Abram Duryée | |
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| Born | (1815-04-29)April 29, 1815 New York City,New York |
| Died | September 27, 1890(1890-09-27) (aged 75) New York City, New York |
| Place of burial | Green-Wood Cemetery,Brooklyn, New York |
| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Service | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1863 |
| Rank |  Brigadier General BrevetMajor General |
| Commands | 5th New York Volunteer Infantry |
| Battles / wars | American Civil War |
| Other work | New York City Police Commissioner |
| Signature | _from_Encyclopedia_of_Biography_of_New_York.png) |
Abram Duryée (/dʊərˈjeɪ/; April 29, 1815 – September 27, 1890) was aUnion Army general during theAmerican Civil War, the commander of one of the most famousZouave regiments, the5th New York Volunteer Infantry. After the war he wasNew York City Police Commissioner.
Duryée was born in New York City to a family of soldiers of FrenchHuguenot ancestry.[1] His grandfather fought in theAmerican Revolutionary War, and his father and two uncles were officers during theWar of 1812. Graduating from the grammar school atColumbia College, Abram worked as amerchant and became wealthy as a mahogany importer in New York. In 1833, he joined theNew York State Militia, serving in the 142nd New York Regiment. He moved on to the 27th Regiment (the 7th today) five years later. Starting as a private, he eventually rose toColonel of the regiment in 1859. During his time in the militia, he led the regiment in theAstor Place Riot and was wounded twice. When he resigned his commission in 1859, it was against the protests of his colleagues.
Just after the start of the Civil War, Duryée raised a new regiment, the 5th New York Volunteers, in less than a week. He became its colonel on May 14, 1861. It was one of the severalZouave units that were formed in the mid-19th century. "Duryée's Zouaves", as they became known, fought atBig Bethel. Duryée was appointedbrigadier general, on August 31, 1861, to rank from that date. PresidentAbraham Lincoln submitted the nomination to the U.S. Senate on December 21, 1861, and the Senate confirmed the nomination on February 3, 1862.[2] Duryée was given command of a brigade in the division under GeneralJames B. Ricketts. He later fought in theBattle of Cedar Mountain,Second Battle of Bull Run, and several others. At theBattle of Antietam, he succeeded Ricketts as division commander, when the latter was wounded. He was not afraid to be in the thick of the action; he was wounded atSecond Bull Run,South Mountain, andAntietam.
After Antietam, Duryée went on a short leave of absence, and, when he returned, was disheartened to find his brigade under the command of Brig. Gen.John Gibbon, who was his junior by date of rank. He resigned on January 5, 1863, after the army rejected his claims to his old command. Despite this, on July 20, 1866, PresidentAndrew Johnson nominated Duryée for appointment to thebrevet grade ofmajor general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination on July 26, 1866.[3] He was also elected by the 71st New York Infantry Regiment as their colonel and as Brigadier General by the 4th New York Brigade, both of which he declined.
In 1873, Duryée was appointedNew York City Police Commissioner.[citation needed] During his tenure as police commissioner, on January 13, 1874, Duryée led[4] a force of 1,600 policemen tosuppress a labor protest in Tompkins Square Park. Although there were no notices in sight to inform the crowd that the meeting's permit had been revoked, Commissioner Duryée led a squad of patrolmen into the crowd and ordered protestors to disperse. Police immediately began to attack the crowd using batons and mounted police charges.Samuel Gompers later described the scene in his memoirs, writing that "mounted police charged the crowd on Eighth Street, riding them down and attacking men, women, and children without discrimination. It was an orgy of brutality. I was caught in the crowd on the street and barely saved my head from being cracked by jumping down a cellarway."[5] 46 protestors were arrested by the police,[6] and ten were later arraigned on charges of assault and battery against police officers, aiding and inciting a riot, or with charges of "meeting and talking wildly in the streets."[7] Speakers for the New York Committee of Safety, the organizers of the Tompkins Square protest, condemned Commissioner Duryée for having "charged his police upon inoffensive workingmen like so many 'bulldogs.'"[8] Duryée defended the police's use of force: "It was the most glorious sight I ever saw the way the police broke and drove the crowd. Their order was perfect as they charged with their clubs uplifted."[9]
In 1884, Duryée served as dockmaster.[citation needed]
Abram Duryée died in New York and is buried inGreen-Wood Cemetery,Brooklyn.
Gen. Duryee and his wife, Caroline Elizabeth Allen Duryee (1820–1905), had five children. His sonJacob Duryée (1839 – 1918), who was also a lieutenant colonel in the Civil War, and who was nominated by President Andrew Johnson on July 5, 1867, for appointment to the brevet grade brigadier general of volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865, which the U.S. Senate confirmed on July 19, 1867.[10] Gen. Duryee's other children were Adelaide Allen Duryee (c. 1842–1911), Caroline Antoinette Duryee (1845–1918), William Allen Duryee (1850–1852), and Cordelia Wetmore Duryee (1854–1891).
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