Civil Upheaval: The New York City Draft Riots Of 1863

For the anti-emancipation movement, insult was added to injury to when Republicans, who had earlier gained a majority in Congress, were able to send a stricter draft bill to the desk of President Abraham Lincoln, who signed it into law in March of 1862. Once again the press wrote a number of scathing articles opposing Lincoln’s decision to further enhance the draft. The stricter law called for males between the ages of 20 to 35, and unmarried males between the ages of 35 to 40, whom were deemed eligible for military service.

Abraham Lincoln’s decision was driven not only by the war with the South but by a number of warnings from his generals that the French were intervening in Mexico, whose government was becoming increasingly unstable. Lincoln was convinced that Napoleon would try to seize the opportunity to re-establish influence in North America by exploiting a divided nation by lending support to the South. The prospect of fighting a foreign entity, as well as the South, seemed reason enough to increase Union Army ranks.

The names of all eligible males were entered into a lottery that was set to commence on July 11th, 1863. The first day or two went largely without incident, however on July 13th public sentiment against emancipation, and the idea of fighting in a war for something they vehemently opposed erupted into violence. Men, women and even children took to the streets armed with bricks, bats, and clubs. Author of This Republic of Suffering, Drew Gilpin Faust wrote, ‘Northern resentment at the human and financial cost of the war disturbed the public peace, most dramatically in the New York City riots that followed the introduction of the draft lottery in July 1863’.

At first, the mobs only attacked government buildings, attempting to burn them to the ground. Yet soon, the various mobs turned their attention to African-American residents. Men like William Jones were hung and burned. Others like Abraham Franklin, a black coachman, were dragged through the streets and hung from a lamppost, while an angry mob chanted in support of Confederacy President Jefferson Davis.

In all, 11 African-American males were lynched. Over 100 people were killed, including any white people who were deemed to either cater to, or show sympathy towards African-Americans. Eventually, the mobs set their sights on the Colored Orphan Asylum (then located at 5th Avenue and 42nd Street), burning it to the ground and forcing 233 African-American orphans to seek shelter elsewhere.

The rioting continued for five days until Lincoln was forced to surround New York City with troops to quell the disturbances. However, President Abraham Lincoln would not be deterred. In August of 1863, the lottery restarted despite the outcry of New York Governor Horatio Seymour, who begged Lincoln to postpone the draft. Historian James M. McPherson, author of Tried by War, wrote, ‘Lincoln refused to give in to what he considered another form of rebellion’. To dissuade any further hostilities, 20,000 Union soldiers were dispatched to New York City to see it through.