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March 2017
Volume 36, Issue 7
New York City’s Civil War
By Christopher Kolakowski
In 1861, New York was a very different place
from the metropolis we know today. The busiest
and most important port in the U.S., secession
rocked the city financially. New York itself
contemplated seceding for a time, but chose to
stay with the Union.
New York State sent more men to the Civil War
than any other state; one-quarter of the units raised
came from New York City. Quite a few (69th,
79th, 20th, 58th, 39th, and others) came from
specific ethnic groups in the city. Many units
developed noted combat records on battlefields in
Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, among
other places.
As the war went, on New York Draft Riots in
July 1863, which was the largest insurrection of its
kind in United States history. Suppressing these
riots and ensuring they didn’t recur occupied
Union forces for much of the last half of 1863.
There was much more that happened to the
Union’s largest city during the Civil War. The
presentation will explore these stories and some
other ties.
Christopher L. Kolakowski was born and raised in Fredericksburg, VA. He received his BA in History and Mass
Communications from Emory & Henry College, and his MA in Public History from the State University of New York at Albany.
Chris has spent his career interpreting and preserving American military history with the National Park Service, New York State
government, the Rensselaer County (NY) Historical Society, the Civil War Preservation Trust, Kentucky State Parks, and the U.S.
Army. He has written and spoken on various aspects of military history and leadership from 1775 to the present. He has published
two books with the History Press: The Civil War at Perryville: Battling for the Bluegrass and the Stones River and Tullahoma
Campaign: This Army Does Not Retreat. Chris is a contributor to the Emerging Civil War Blog, and his study of the 1941-42
Philippine Campaign title Last Stand on Bataan was released by McFarland in late February 2016. In September 2016 the U.S.
Army published his volume on the 1862 Virginia Campaigns as part of its sesquicentennial series on the Civil War.
Chris lives in Norfolk, Virginia, where he is Director of the MacArthur Memorial.
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Williamsburg, Brooklyn (still a separate city until 1898) and
New Jersey.
The white elite in New York organized to provide relief to
black riot victims, helping them find new work and homes.
The Union 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
had dropped to under 10,000, to the lowest since 1820. The
white working-class riots had changed the demographics of
the city, and whites exerted their control in the workplace;
they became “unequivocally divided” from blacks.
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 working class: of the 750,000 selected nationwide for
conscription, only 45,000 were sent into active duty.
While the rioting mainly involved the working class,
middle and upper-class New Yorkers had split sentiments
on the draft and use of federal power or martial law to
enforce it. Many wealthy Democratic businessmen sought
to have the draft declared unconstitutional. Tammany
Democrats did not seek to have the draft unconstitutional,
but helped pay the commutation fees for those who were
drafted. In December 1863, the Union League Club
recruited over 2,000 blacks soldiers, outfitted and trained
them, honoring and sending men off with a pararde 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.
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
fro New York State died during the war, more from disease
than wounds.
The New York City draft riots : their
significance for American society and
politics in the age of the Civil War
https://www.buffalolib.org/vufind/Record/563433/Reviews
By Iver Bernstein
For five days in July 1863, at the height of the Civil War,
New York City was under siege. Angry rioters burned draft
offices, closed factories, destroyed railroad tracks and
telegraph lines, and hunted policemen and soldiers. Before
long, the rioters turned their murderous wrath against the
black community. In the end, at least 105 people were
killed, making the draft riots the most
vio len t in su rrec t io n in A me ric a n h ist o r y.
In this vividly written book, Iver Bernstein tells the
compelling story of the New York City draft riots. He
details how what began as a demonstration against the first
federal draft soon expanded into a sweeping assault against
the local institutions and personnel of Abraham Lincoln's
Republican Party as well as a grotesque race riot. Bernstein
identifies participants, dynamics, causes and consequences,
and demonstrates that the "winners" and "losers" of the July
1863 crisis were anything but clear, even after five
regiments rushed north from Gettysburg restored order. In a
tour de force of historical detection, Bernstein shows that to
evaluate the significance of the riots we must enter the
minds and experiences of a cast of characters-Irish and
German immigrant workers, Wall Street businessmen who
frantically debated whether to declare martial law, nervous
politicians in Washington and at City Hall. Along the way,
he offers new perspectives on a wide range of topics: Civil
War society and politics, patterns of race, ethnic and class
relations, the rise of organized labor, styles of leadership,
philanthropy and reform, strains of individualism, and the
rise of machine politics in Boss Tweed's Tammany regime.
