| New York City Draft Riots of 1863 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofOpposition to the American Civil War | |||
 An illustration inThe Illustrated London News depicting armed rioters clashing withUnion army soldiers inNew York City | |||
| Date | July 13–16, 1863 (1863-07-13 –1863-07-16) | ||
| Location | Manhattan,New York City, U.S. | ||
| Caused by | Civil War conscription; racism; competition for jobs between black and white people. | ||
| Resulted in | Riots ultimately suppressed | ||
| Parties | |||
| |||
| Casualties | |||
| Death | 119–120 (albeit other estimates go as high as 1,200)[1][2] | ||
| Injuries | 2,000[citation needed] | ||
TheNew York City draft riots (July 13–16, 1863), sometimes referred to as theManhattan draft riots and known at the time asDraft Week,[3] were violent disturbances inLower Manhattan, widely regarded as the culmination of working-class discontent with new laws passed by Congress that year todraft men to fight in the ongoingAmerican Civil War. The protests turned into arace riot againstAfrican Americans byIrish American rioters. PresidentAbraham Lincoln diverted several regiments of militia and volunteer troops after theBattle of Gettysburg to control the city. The official death toll was listed at either 119 or 120 individuals.
The riots remain the largest civilurban disturbance in American history.[4] Conditions in the city were such that Major GeneralJohn E. Wool, commander of theDepartment of the East, said on July 16 that "Martial law ought to be proclaimed, but I have not a sufficient force to enforce it."[5] According to Toby Joyce, the riot represented a "civil war" within the city's Irish community, in that "mostly Irish American rioters confronted police, [while] soldiers, and pro-war politicians ... were also to a considerable extent from the local Irish immigrant community."[6]
The military did not reach the city until the second day of rioting, by which time the mobs had ransacked or destroyed numerous public buildings, two Protestant churches, the homes of various abolitionists or sympathizers, many black homes, and theColored Orphan Asylum at 44th Street and Fifth Avenue, which was burned to the ground.[7] The area's demographics changed as a result of the riot. Many black residents left Manhattan permanently with many moving toBrooklyn. By 1865, the black population had fallen below 11,000 for the first time since 1820.[7]
New York's economy was tied to theSouth; by 1822, nearly half of its exports were cotton shipments.[8] In addition, upstatetextile mills processed cotton in manufacturing. New York had such strong business connections to the South that on January 7, 1861, MayorFernando Wood, a Democrat, called on the city'sBoard of Aldermen to "declare the city's independence fromAlbany and fromWashington"; he said it "would have the whole and united support of the Southern States."[9] When theUnion entered the war, New York City had many sympathizers with the South.[10]
The city was also a continuingdestination of immigrants. Since the 1840s, most were from Ireland and Germany. In 1860, nearly 25 percent of the New York City population was German-born, and many did not speak English. During the 1840s and 1850s, journalists had published sensational accounts, directed at the white working class, dramatizing the evils of interracial socializing, relationships, and marriages. Reformers joined the effort.[7]
TheDemocratic Party'sTammany Hall political machine had been working to enroll immigrants as U.S. citizens so they could vote in local elections and had strongly recruited Irish. In March 1863, with the war continuing, Congress passed theEnrollment Act to establish a draft for the first time, as more troops were needed. In New York City and other locations, new citizens learned they were expected to register for the draft to fight for their new country. Black men were excluded from the draft as they were largely not considered citizens, and wealthier white men could pay for substitutes.[7]
New York political offices, including the mayor, were historically held by Democrats before the war, but the election ofAbraham Lincoln as president had demonstrated the rise in Republican political power nationally. Newly elected New York City Republican MayorGeorge Opdyke was mired in profiteering scandals in the months leading up to the riots. TheEmancipation Proclamation of January 1863 alarmed much of the white working class in New York, who feared that freed slaves would migrate to the city and add further competition to the labor market. There had already been tensions between black and white workers since the 1850s, particularly at the docks, with free black people and white immigrants competing for low-wage jobs in the city. In March 1863, whitelongshoremen refused to work with black laborers and rioted, attacking 200 black men.[7]
There were reports of rioting inBuffalo and some other cities, but the first drawing of draft numbers—on Saturday, July 11—occurred peaceably in Manhattan. The second drawing was held on Monday, July 13, ten days after the Union victory atGettysburg. At 10 am, a furious crowd of around 500, led by the volunteer firemen of Engine Company 33 (known as the "Black Joke"), attacked the assistant Ninth Districtprovost marshal’s office, at Third Avenue and 47th Street, where the draft was taking place.[11]
The crowd threw large paving stones through windows, burst through the doors, and set the building ablaze.[12] When the fire department responded, rioters broke up their vehicles. Others killed horses that were pulling streetcars and smashed the cars. To prevent other parts of the city being notified of the riot, rioters cuttelegraph lines.[11]
