With the cooperation of his unofficial advisor Thaddeus Stevens and Secretary of Commonwealth Thomas H. Burrowes, Ritner used Public Works as an instrument of political patronage, providing thousands of jobs.
Thus it came as a shock to Whigs and Anti-Masons that Ritner was defeated for re-election by the Democratic Party candidate David Rittenhouse Porter.
In order to secure the majority in the House of Representatives, Burrowes, who was also the Chairman of the Whig Committee, used claims made by Charles J. Ingersoll to maneuver a tactical plan.
In response to the two sets of returns being produced, Thaddeus Stevens, the leader of the Whig and Anti-Masonic party in Legislature, made a motion that the House proceed to elect a speaker.
[7] However, the speaker of the Senate Charles B. Penrose admitted Hanna to his seat, which subsequently outraged Democrats in the crowd for not recognizing or legitimatizing Brown's allegation.
[7] Democrats denied any involvement with Sowers, however, a variety of sources state that his mission was to assassinate Stevens, Burrowes and Penrose- all avid Whig enthusiasts.
The party under Stevens was forced to stay at Wilson's Hotel for their meetings, and out of fear continued aggravation, Governor Ritner demanded militia be brought in to the Capitol.
After being denied federal troops, Ritner then ordered the state militia under the command of General Robert Patterson to control any violent mobs.
Without being supplied any proper ammunition from federal sources, Ritner ordered that the state troops be given thirteen rounds of buckshot cartridges,[13] giving the incident its name.
His plan was disrupted, however, when a group of citizens under the command of General Diller, member of the Committee of Safety, took control of the militia's arsenal and began using it against the Governor and his supporters.
[14] On December 25, 1838, the Senate recognized that the Hopkins party was the legal body of the House of Representatives, subsequently ending the Buckshot War.
[citation needed] As a result of their un-democratic ideals, the gubernatorial election reflects how citizens decided to turn their support to the opposing party.