<ref name=McGovern&Guttridge />{{rp|213}}


Following a tense day of [[Eastern Orthodox|Orthodox]] [[Easter]] festivities, on 20 April 1914, Hamrock received word from Linderfelt that an [[Italian-American|Italian]] woman was attempting to locate her husband named Tuttolimando, who was believed to live in the Ludlow Colony.<ref>Andrews, 271.</ref><ref>Martelle, 161.</ref> Hamrock dispatched a corporal and two enlisted men to search for him, and it became clear it Tikas had to be involved.<ref name=A /> During Hamrock's conversation with Tikas, the Greeks in the camp grew restless. Soon, armed miners were spotted by Hamrock's adjutant Lieutenant Ray Benedict, leading Hamrock to send for Linderfelt's men at Cedar Hill.<ref name=A /> Hamrock sent for reinforcements and a second machine gun to be brought to Ludlow from Cedar Hill, saying "put the baby in the buggy and bring it along."<ref name=Gun>{{cite web|title=FIRED MACHINE GUN IN LUDLOW BATTLE; Trained It on a Point Near Colorado Miners' Tents, Major Hamrock Testifies. |date=21 May 1914 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1914/05/21/archives/fired-machine-gun-in-ludlow-battle-trained-it-on-a-point-near.html |page=4 |access-date=26 November 2019}}</ref>
Following a tense day of [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox]] [[Easter]] festivities, on 20 April 1914, Hamrock received word from Linderfelt that an [[Italian-American|Italian]] woman was attempting to locate her husband named Tuttolimando, who was believed to live in the Ludlow Colony.<ref name=Andrews />{{rp|271}}<ref name=Martelle />{{rp|161 }} Hamrock dispatched a corporal and two enlisted men to search for him, and it became clear it Tikas had to be involved.<ref name=McGovern&Guttridge/>{{rp|213}} During Hamrock's conversation with Tikas, the Greeks in the camp grew restless. Soon, armed miners were spotted by Hamrock's adjutant Lieutenant Ray Benedict, leading Hamrock to send for Linderfelt's men at Cedar Hill.<ref name=McGovern&Guttridge />{{rp|213}} Hamrock sent for reinforcements and a second machine gun to be brought to Ludlow from Cedar Hill, saying "put the baby in the buggy and bring it along."<ref name=Gun>{{cite web|title=FIRED MACHINE GUN IN LUDLOW BATTLE; Trained It on a Point Near Colorado Miners' Tents, Major Hamrock Testifies. |date=21 May 1914 |work=[[The New York Times]]|location=[[New York City]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1914/05/21/archives/fired-machine-gun-in-ludlow-battle-trained-it-on-a-point-near.html |page=4 |access-date=26 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304234501/https://www.nytimes.com/1914/05/21/archives/fired-machine-gun-in-ludlow-battle-trained-it-on-a-point-near.html|archive-date=4 March 2021}}</ref>


Hamrock again spoke to the miners via telephone and agreed to meet Tikas at the [[Colorado and Southern Railway|Colorado & Southern]] train station near the colony.<ref name=A /> At 8:50 AM, Hamrock met Tikas at the agreed location, whereupon Tikas informed the troops and distraught woman that the man in question no longer lived at in Ludlow Colony.<ref name=C>McGovern & Guttridge, 214.</ref> Greek miners moving in a flanking fashion towards an [[Arroyo (creek)|arroyo]] were seen by National Guardsmen who were emplacing the second machine gun. Tikas rushed back to the camp, reportedly carrying a white [[handkerchief]] in an attempt to prevent a fight.<ref>Papanikolas, 218.</ref><ref>Martelle, 163.</ref> Hamrock also failed to reach his own lines before the gunfire began.<ref>McGovern & Guttridge, 215.</ref> Who fired the first shot is unclear,<ref>Andrews, 272.</ref> but immediately the troops detonated three bombs intended to alert the Linderfelt detachment at Berwind and other militiamen at [[Delagua, Colorado|Delagua]].<ref>Papanikolas, 219.</ref><ref>Martelle, 164.</ref> Hamrock would testify that he was among the first to man a machine gun, stating he had fired at points near the colony, rather than directly into it.<ref name=Gun />
Hamrock again spoke to the miners via telephone and agreed to meet Tikas at the [[Colorado and Southern Railway|Colorado & Southern]] train station near the colony.<ref name=McGovern&Guttridge />{{rp|213 }} At 8:50 AM, Hamrock met Tikas at the agreed location, whereupon Tikas informed the troops and distraught woman that the man in question was not in the Ludlow Colony.<ref name=McGovern&Guttridge />{{rp|214}} Greek miners moving in a flanking fashion towards an [[Arroyo (creek)|arroyo]] were seen by National Guardsmen who were emplacing the second machine gun. Tikas rushed back to the camp, reportedly carrying a [[White flag|white]] [[handkerchief]] in an attempt to prevent a fight.<ref name=Papanikolas />{{rp|218}}<ref name= Martelle />{{rp|163 }} Hamrock also failed to reach his own lines before the gunfire began.<ref name=McGovern&Guttridge />{{rp|215}} Who fired the first shot is unclear, but immediately the troops detonated three bombs intended to alert the Linderfelt detachment at Berwind and other militiamen at [[Delagua, Colorado|Delagua]].<ref name=Andrews />{{rp|272 }}<ref name=Papanikolas />{{rp|219}}<ref name= Martelle />{{rp|164 }} Hamrock would testify that he was among the first to man a machine gun, stating he had fired at points near the colony, rather than directly into it.<ref name=Gun />


