 Illustration of the draft riots, reproducd in a 1921 history of the United States The New York Draft Riots in (New York City, July 13 - July 16, 1863) began as protests against President Abraham Lincoln's Enrollment Act of Conscription drafting men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War. Considered by some to be the worst civil unrest in American history, the riots included 50,000 participants and lasted four days, claiming hundreds of lives and destroying property valued at more than $1,500,000 (approximately $27 mil. in today’s money). The civil police force could not contain the violent demonstration, so federal troops, who marched from the battlefield of Gettysburg, had to intervene to restore civil order. Nickname: The Big Apple Motto: Official website: City of New York Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ...
July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ...
July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 168 days remaining. ...
1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ...
The presidential seal was first used by president Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii The President of the United States (often abbreviated POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. ...
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was the 16th President of the United States (1861 to 1865), and the first president from the Republican Party. ...
The American Civil War (1861–1865) was a civil war between the United States of America, called the Union, and the Confederate States of America, a new country formed by eleven Southern states that declared their independence and claimed the right of secession from the Union. ...
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ...
Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 83,289 75,054 Casualties 23,049 (3,155 killed, 14,529 wounded, 5,365 captured/missing) 28,000 (3,500 killed, 18,000 wounded, 6,500 captured/missing) {{{notes}}} The Battle of...
Background
The pressing need for more troops to fight in the Civil War had compelled Congress to pass a conscription act (March 3, 1863), authorizing the President to recruit the army whenever necessary by a draft from "all able-bodied male citizens" between the ages of 20 and 45 years. Confederates and southern sympathizers were dismayed by the news. Although the draft was universal, it was possible to pay a $300.00 "commutation fee" to procure exemption from service, thereby excluding the wealthier classes from the hazards of war. Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Danville, Virginia April 3–April 10, 1865 Largest city New Orleans February 4, 1861–May 1...
Conscription is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority, but it is most often used in the specific sense of government policies that require (very often, male only) citizens to serve in their armed forces. ...
The first was held, without opposition, on Saturday, July 11, 1863. On Sunday some drafted workingmen, aided by a number of political agitators, fomented the discontent of the populace and organized an opposition to enrollment. The draft was renewed at 10 A. M. on Monday, but the assistant provost marshal's office was soon attacked, demolished, and burned by a furious mob. Members of the fire department stood by and watched, angry that they had lost their exemption to the draft. The rioters initially targeted draft offices and police stations, but soon began to attack blacks. The rioters everywhere pursued the blacks with unrelenting rancor and brutally assaulted, tortured, and killed many that fell into their hands. The Colored Orphan Asylum was attacked, sacked, and burned. The Chief of Police was captured by the mob and badly beaten before he escaped, and the office of abolitionist newspaper editor Horace Greeley was destroyed. July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ...
1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ...
This article is about the abolition of slavery. ...
Horace Greeley (1811-1872) Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811–November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor, reformer and politician. ...
Police action and intervention by Federal troops The New York police forces proved unable to quell the riots. The police were badly outnumbered and had to focus on minimizing losses and rescuing those whom they could. Control of the city was not re-established until the hasty arrival of the 7th Regiment New York State Militia from Gettysburg after a forced march. By the 15th the mob still controlled scattered portions of the city, but by the morning of the sixteenth there were nearly 4,000 Federal troops in the city and the riot subsided. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ...
The New York Guard is the name of the state-run militia of New York State. ...
Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 83,289 75,054 Casualties 23,049 (3,155 killed, 14,529 wounded, 5,365 captured/missing) 28,000 (3,500 killed, 18,000 wounded, 6,500 captured/missing) {{{notes}}} The Battle of...
G.A.R. Memorial, Washington, D.C. The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army who had served in the American Civil War. ...
Death toll and damage The exact death toll is unknown, but at least 100 people were killed and at least 300 more injured; property damage was about $1.5 million.
On August 19, the draft was resumed. It was completed within 10 days without further resistance. August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
References - Official Records, volume xxvii, part ii (Washington, 1889)
- Fry, New York and the Conscription of 1863, (New York, 1885)
- Barnes, The Draft Riots in New York, (New York, 1863)
- Nicolay and Hay, Lincoln, volume vii, (New York, 1890)
- Greeley, The American Conflict, volume ii, (Hartford, 1866)
Fictional portrayals The Draft Riots are fictionally portrayed in the John Jakes novel On Secret Service, the Kevin Baker novel Paradise Alley, and the Martin Scorsese film Gangs of New York. John Jakes (born on March 31, 1932) is a writer of fiction. ...
Martin Scorsese at Cannes in 2002 Martin Scorsese (born November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York, USA) is an American film director. ...
Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese and Cameron Diaz at Cannes, 2002 Gangs of New York is a 2002 film made by the studio Miramax, set in the middle 19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. ...
External links - The New York City Draft Riots of 1863
- New York Draft Riots
- The Library of Congress
- First Edition Harper's News Report on the New York Draft Riots
- Draft Riots 1863 New York City Draft Riots
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