Since theNew York State Militia had been sent to assist Union troops atGettysburg, the localNew York Metropolitan Police Department was the only force on hand to try to suppress the riots.[12] Police SuperintendentJohn Kennedy arrived at the site on Monday to check on the situation. An Irish-American himself, Kennedy was a steadfast unionist. Although he was not in uniform, people in the mob recognized him and attacked him. Kennedy was left nearly unconscious, his face bruised and cut, his eye injured, his lips swollen, and his hand cut with a knife. He had been beaten to a mass of bruises and blood all over his body. Physicians later counted over 70 knife wounds alone. He would never fully recover.[3]
Police drew their clubs and revolvers and charged the crowd but were overpowered.[13] The police were badly outnumbered and unable to quell the riots, but they kept the rioting out ofLower Manhattan belowUnion Square.[3] Inhabitants of the "Bloody Sixth" Ward, around theSouth Street Seaport andFive Points areas, refrained from involvement in the rioting.[14] The 19th Company/1st Battalion US Army Invalid Corps which was part of the Provost Guard tried to disperse the mob with a volley of gunfire but were overwhelmed and suffered over 14 injured with 1 soldier missing (believed killed).[citation needed]
_-p170_New_York_-_the_attack_on_the_Tribune_building.jpg)
_-p080_New_York_-_the_Colored_Orphan_Asylum%2c_143rd_Street.jpg)
The Bull's Head hotel on 44th Street, which refused to provide alcohol to the rioters, was burned. The mayor's residence onFifth Avenue was spared by words of JudgeGeorge Gardner Barnard, and the crowd of about 500 turned to another location of pillage.[15] The Eighth and Fifth District police stations, and other buildings were attacked and set on fire. Other targets included the office ofThe New York Times. The mob was turned back at theTimes office by staff manningGatling guns, includingTimes founderHenry Jarvis Raymond.[16] Fire engine companies responded, but some firefighters were sympathetic to the rioters because they had also been drafted on Saturday. TheNew York Tribune was attacked, being looted and burned; not until police arrived and extinguished the flames was the crowd dispersed.[15][13] Later in the afternoon, authorities shot and killed a man as a crowd attacked the armory atSecond Avenue and 21st Street. The mob broke all the windows with paving stones ripped from the street.[11] The mob beat, tortured and/or killed numerous black civilians, including one man who was attacked by a crowd of 400 with clubs and paving stones, thenlynched, hanged from a tree and set alight.[11]
TheColored Orphan Asylum at 43rd Street and Fifth Avenue, a "symbol of white charity to blacks and of black upward mobility"[7] that provided shelter for 233 children, was attacked by a mob at around 4 pm. A mob of several thousand, including many women and children, looted the building of its food and supplies. However, the police were able to secure the orphanage for enough time to allow the orphans to escape before the building burned down.[13] Throughout the areas of rioting, mobs attacked and killed numerous black civilians and destroyed their homes and businesses, such asJames McCune Smith's pharmacy at 93 West Broadway, believed to be the first owned by a black man in the United States.[7]
Near the midtown docks, tensions brewing since the mid-1850s boiled over. As recently as March 1863, white employers had hired black longshoremen, with whom many white men refused to work. Rioters went into the streets in search of "all the negro porters, cartmen and laborers" to attempt to remove all evidence of a black and interracial social life from the area near the docks. White dockworkers attacked and destroyed brothels, dance halls, boarding houses, and tenements that catered to black people. Mobs stripped the clothing off the white owners of these businesses.[7]
Heavy rain fell on Monday night, helping to abate the fires and sending rioters home, but the crowds returned the next day. Rioters burned down the home ofAbby Gibbons, a prison reformer and the daughter of abolitionistIsaac Hopper. They also attacked white "amalgamationists", such as Ann Derrickson and Ann Martin, two white women who were married to black men, and Mary Burke, a white prostitute who catered to black men.[7][17]
GovernorHoratio Seymour arrived on Tuesday and spoke atCity Hall, where he attempted to assuage the crowd by proclaiming that the Enrollment Act was unconstitutional. GeneralJohn E. Wool, commander of the Eastern District, brought approximately 800 soldiers and Marines in from forts inNew York Harbor,West Point, and theBrooklyn Navy Yard. He ordered the militias to return to New York.[13]
The situation improved July 15 when assistant provost-marshal-generalRobert Nugent received word from his superior officer, ColonelJames Barnet Fry, to postpone the draft. As this news appeared in newspapers, some rioters stayed home. But some of the militias began to return and used harsh measures against the remaining rioters.[13] The rioting spread to Brooklyn and Staten Island.[18]
Order began to be restored on July 16. TheNew York State Militia and some federal troops were returned to New York, including the152nd New York Volunteers, the26th Michigan Volunteers, the27th Indiana Volunteers and the7th Regiment New York State Militia fromFrederick, Maryland, after a forced march. In addition, the governor sent in the 74th and 65th regiments of the New York State Militia, which had not been in federal service, and a section of the20th Independent Battery, New York Volunteer Artillery fromFort Schuyler inThroggs Neck. The New York State Militia units were the first to arrive. There were several thousand militia and Federal troops in the city.[5]