[[File:National Guard Position on Water Tank Hill near Ludlow, Colorado, 1914.png|thumb|left|National Guardsmen with a [[M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun|M1895 machine gun]] on Water Tank Hill, where Hamrock would fire from in the battle. The man with the binoculars is most likely Lt. Benedict.]]
[[File:National Guard Position on Water Tank Hill near Ludlow, Colorado, 1914.png|thumb|left|National Guardsmen with a [[M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun|M1895 machine gun]] on Water Tank Hill, where Hamrock would fire from in the battle. The man with the binoculars is most likely Lt. Benedict.]]
In the all-day battle that followed, more than a dozen women and children were killed, mostly by smoke inhalation. Armed miners were also killed, as was Tikas. Tikas was found unarmed with his skull beaten in, and Linderfelt was seen carrying a broken [[M1903 Springfield|Springfield rifle]] over his shoulder away from the scene.<ref>Papanikolas, 226.</ref> The Ludlow Massacre, as it came to be known, sparked off the [[Colorado Coalfield War#10-Day War|10-Day War]], the deadliest portion of the conflict. Major Hamrock ordered the bodies and charred remains of the camp left undisturbed for over half a day following the battle.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1914/04/23/archives/30-besieged-in-mine-may-be-suffocated-mouth-of-slope-blocked-by.html |title=30 BESIEGED IN MINE MAY BE SUFFOCATED; Mouth of Slope Blocked by Dynamite Explosions Caused by Strikers. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=23 April 1914 |access-date=26 November 2019}}</ref> [[Mary Harris Jones|Mother Jones]] would list Hamrock as one of the parties who bore the greatest responsibility for the violence at Ludlow.<ref name=Jones>{{cite web|url=http://www.folkarchive.de/ludlow.html#note2 |title=''The Autobiography of Mother Jones'' |last=Jones |first=Mary |date=1977 |page=77 |access-date=25 November 2019}}</ref>
In the all-day battle that followed, more than a dozen women and children were killed, mostly by smoke inhalation. Armed miners were also killed, as was Tikas. Tikas was found unarmed with his skull beaten in, and Linderfelt was seen carrying a broken [[M1903 Springfield|Springfield rifle]] over his shoulder away from the scene.<ref name=Papanikolas />{{rp|226}} The Ludlow Massacre, as it came to be known, sparked off the [[Colorado Coalfield War#10-Day War|10-Day War]], the deadliest portion of the conflict. Major Hamrock ordered the bodies and charred remains of the camp left undisturbed for over half a day following the battle.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1914/04/23/archives/30-besieged-in-mine-may-be-suffocated-mouth-of-slope-blocked-by.html |title=30 BESIEGED IN MINE MAY BE SUFFOCATED; Mouth of Slope Blocked by Dynamite Explosions Caused by Strikers. |work=[[The New York Times]] |location=[[New York City]] |date=23 April 1914 |access-date=26 November 2019}}</ref> [[Mary Harris Jones|Mother Jones]] would list Hamrock as one of the parties who bore the greatest responsibility for the violence at Ludlow.<ref name=Jones>{{cite web|url=http://www.folkarchive.de/ludlow.html#note2 |title=''The Autobiography of Mother Jones'' |last=Jones |first=Mary |date=1977 |page=77 |access-date=25 November 2019 }}</ref>


