In 1834, a pitched battle occurred between rival gangs of canal workers near Williamsport, Maryland. The two opposing "armies" consisted of Irish immigrant canal navvies from rival camps, each located near the canal lock they were working on.
Because of the immense amount of labor required to build the canal, locks, and supporting structures, the canal company needed to provide housing for its employees, usually in the form of simple, barracks-like buildings, hastily thrown up near the work site. Even with company-provided housing, work conditions along the canal were likely abysmal. The work was dangerous and had to take place regardless of weather conditions, and the camps were fraught with violence and disease. Workers, recruited from Ireland on the promise of a ticket to America and good pay once there, often deserted.