In the spring of 1891, miners at the Tennessee Coal Mining Company (TCMC) mine in Briceville went on strike after the company demanded they sign an iron-clad contract. To break the strike, TCMC leased several dozen convicts from the state, built a stockade in Briceville to house them, and reopened its mine on July 5, 1891. On July 14, 300 armed miners attacked the stockade and marched the convicts out of the valley. This action prompted Governor John P. Buchanan to lead the state militia into the valley to restore order. On July 16, Buchanan met with the Briceville miners at Thistle Switch (just north of Briceville), where he made a plea for calm, but was shouted down by Merrell, who demanded the governor enforce the state's laws against iron-clad contracts.