===Court-Martial===
===Court-Martial===
Hamrock was court-martialed for his actions at Ludlow on 13 May 1914. He was charged with [[murder]], [[larceny]], and other crimes associated with the death of Tikas and other unarmed strikers, as well as the twelve children and two women killed during the battle and militia-set fire that followed.<ref>{{cite news|work=Press Democrat |location=Santa Rosa, [[California]] |title=MILITIA ACCUSED OF CRIMES |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SRPD19140514.2.5&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |date=14 May 1914 |access-date=25 November 2019}}</ref> Linderfelt faced similar charges. Hamrock [[plea]]ded not-guilty to the charges. Pro-strikers decried what they said was "white-washing" when only militiamen testified on the first day of the court-martial. At Hamrock's court-martial, a [[Sergeant]] Davis testified that after Davis and a [[Corporal]] Mills arrested Tikas that Tikas ran and was shot under orders to execute any prisoners attempting to escape.<ref name=Gun /> Both Hamrock and Linderfelt were never punished, despite a court determining that Linderfelt was guilty of the charges.<ref>McGovern & Guttridge, 285-287.</ref>
Hamrock was court-martialed for his actions at Ludlow on 13 May 1914. He was charged with [[murder]], [[larceny]], and other crimes associated with the death of Tikas and other unarmed strikers, as well as the twelve children and two women killed during the battle and militia-set fire that followed.<ref>{{cite news|work=Press Democrat |location=Santa Rosa, [[California]] |title=MILITIA ACCUSED OF CRIMES |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SRPD19140514.2.5&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |date=14 May 1914 |access-date=25 November 2019 }}</ref> Linderfelt faced similar charges. Hamrock [[plea]]ded not-guilty to the charges. Pro-strikers decried what they said was "white-washing" when only militiamen testified on the first day of the court-martial. At Hamrock's court-martial, a [[Sergeant]] Davis testified that after Davis and a [[Corporal]] Mills arrested Tikas that Tikas ran and was shot under orders to execute any prisoners attempting to escape.<ref name=Gun /> Both Hamrock and Linderfelt were never punished, despite a court determining that Linderfelt was guilty of the charges.<ref name=McGovern&Guttridge />{{rp|285-287}}


==Later life and death==
==Later life and death==
Hamrock remained in the Colorado National Guard following the December 1914 end of the UMWA strike. On 20 August 1921, Hamrock was promoted to acting [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] after serving as a [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] and served as Colorado's Adjutant General.<ref>{{cite web|title=Official National Guard Register, 1922 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lwn7c7ZKLJgC&pg=RA1-PA75&lpg=RA1-PA75&dq=major+patrick+j+hamrock&source=bl&ots=M8xwz2NH03&sig=ACfU3U0w6EKO_rU3X22kRLt4qQf1z26Lgg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDyZ62oIbmAhWIq1kKHYPzCfEQ6AEwCHoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=major%20patrick%20j%20hamrock&f=false |access-date=25 November 2019}}</ref> In this capacity, Hamrock ordered [[Colorado Rangers]] to expel coal mining "agitators" during another strike in 1922.<ref>{{cite news|work=Fort Collins Courier |title=RANGERS TO DRIVE UNION AGITATORS OUT |date=10 April 1922 |url=https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=FCC19220410.2.17&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA--------0-- |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> Hamrock died on 25 August 1939 in Denver.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p16079coll17/id/18978/rec/2 |title=Denver Public Library microfilm obituaries 1944-1959 |work=Denver Public Libraries Digital Collection |date=2010 |page=562 |access-date=25 November 2019}}</ref>
Hamrock remained in the Colorado National Guard following the December 1914 end of the UMWA strike. On 20 August 1921, Hamrock was promoted to acting [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] after serving as a [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] and served as Colorado's Adjutant General.<ref>{{cite book|title=Official National Guard Register for 1922 |year = 1922|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lwn7c7ZKLJgC&dq=major+patrick+j+hamrock&pg=RA1-PA75 |access-date=25 November 2019|page=75|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]}}</ref> Hamrock's appointment was met with dismay and criticism from the United Mine Workers of America based on their disapproval of his involvement in the Colorado Coalfield War.<ref name=Journal/> In this capacity, Hamrock ordered [[Colorado Rangers]] to expel coal mining "agitators" during another strike in 1922.<ref>{{cite news|work=Fort Collins Courier |location=[[Fort Collins]], [[Colorado|CO]]|title=RANGERS TO DRIVE UNION AGITATORS OUT |date=10 April 1922 |url=https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=FCC19220410.2.17&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA--------0-- |access-date=29 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304233045/https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=FCC19220410.2.17&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7CtxCO%7CtxTA--------0------ |archive-date=4 March 2021}}</ref> Hamrock died on 25 August 1939 in Denver.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p16079coll17/id/18978/rec/2 |title=Denver Public Library microfilm obituaries 1944-1959 |work=Denver Public Libraries Digital Collection |date=2010 |page=562 |access-date=25 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224201445/http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p16079coll17/id/18978/rec/2|archive-date=24 February 2016 }}</ref>

