The phrase "Who struck Billy [or "Bill"] Patterson" was a national catchphrase in the 1840s and later.

It seems to have begun in a humorous story about an Irishman who was anxious to find out who beat up his friend. He kept asking, "Show me them that struck Billy Patterson!" When he discovers that the perpetrator is bigger than he is, he quickly makes amends.

The story appeared in the York [Pa.] Register, Sept. 19, 1837, and was eventually widely reprinted.

A Union veteran recalled (Burlington [Vt.] Free Press, Nov. 3, 1926):

"I'll lay ten dollars down, and count them one by one. The next time that we have a fight, the Johnnies they will run."