A final confrontation occurred in the evening nearGramercy Park. According to Adrian Cook, twelve people died on this last day of the riots in skirmishes between rioters, the police, and the Army.[19]
The New York Times reported on Thursday thatPlug Uglies andBlood Tubs gang members from Baltimore, as well as "Scuykill Rangers [sic] and other rowdies of Philadelphia", had come to New York during the unrest to participate in the riots alongside theDead Rabbits and "Mackerelvillers". TheTimes editorialized that "the scoundrels cannot afford to miss this golden opportunity of indulging their brutal natures, and at the same time serving their colleagues theCopperheads and secesh [secessionist] sympathizers."[20]
The exact death toll during the New York draft riots is unknown, but according to historianJames M. McPherson, 119 or 120 people were killed,[21] although other estimates list the death toll as high as 1,200.[22] Violence by longshoremen against black men was especially fierce in the docks area:[7]
West of Broadway, below Twenty-sixth, all was quiet at 9 o'clock last night. A crowd was at the corner of Seventh avenue and Twenty-seventh Street at that time. This was the scene of the hanging of a negro in the morning, and another at 6 o'clock in the evening. The body of the one hung in the morning presented a shocking appearance at the Station-House. His fingers and toes had been sliced off, and there was scarcely an inch of his flesh which was not gashed. Late in the afternoon, a negro was dragged out of his house in West Twenty-seventh street, beaten down on the sidewalk, pounded in a horrible manner, and then hanged to a tree.[23]
In all, eleven black men and boys were hanged over five days.[24] Among the murdered black people was the seven-year-old nephew ofBermudian First SergeantRobert John Simmons of the54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, whose account of fighting in South Carolina, written on the approach toFort Wagner July 18, 1863, was to be published in theNew York Tribune on December 23, 1863 (Simmons having died in August of wounds received in the attack on Fort Wagner).[citation needed]
The most reliable[citation needed] estimates indicate at least 2,000 people were injured.Herbert Asbury, the author of the 1928 bookGangs of New York, upon whichthe 2002 film was based, puts the figure much higher, at 2,000 killed and 8,000 wounded,[25] a number that some dispute.[26] Total property damage was about $1–5 million (equivalent to $19.9 million – $99.7 million in 2024[27]).[25][28] The city treasury laterindemnified one-quarter of the amount.[citation needed]
HistorianSamuel Eliot Morison wrote that the riots were "equivalent to a Confederate victory".[28] Fifty buildings, including two Protestant churches and the Colored Orphan Asylum, were burned to the ground. The orphans at the asylum were first put under siege, then the building was set on fire, before all those who attempted to escape were forced to walk through a "beating line" of white rioters holding clubs. To escape, they would need to run through the gauntlet as the rioters viciously attacked them. Many did not manage the escape. 4,000 federal troops had to be pulled out of theGettysburg campaign to suppress the riots, troops that could have aided in pursuing the batteredArmy of Northern Virginia as it retreated out of Union territory.[18] During the riots, landlords, fearing that the mob would destroy their buildings, drove black residents from their homes. As a result of the violence against them, hundreds of black people left New York, including physicianJames McCune Smith and his family, moving toWilliamsburg, Brooklyn, orNew Jersey.[7]
The white elite in New York organized to provide relief to black riot victims, helping them find new work and homes. TheUnion League Club and the Committee of Merchants for the Relief of Colored People provided nearly $40,000 to 2,500 victims of the riots. By 1865 the black population in the city had dropped to under 10,000, the lowest since 1820. The white working-class riots had changed the demographics of the city, and white residents exerted their control in the workplace; they became "unequivocally divided" from the black population.[7]
On August 19, the government resumed the draft in New York. It was completed within 10 days without further incident. Fewer men were drafted than had been feared by the white working class: of the 750,000 selected nationwide for conscription, only about 45,000 were sent into active duty.[29]
While the rioting mainly involved the white working class, middle and upper-class New Yorkers had split sentiments on the draft and use of federal power ormartial law to enforce it. Many wealthyDemocratic businessmen sought to have the draft declaredunconstitutional.Tammany Democrats did not seek to have the draft declared unconstitutional, but they helped pay the commutation fees for those who were drafted.[30]
In December 1863, the Union League Club recruited more than 2,000 black soldiers, outfitted and trained them, honoring and sending men off with a parade through the city to the Hudson River docks in March 1864. A crowd of 100,000 watched the procession, which was led by police and members of the Union League Club.[7][31][32]
New York's support for the Union cause continued, however grudgingly, and gradually Southern sympathies declined in the city. New York banks eventually financed the Civil War, and the state's industries were more productive than those of the entire Confederacy. By the end of the war, more than 450,000 soldiers, sailors, and militia had enlisted from New York State, which was the most populous state at the time. A total of 46,000 military men from New York State died during the war, more from disease than wounds—as was typical during the war.[9]
New York Metropolitan Police Department under the command ofSuperintendentJohn A. Kennedy.