⚫
==References==
⚫
{{reflist}}


==Notes==
==Notes==
:1.{{note|Alpha|α}} Patrick Hamrock's name in academic literature is generally given as "Patrick J. Hamrock," such as by Martelle. However, McGovern and Guttridge refer to him as "Patrick C. Hamrock." Official military records from 1922 list him as "Patrick J. Hamrock."
:1.{{note|Alpha|α}} Patrick Hamrock's name in academic literature is generally given as "Patrick J. Hamrock," such as by Martelle. However, McGovern and Guttridge refer to him as "Patrick C. Hamrock." Official military records from 1922 list him as "Patrick J. Hamrock."

⚫
==References==
⚫
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{fg|57046003}}
* {{find a Grave|57046003}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamrock, Patrick}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamrock, Patrick}}
[[Category:National Guard of the United States officers]]
[[Category:1860 births]]
[[Category:1860 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
[[Category:Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923)]]
[[Category:National Guard (United States) officers]]
[[Category:People from Colorado]]
[[Category:Irish emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:People from Denver]]
[[Category:People from Denver]]
[[Category:People from County Sligo]]
[[Category:Military personnel from County Sligo]]
[[Category:Colorado National Guard personnel]]
[[Category:Colorado National Guard personnel]]
[[Category:American military personnel of the Philippine–American War]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel who were court-martialed]]
[[Category:American people acquitted of murder]]
{{Portal bar|Biography|History|Colorado}}

Latest revision as of 04:39, 11 November 2024

Patrick Hamrock
Patrick Hamrock in the field near the Ludlow Colony, 1914.
Birth namePatrick J. Hamrock
Born1860
Sligo, Ireland
Died(1939-08-25)25 August 1939
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branch
Rank
Unit
Battles / wars

Philippine–American War

Colorado Coalfield War
Spouse(s)
Ellen McDonnell
​
(m. 1884)​
Annie Watson
​
(m. 1898)​
Other workSaloon owner

Patrick J. Hamrock[α] (1860-1939) was an Irish-born American soldier who served in multiple conflicts as part of the U.S. Army and Colorado National Guard. He led a portion of the militia that participated in the Ludlow Massacre, part of the 1913-1914 Colorado Coalfield War. After the First World War, he served as Colorado’s Adjutant General and head of the Colorado Rangers.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Born in Caltragh, Sligo, Ireland in 1860 to James and Catherine Hamrock. Patrick moved to the California by 1880 and married Ellen McDonnell in 1884.[2]

Beginning of military career

[edit]

Hamrock joined the U.S. Army as a member of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, a unit regularly involved in the battles of the Indian Wars against the Native American inhabitants of the Western United States during the latter-half of the 1800s. He was present during the Ghost Dance War against the Miniconjou and Hunkpapa Lakota, and participated 1890 campaign that included the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota, where 200-300 Lakota were killed.[3]: 213 

Hamrock was involved in founding the Rocky Mountain Sharpshooters for the Spanish–American War, composed of volunteer marksmen from the Western US, but they never saw combat.[3]: 213  He later saw service in the Philippines during the Philippine–American War.[4] In the years that followed, Hamrock became the coach of the state rifle team, was promoted to major in the Colorado National Guard, and began operating a saloon in Denver.[5]: 108  He married Annie Watson there on 12 June 1898.[6]

Colorado Coalfield War

[edit]

On 23 September 1913, the United Mine Workers of America declared a strike against the Rockefeller-owned Colorado Fuel and Iron company in southern Colorado in an effort to secure better pay and collective bargaining.[7] Up to 20,000 strikers were evicted from the company towns that dotted the coal-rich Sangre de Christo region, raising tent cities nearby with the help of the UMWA.[8]: 266  One of these towns-turned-tent cities was the Ludlow Colony.

