ures. CHAPTER XI. 1863. THE year 1863, as hinted in the last chapter, was marked by an event which, as has been justly remarked, was the most humiliating of any ever recorded in the annals of New York. The national victories of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, while they gladdened the hearts of loyal citizens, only exasperated the disloyal portion of the community, and urged them to desperate measAn opportunity for such a course was soon found when the draft, in accordance with a proclamation, issued by the President of the United States on the eighth of May, was begun in the Eastern and Middle States, early in July. This process for obtaining soldiers, however necessary, was known to be distasteful to American citizens, and more or less resistance to its execution was anticipated, but, greatly to the surprise of all, and much, perhaps, to the disappointment of some, the draft was begun and completed in a considerable portion of the country without exciting any violent opposition. There were, indeed, everywhere, from those liable to suffer from its effects, expressions of dissatisfaction, though a general resignation to its necessity. Even in New York, on the first day of the draft, Saturday, July 11th, there was hardly any manifestation of public discontent. The drawing in the Twentieth Ward took place, under the guard of a strong police force, at the office of the provost marshal, No. 677 Third Avenue, beginning at nine o'clock in the morning and ending at four in the afternoon. A large crowd assembled in the neighborhood and exhibited great interest in the result, but no desire to interfere with the process. "Everything then went on as quietly as possible during the entire day. The people seemed to take it in more of a jocular than a serious mood, as a smile flitted frequently across the countenances of several. When some familiar name was ejaculation of 'How are you, Then there were joc- announced, there was an Brady?' or 'How are you, Jones?' ular tokens of sympathy, such as 'Good-by, James,' when the drawn name happened to have either of these Christian prefixes to the same." Such was the prelude, comical in its extremes of good humor, which preceded the tragic week of civic anarchy. During the Sunday which succeeded the first day of the draft, there was evidently great agitation among the poorer inhabitants of the city, who, gathering about the streets in throngs, angrily denounced a compulsory system for obtaining soldiers, that seemed to bear most heavily upon the class to which they belonged. On Monday morning, July 13th, the draft of the Ninth District was resumed. At nine o'clock the doors of the provost marshal's office were thrown open, when a large crowd immediately thronged in. The drawing commenced at half-past ten o'clock. Some fifty or sixty names had been taken from the wheel and announced, when, on the announcement of Z. Shay, 633 West Forty-second Street, a stone was dashed through the window. This was taken as the signal for a general attack by the populace on the outside, which had been gathering since the opening of the day, and now numbered several thousands. 66 During the early part of the morning," reports a journalist,* "the people of the Ninth District, consisting of a large number of respectable workmen and others, were seen to assemble at certain specified spots, and between eight and nine o'clock began moving along the various avenues west of Fifth Avenue, toward their appointed place of general meeting. A large number of workmen's wives, etc., began also to assemble along the various avenues, and, if anything, were more excited than the men, who were armed with sticks, stones, adzes, axes, saws, and some with even old swords. As the assembled people moved along they stopped at the different workshops and factories, and a deputation entered the various buildings to inform their proprietors that they would not be answerable for the safety of their premises unless the same were closed and their men allowed to join them if they so desired. In most cases the request was complied with at once, and the assemblage moved on. They next arrived at their specified meeting place, on an open lot near the Park, and by their concerted action it was evident that there had been some degree of organization in their movements. Having arranged their plans to their satisfaction, they began to move down town again, by way of Fifth and Sixth Avenues, until they reached the vicinity of Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Streets, along which they proceeded in an easterly direction. When they arrived at Fourth Avenue, along which the New Haven and Harlem Railroad tracks run, one of the principals of the assembled people caught sight of the telegraph wires and poles. It was at once suggested that the authorities might telegraph to Albany for troops. Scarcely were the words uttered when the axes were laid at the feet of the telegraph poles, and down they came. That part of the wires that could not be thus destroyed: *New York Herald. was divided by means of men climbing the poles and throwing slings, stones, etc., until the wires were severed and rendered completely useless. Another branch wire, leading from the railroad to Third Avenue, and that along Third Avenue, were similarly damaged, and then the crowd again moved on to the provost marshal's office." On the first stone being thrown through the window, the mob on the outside rushed into the building. After having dashed the wheel into pieces, torn into shreds the draft list, and destroyed the furniture of the office, they emptied out a can of turpentine, and setting fire to it, the whole house was soon in flames. The fire extended to three adjoining buildings, as the mob, overpowering the police, would not allow the firemen to extinguish it, and exulted with loud shouts at the conflagration. The crowd, still increasing in numbers and becoming more excited, now turned to go to the arsenal, where, in the meantime, a detachment of regulars from Governor's Island had arrived and were prepared to defend the building. A small force of only about forty soldiers, being a part of the provost guard, having been sent up from the Park to awe the rioters, came into collision with them in the Third Avenue, near Forty-second Street, and fired, killing and wounding several persons. This, instead of intimidating, aroused the fury of the people, who attacked the soldiers and forced them to fly. As they fled they threw away their muskets, which were seized by their pursuers and used against them. One being overtaken, was "beaten almost into jelly, and fainting from loss of blood and exhaustion, was thrown into an alley-way and left to take care of himself as best he might." Others were seized and mangled to death. In Forty-second Street, a policeman on duty having fired into the crowd and unfortunately killed a woman, was set upon with sticks and stones, and after being thus cruelly mauled, was shot in the back. The rioters, in the course of their morning's havoc, burnt the Bull's Head Hotel in Forty-third Street and the Colored Orphan Asylum in Fifth Avenue, and tore up a portion of the New Haven Railroad track. In the afternoon they resumed their work of destruction, and after killing and wounding half a dozen of its defenders, destroyed a depot of firearms at the corner of Second Avenue and Twenty-first Street, and burned two private houses in Lexington Avenue, in their rage at the escape of a policeman who had sought refuge in one of them. The draft in the Eighth District, including the Twenty-second Ward, was, notwithstanding the disorder in other parts of the city, persisted in until twelve o'clock, when it was suspended. About four o'clock in the afternoon the mob attacked the enrolling office, No. 1190 Broadway, second door from the corner of Twenty-ninth Street, and after rifling it and the neighboring shops, burnt them to the ground. In other parts of the city there were also riotous manifestations, and some acts of violence. A crowd thronging about the Tribune office broke the windows and tore down the doors. Demonstrations were also made against the residences of Mayor Opdyke and others. The civic and military authorities seemed perplexed how to act. The usual proclamations and orders were issued by the Mayor and the commanders of the United States troops and militia, but nothing effective was done toward re-establishing order in the city and rescuing it from the ruthless sway of the mob. It is true that, in consequence of the call of the President for troops to resist the invasion of the enemy, New York had been deprived of most of its armed defenders;* still, with * An idea of the deserted state of the lower and business part of the city during the riot may be gathered from this fact. At two o'clock on the after |