An in-depth study of one of the most troubling and least
understood crises in American history, The New York City
Draft Riots is the first book to reveal the broader political
and historical context--the complex of social, cultural and
political relations--that made the bloody events of July 1863
possible.
The Aftermath
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_draft_riots
The exact death toll during the New York Draft Riots is
unknown, but according to historian James M. McPherson
(2001), 119 to 120 people were killed. In all, eleven black
men were lynched over five days. The riots forced hundreds
of blacks to flee the city. Violence by longshoremen against
black men was especially fierce in the docks area.
Historian Samuel Eliot Morison wrote that the riots were
“equivalent to a Confederate victory”. Fifty buildings,
including two Protestant churches and the “Colored Orphan
Ayslum”, were burned to the ground. During the riots,
landlords, fearing that the mob would destroy their
buildings, had driven blacks from their residences. As a
result of the violence against blacks, hundreds left New
York, including James McCune Smith, moving to
The “Colored Orphan Asylum” was burned during the riots.
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4 PA Lecture, “’In violation of the laws and customs of
war’: Andersonville and the Trial of Henry Wirz,” at the
Gettysburg NMP visitor center. 1 pm. Free.
nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/interpretation.htm.
5 PA Lecture, “’It was, indeed, a scene of unsurpassed
grandeur and majesty’ - An Audio-Visual Presentation of
NPS Coverage of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War,”
at the Gettysburg NMP visitor center. 1 pm. Free.
nps.gov/gett/planyourvisitor/interpretation.htm
11 VA Sign dedication and tours at Cockpit Point, 18245
Cockpit Point Road, Dumfries. 10 am dedication free; tours
at 11 am, 1 and 3 pm are $20. Reservations: 703-792-4754.
11 PA Lecture, “How Does the Civil War Qualify as the
First Modern War?” at the Gettysburg NMP visitor
c e n t e r .
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p m .
F r e e .
nsp.gov/get/planyourvisitor/interpretation.htm
12 PA Lecture, “Farms of Gettysburg: Lydia Leister
Farm,” at the Gettysburg NMP visitor center. 1 pm. Free.
nsp/gov/gett/planyourvisit/interpretation.htm
18 MD Hike, “The Irish Brigade at Antietam,” at the
Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg. 1-3 pm. Free
with park admission. nps.gov/anti
18 DC Symposium, “Abraham Lincoln,” at Ford’s
Theatre. 9 am-5 pm. Free. Registration, ticket info:
fords.org
18 PA Symposium, “The Environment in the Civil War,”
lectures and panel at the Seminary Ridge Museum in
Gettysburg.
8:30
am-5:15
pm.
$100.
seminaryridgemuseum.weebly.com
18 PA Lecture, “Farms of Gettysburg: William Culp
Farm,” at the Gettysburg NMP visitor center. 1 pm. Free.
nps.gov/gett/planyourvisitor/interpretation.htm
19 PA Lecture, “Farms of Gettysburg: George Weikert
Farm,” at the Gettysburg NMP visitor center. 1 pm. Free.
nps.gov/gett/planyourvisitor/interpretation.htm
25 PA Lecture, “Farms of Gettysburg: Basil Biggs Farm,”
at the Gettysburg NMP visitor center. 1 pm. Free.
nsp.gov/gett/planyourvisit/interpretation.htm
25 VA Walking tour, “Beyond the Battlefield,”
Alexandria’s Old Town Civil War sites. Begins at the
Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St, Alexandria. 10 pm. $20 at
door, $15 advance. leefendallhouse.org
25-26 VA Symposium, “Everything is New Here,” Prince
William County-Manassas event. Saturday lectures
including Civil War at the Old Court House, 9248 Lee Ave,
Manassas. 9 am-4 pm. $10. Bus tour of related historic
homes Sunday. $50. Information, reservations:
703-792-4754.