What followed was several weeks of violence between strikers, non-striking and strikebreaking miners, hired-gun Baldwin-Felts detectives, and deputized militia. The Colorado National Guard was mobilized on 28 October and arrived in the strike zone by train before the end of the month.[9] The Major Hamrock was in charge of Company B of the National Guard, a 34-man detachment composed largely of enlisted CF&I mine guards and detectives stationed mostly at Cedar Hill near Tabasco.[3]: 211 

After six months of deployment to the largely isolated strike zone, the majority of the National Guardsmen were allowed to return to their livelihoods.[10] Company K, commanded by the amicable attorney-Captain Phillip Van Cise, withdrew from Ludlow, leaving Hamrock to send a 12 troops to fill their place.[5]: 108  Tensions in the region had decreased from a peak in October–November 1913, but rose again in March 1914 following the discovery of a non-striking miner's body near the Forbes Colony of strikers. General John Chase, in command of the National Guard, order the strikers' colony razed and the men arrested, an action that indirectly resulted in two infants dying of exposure.[11]: 270 

Ludlow Massacre

[edit]
Main article: Ludlow Massacre
Lt. Karl Linderfelt (center) with two of his brothers (left) and Major Hamrock (right, mustache).
President John McLennan, who led United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) District 15 at start of 1913-1914 Colorado coal strike, in the custody of Major Patrick Hamrock following the Ludlow Massacre.

The troops at Ludlow under Hamrock's direction were stationed on Water Tank Hill, an elevated position that overlooked the colony. Alongside Hamrock's troops were militia under the command of Lieutenant Karl Linderfelt, who had previously seen combat against the strikers in the early stage of the conflict and also had authority over Company B.[3]: 211 [11]: 270  These militia and troops were what remained after the bulk of the National Guard withdrew north, though the withdrawn troops were yet to be demobilized. Inside the 1,200-person Ludlow Colony, Cretan-born Greek striker Louis Tikas was helping to sooth tensions between the other Greek miners and a growingly-anxious Guard and militia presence.[3]: 213 

Following a tense day of Eastern Orthodox Easter festivities, on 20 April 1914, Hamrock received word from Linderfelt that an Italian woman was attempting to locate her husband named Tuttolimando, who was believed to live in the Ludlow Colony.[11]: 271 [8]: 161  Hamrock dispatched a corporal and two enlisted men to search for him, and it became clear it Tikas had to be involved.[3]: 213  During Hamrock's conversation with Tikas, the Greeks in the camp grew restless. Soon, armed miners were spotted by Hamrock's adjutant Lieutenant Ray Benedict, leading Hamrock to send for Linderfelt's men at Cedar Hill.[3]: 213  Hamrock sent for reinforcements and a second machine gun to be brought to Ludlow from Cedar Hill, saying "put the baby in the buggy and bring it along."[12]

Hamrock again spoke to the miners via telephone and agreed to meet Tikas at the Colorado & Southern train station near the colony.[3]: 213  At 8:50 AM, Hamrock met Tikas at the agreed location, whereupon Tikas informed the troops and distraught woman that the man in question was not in the Ludlow Colony.[3]: 214  Greek miners moving in a flanking fashion towards an arroyo were seen by National Guardsmen who were emplacing the second machine gun. Tikas rushed back to the camp, reportedly carrying a white handkerchief in an attempt to prevent a fight.[5]: 218 [8]: 163  Hamrock also failed to reach his own lines before the gunfire began.[3]: 215  Who fired the first shot is unclear, but immediately the troops detonated three bombs intended to alert the Linderfelt detachment at Berwind and other militiamen at Delagua.[11]: 272 [5]: 219 [8]: 164  Hamrock would testify that he was among the first to man a machine gun, stating he had fired at points near the colony, rather than directly into it.[12]

National Guardsmen with a M1895 machine gun on Water Tank Hill, where Hamrock would fire from in the battle. The man with the binoculars is most likely Lt. Benedict.

