Part 9/13:
In late August, Governor Ephraim Morgan requested federal assistance. President Warren Harding’s administration responded by sending General Harry Bandholz to investigate. Despite attempts at diplomacy, violence erupted. On August 31, skirmishes turned into open warfare as hundreds of armed miners clashed with police and private security. The battle raged from September 1 to 3, with miners attempting to outflank positions fortified by machine guns and aircraft dropping bombs.