26 PA Lecture, “Farms of Gettysburg: Abraham Brian
Farm,” at the Gettysburg NMP visitor center, 1 pm. Free.
nps.gov/gett/planyourvisitor/interpretation.htm
31-April 2 MD Symposium, “Lincoln Assiassination
Studies: No Foolin’ - Just the Facts,” sponsored by the
Surratt House Museum in Clinton. $175.
surrattmuseum.org
Upcoming Speakers
Apr 13: Phil Greenwalt—Maryland in the First Two
Years of the War
May 11: Chris Mackowski—Memoirs: Grant’s Last
Battle
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Has Your Address or Email Changed?
Has your mailing address or email changed
recently? If there has been a change in either of them,
please email Vivian Eicke at [email protected] and Bob
Clark at [email protected] or at 301-253-2485.
Don’t Forget Our Monthly Dinner!
Don’t forget our monthly dinners before the
presentation! It’s a great time to meet the speaker, and
believe it or not eat some really good food. We do ask
that you make a dinner reservation with Bob Clark so he
knows how many will be attending dinner. Bob’s contact
information is: 301-253-3485 or [email protected].
March Civil War Traveler Events
For further events go to: http://civilwar.travel/mobile/
4 DC/VA Bus Tour, “Civil War Battles at Kelly’s Ford and
Bristoe Station,” a Smithsonian tour with Ed Bearss. Leaves
550 C St SW, Washington. 7:45 am-7 pm. $190.
smithsonianassociates.org (click Civil War).
4 VA Bus Tour, “The Marks They’ve Left Behind,” Civil
War graffiti at Ben Lomond, Blenheim, Brandy
Station, and others. 8 am-5 pm. $80/lunch included.
703-367-7872.
4 MD Lecture, “Nurse Cornelia Hancock,” at the National
Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, 2:30 pm. Free
with admission. civilwarmed.org.
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Montgomery County Civil War Round Table
10510 Moxley Road
Seventh Regular Meeting of 2016 - 2017 Season
Date: March 9, 2017
Damascus, MD 20872
Place: Hilton Hotel
620 Perry Parkway
Gaithersburg, MD
Comments, Questions or Suggestions
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions
Contact Vivian Eicke at 301-681-6497
Time: 7:00 p.m. - Dinner
8:00 p.m. - Speaker
Next Month’s Meeting
Speaker: Phil Greenwalt
Topic: Maryland in the First Two Years of the War
Date: April 13, 2017
Speaker: Christopher Kolakowski
Topic: New York City’s Civil War
Dinner: $25.00
The Maryland Line
Vivian Eicke, Editor
c/o MCCWRT
10510 Moxley Road
Damascus, MD 20872
Speaker only: $5.00
Reservations: Bob Clark
301-253-3485
Email: [email protected]
Layout and Production
Vivian Eicke
Reservation Deadline: 9:00 p.m., Monday, March 6th.
Please remember that if you have made a dinner
reservation and are a no show, then the Round Table has
to pick up the tab. So help us keep costs to a minimum
by honoring your reservation. Thank you.
Substitute Meals
If you have dietary restrictions, and require something
other than what is on the menu, please let Bob know
when you make your reservations.
Montgomery County Civil War Round Table
10510 Moxley Road
Damascus, MD 20872
Winter Weather Policy
Mother Nature has been having a field day with our weather as of late, so who knows what kind of weather we’ll have on the day of our
meeting. So as a reminder of our winter weather policy, we WILL NOT meet if the Montgomery County School system cancel their
evening activities. So if the weather looks iffy, listen to news for possible cancellations. We like y’all too much to lose any of you to an
accident.
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