In the all-day battle that followed, more than a dozen women and children were killed, mostly by smoke inhalation. Armed miners were also killed, as was Tikas. Tikas was found unarmed with his skull beaten in, and Linderfelt was seen carrying a broken Springfield rifle over his shoulder away from the scene.[5]: 226  The Ludlow Massacre, as it came to be known, sparked off the 10-Day War, the deadliest portion of the conflict. Major Hamrock ordered the bodies and charred remains of the camp left undisturbed for over half a day following the battle.[13] Mother Jones would list Hamrock as one of the parties who bore the greatest responsibility for the violence at Ludlow.[4]

Court-Martial

[edit]

Hamrock was court-martialed for his actions at Ludlow on 13 May 1914. He was charged with murder, larceny, and other crimes associated with the death of Tikas and other unarmed strikers, as well as the twelve children and two women killed during the battle and militia-set fire that followed.[14] Linderfelt faced similar charges. Hamrock pleaded not-guilty to the charges. Pro-strikers decried what they said was "white-washing" when only militiamen testified on the first day of the court-martial. At Hamrock's court-martial, a Sergeant Davis testified that after Davis and a Corporal Mills arrested Tikas that Tikas ran and was shot under orders to execute any prisoners attempting to escape.[12] Both Hamrock and Linderfelt were never punished, despite a court determining that Linderfelt was guilty of the charges.[3]: 285–287 

Later life and death

[edit]

Hamrock remained in the Colorado National Guard following the December 1914 end of the UMWA strike. On 20 August 1921, Hamrock was promoted to acting brigadier general after serving as a colonel and served as Colorado's Adjutant General.[15] Hamrock's appointment was met with dismay and criticism from the United Mine Workers of America based on their disapproval of his involvement in the Colorado Coalfield War.[1] In this capacity, Hamrock ordered Colorado Rangers to expel coal mining "agitators" during another strike in 1922.[16] Hamrock died on 25 August 1939 in Denver.[17]

Notes

[edit]
1.^α Patrick Hamrock's name in academic literature is generally given as "Patrick J. Hamrock," such as by Martelle. However, McGovern and Guttridge refer to him as "Patrick C. Hamrock." Official military records from 1922 list him as "Patrick J. Hamrock."

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Pogliano, Felix (1 December 1921). "Commander of Gunmen at Ludlow Massacre Again At Head of State Rangers in Colorado Strike". United Mine Workers Journal. Indianapolis: United Mine Workers of America. p. 8. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Patrick Hamrock". Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k McGovern, George; Guttridge, Leonard (1972). The Great Coalfield War. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
  4. ^ a b Jones, Mary (1977). "The Autobiography of Mother Jones". p. 77. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e Papanikolas, Zeese (1982). Buried Unsung: Louis Tikas and the Ludlow Massacre. Salt Lake City, UT: University of Utah.
  6. ^ "Colorado Marriages 1858-1939 U-V-W". Denver Public Library Digital Collections. 2004. p. 749. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  7. ^ Boor Tonn, Mari (2011). ""From the Eye to the Soul": Industrial Labor's Mary Harris "Mother" Jones and the Rhetorics of Display". Rhetoric Society Quarterly. 41 (3): 231–249. doi:10.1080/02773945.2011.575325. JSTOR 23064465. S2CID 144700584.
  8. ^ a b c d Martelle, Scott (2007). Blood Passion: The Ludlow Massacre and Class War in the American West. New Brunswick, NJ and London: Rutgers University Press.
  9. ^ Colorado Adjutant General's Office (1914). The Military Occupation of the Coal Strike Zone of Colorado by the National Guard, 1913-1914 (Report).
  10. ^ "A History of the Colorado Coal Field War". Colorado Coal Field War Project. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  11. ^ a b c d Andrews, Thomas G. (2008). Killing for Coal: America's Deadliest Labor War. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  12. ^ a b c "FIRED MACHINE GUN IN LUDLOW BATTLE; Trained It on a Point Near Colorado Miners' Tents, Major Hamrock Testifies". The New York Times. New York City. 21 May 1914. p. 4. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  13. ^ "30 BESIEGED IN MINE MAY BE SUFFOCATED; Mouth of Slope Blocked by Dynamite Explosions Caused by Strikers". The New York Times. New York City. 23 April 1914. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  14. ^ "MILITIA ACCUSED OF CRIMES". Press Democrat. Santa Rosa, California. 14 May 1914. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  15. ^ Official National Guard Register for 1922. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Publishing Office. 1922. p. 75. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  16. ^ "RANGERS TO DRIVE UNION AGITATORS OUT". Fort Collins Courier. Fort Collins, CO. 10 April 1922. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Denver Public Library microfilm obituaries 1944-1959". Denver Public Libraries Digital Collection. 2010. p. 562. Archived from the original on 24 February 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
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