CommissionersThomas Coxon Acton andJohn G. Bergen took command when Kennedy was seriously injured by a mob during the early stages of the riots.[33]
Of the NYPD Officers there were four fatalities: one was killed and three died of injuries[34]
| Precinct | Commander | Location | Strength | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Precinct | CaptainJacob B. Warlow | 29Broad Street | 4 Sergeants, 63 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 2nd Precinct | Captain Nathaniel R. Mills | 49 Beekman Street | 4 Sergeants, 60 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 3rd Precinct | Captain James Greer | 160Chambers Street | 3 Sergeants, 64 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 4th Precinct | Captain James Bryan | 9 Oak Street | 4 Sergeants, 70 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 5th Precinct | Captain Jeremiah Petty | 49Leonard Street | 4 Sergeants, 61 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 6th Precinct | Captain John Jourdan | 9 Franklin Street | 4 Sergeants, 63 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 7th Precinct | Captain William Jamieson | 247Madison Street | 4 Sergeants, 52 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 8th Precinct | Captain Morris DeCamp | 126 Wooster Street | 4 Sergeants, 52 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 9th Precinct | Captain Jacob L. Sebring | 94 Charles Street | 4 Sergeants, 51 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 10th Precinct | Captain Thaddeus C. Davis | Essex Market | 4 Sergeants, 62 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 11th Precinct | Captain John I. Mount | Union Market | 4 Sergeants, 56 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 12th Precinct | Captain Theron R. Bennett | 126th Street (nearThird Avenue) | 5 Sergeants, 41 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 13th Precinct | CaptainThomas Steers | Attorney Street (at corner ofDelancey Street) | 4 Sergeants, 63 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 14th Precinct | Captain John J. Williamson | 53Spring Street | 4 Sergeants, 58 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 15th Precinct | Captain Charles W. Caffery | 220 Mercer Street | 4 Sergeants, 69 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 16th Precinct | Captain Henry Hedden | 156West 20th Street | 4 Sergeants, 50 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 17th Precinct | Captain Samuel Brower | First Avenue (at the corner ofFifth Street) | 4 Sergeants, 56 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 18th Precinct | CaptainJohn Cameron | 22nd Street (nearSecond Avenue) | 4 Sergeants, 74 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 19th Precinct | CaptainGalen T. Porter | 59th Street (nearThird Avenue) | 4 Sergeants, 49 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 20th Precinct | Captain George W. Walling | 212West 35th Street | 4 Sergeants, 59 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 21st Precinct | Sergeant Cornelius Burdick (acting Captain) | 120East 31st Street | 4 Sergeants, 51 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 22nd Precinct | Captain Johannes C. Slott | 47th Street (betweenEighth andNinth Avenues) | 4 Sergeants, 54 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 23rd Precinct | Captain Henry Hutchings | 86th Street (nearFourth Avenue) | 4 Sergeants, 42 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 24th Precinct | Captain James Todd | New York waterfront | 2 Sergeants and 20 Patrolmen | Headquartered on Police Steamboat No. 1 |
| 25th Precinct | CaptainTheron Copeland | 300Mulberry Street | 1 Sergeant, 38 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | Headquarters of the Broadway Squad. |
| 26th Precinct | CaptainThomas W. Thorne | City Hall | 1 Sergeant, 66 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 27th Precinct | Captain John C. Helme | 117 Cedar Street | 4 Sergeants, 52 Patrolmen, and 3 Doormen | |
| 28th Precinct | CaptainJohn F. Dickson | 550Greenwich Street | 4 Sergeants, 48 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 29th Precinct | CaptainFrancis C. Speight | 29th Street (near Fourth Avenue) | 4 Sergeants, 82 Patrolmen, and 3 Doormen | |
| 30th Precinct | CaptainJames Z. Bogart | 86th Street andBloomingdale Road | 2 Sergeants, 19 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | |
| 32nd Precinct | Captain Alanson S. Wilson | Tenth Avenue and152nd Street | 4 Sergeants, 35 Patrolmen, and 2 Doormen | Mounted police |
1st Division: Major GeneralCharles W. Sandford[35]
| Unit | Commander | Complement | Officers | Other Ranks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65th Regiment | Colonel William F. Berens | 401 | ||
| 74th Regiment | Colonel Watson A. Fox | |||
| 20th Independent Battery | Captain B. Franklin Ryer |
Unorganized Militia:
| Unit | Commander | Complement | Officers | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veteran Corps of Artillery | Guarded State Arsenal from rioters |
Department of the East: Major GeneralJohn E. Wool[36] headquartered in New York[37]
Defenses of New York City:BrevetBrigadier GeneralHarvey Brown,[36][38][note 1] Brig. GeneralEdward R. S. Canby[note 2]
Secretary of WarEdwin M. Stanton authorized five regiments fromGettysburg, mostly federalized state militia and volunteer units from theArmy of the Potomac, to reinforce the New York City Police Department. By the end of the riots, there were more than 4,000 soldiers garrisoned in the troubled area.[citation needed]
| Unit | Commander | Complement | Officers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invalid Corps | 1st and 2nd Battalions; just over 9 companies. (15th and 19th Companies 1st Battalion VRC & 1st Company 21st VRC Regiment) Over 16 injured; 1 killed 1 missing[39] | |||
| 26th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment | Colonel Judson S. Farrar | |||
| 5th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment | ColonelCleveland Winslow | 50 | Returning to New York in May 1863, the original regiment was mustered out after its two-year enlistment period. However, after having subsequently reorganized the 5th New York Infantry as a veteran battalion on May 25, Winslow was recalled to New York City to suppress the New York City draft riots the following month. Winslow Commanded a small force consisting of 50 men from his regiment as well as 200 volunteers under a Major Robinson and two howitzers of Col. Jardine | |
| 7th New York National Guard Regiment | Colonel Marshall Lefferts | 800 | Recalled back to New York; on the way, one Private drowned. On July 16, 1863, during a skirmish with rioters, the regimental casualties were one Private received a buckshot in the back of the hand and two Privates had their coats cut by bullets[40] | |
| 8th New York National Guard Regiment | Brigadier GeneralCharles C. Dodge | 150 | ||
| 9th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment | ColonelEdward E. Jardine (wounded) | Regiment had been mustered out in May 1863 but 200 volunteered to serve again during the draft riots[41] | ||
| 11th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment | ColonelHenry O'Brien (killed) | Original regiment mustered out on June 2, 1862. Colonel O'Brien was in the process of recruiting at the time of the draft riots. The regiment was never brought back to strength and enlisted members were transferred to 17th Veteran Infantry. | ||
| 11th U.S. Regular Infantry Regiment | Colonel Erasmus D. Keyes | In the fall of 1863 the Regular infantry, with other commands from the Army of the Potomac, were sent to New York City to preserve order during the next draft. The 11th Infantry encamped on the East River, across the street and to the north of Jones' Wood garden. When the purpose for which the troops were sent to New York had been accomplished, they were ordered back to the front.[42] | ||
| 13th New York Volunteer Cavalry Regiment | ColonelCharles E. Davies | Regiment suffered 2 fatalities during the riots.[43] | ||
| 14th New York Volunteer Cavalry Regiment | ColonelThaddeus P. Mott | All cavalry regiments in New York City were eventually put under the command of GeneralJudson Kilpatrick who volunteered his services on July 17[44] | ||
| 17th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment | Major T. W. C. Grower | Regimental losses during the Draft Riots totaled 4; they were 1 enlisted man killed and 1 officer and 2 enlisted men wounded {recovered}[45] | ||
| 22nd New York National Guard Regiment | Colonel Lloyd Aspinwall | |||
| 47th New York State Militia/National Guard Regiment | Colonel Jeremiah V. Messerole | |||
| 152nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment | Colonel Alonso Ferguson | |||
| 14th Indiana Infantry Regiment | Colonel John Coons |
Draft Riots.
horatio seymour.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
