No Military in the City.--The Mayor calls on General Wool, commanding
Eastern Department, for Help.--Also on General Sandford.--General Wool
sends to General Brown, commanding Garrison in the Harbor, for U. S.
Troops.--Marines of the Navy Yard ordered up.--Eventually, West Point
and several States appealed to for Troops.--General Brown assumes
Command.--Attack of Mob on the _Tribune_ Building.--Its severe
Punishment.--Government Buildings garrisoned.--Difficulty between
Generals Brown and Wool.--Head-quarters.--Police Commissioners' Office
Military Head-quarters.
The terrible punishment the rioters received at the hands of Carpenter
had, however, only checked their movements for a time; and, as the
sun began to hang low in the summer heavens, men looked forward to the
coming night with apprehension.
In the meantime, however, the authorities, conscious of the perilous
condition of the city, had resorted to every means of defence in their
power. Unfortunately, as mentioned before, nearly the whole of its
military force, on which it depended in any great emergency, was absent.
Lee's brilliant flank movement around Hooker and Washington,
terminating in the invasion of Pennsylvania, had filled the country with
consternation. His mighty columns were moving straight on Philadelphia,
and the Government at Washington, roused to the imminent danger, had
called for all the troops within reach, and New York had sent forward
nearly every one of her regiments. Ordinary prudence would have dictated
that the draft should be postponed for a few days, till these regiments,
now on their way back, or preparing to return, should arrive. It was
running a needless risk to urge it in such a crisis--indeed, one of
the follies of which the Administration at this time was so needlessly
guilty.
General Wool, at this juncture, commanded the Eastern Department, with
his head-quarters at the corner of Bleecker and Greene Streets. Mayor
Opdyke immediately called on him for help, and also on Major-general
Sandford, commanding the few troops that were left in the city. The
latter immediately issued an order requesting the Seventh Regiment to
meet that evening, at their drill-rooms, at eight o'clock, to consult on
the measures necessary to be taken in the present unexpected crisis, and
another to the late two-years' volunteers then in the city, to report
at the same hour in Grand Street, to Colonel William H. Allen, for
temporary duty.
General Wool, also, during the afternoon, while the rioters were having
it all their own way, sent an officer to the adjutant-general of General
Brown, commanding the troops in garrison in New York harbor, ordering up
a force of about eighty men immediately.
General Brown, on his way from his office to Fort Hamilton, was informed
by Colonel Stinson, chief clerk, that a serious riot was raging in the
city, and that General Wool had sent to Fort Hamilton for a detachment
of some eighty men, and that a tug had gone for them. Surprised at
the smallness of the number sent (he was, by special orders of the War
Department, commandant of the city, and commander of all the forts and
troops in the harbor except Fort Columbus), he immediately ordered the
company at Fort Wood to the city, and sent a tug for it. He then made
a requisition on the quartermaster for transportation of all the other
companies, and proceeded without delay to Fort Hamilton. General Brown's
office was close to General Wool's; but he did not think proper to
consult him on the movement.
General Brown, immediately on his arrival at Fort Hamilton, directed
that all the troops there, as well as at Forts Lafayette and Richmond,
be got in readiness to move at a moment's notice, and also that a
section of artillery be organized, in case it should be wanted. Having
taken these wise precautions he hastened up to the city, and reported to
General Wool. The result proved the wisdom of his forecast. A new order
was at once dispatched for the remaining troops, and just at twilight,
Lieut. McElrath saw two steamers making directly for the fort. They were
hardly fastened to the dock, when an officer stepped ashore and handed
him an order from General Brown to send up at once all the efficient
troops in the forts, and have their places supplied as best he could
with some volunteer artillery companies.
The reports coming in to police head-quarters had shown that it was no
common uprising of a few disaffected men to be put down by a few squads
of police or a handful of soldiers. The Mayor, after consulting with
the Police Commissioners, felt that it was the beginning of a general
outbreak in every part of the city, and by his representations persuaded
General Wool to apply to Rear-admiral Paulding, commanding the Navy
Yard, for a force of marines, and eventually to Colonel Bowman,
Superintendent of West Point, and also to the authorities of Newark, and
Governors of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode
Island for troops.
General Brown, after reporting to General Wool, repaired to police
head-quarters, which he adopted as his own, and issued the following
order:
"HEAD-QUARTERS, NEW YORK, July 13, 1863.
"In obedience to the orders of the Major-general commanding the Eastern
Department, the undersigned assumes command of the United States troops
in this city.
"Lieutenant-colonel Frothingham and Captain Revolle are of the staff of
the undersigned, and will be obeyed accordingly.
"HARVEY BROWN,
"_Brevet Brigadier-general_."
He also sent a dispatch to General Sandford, at the arsenal, notifying
him of his action, and requesting him to come down and consult with him
on the course to be pursued. General Sandford, after awhile, did come
down, and, to General Brown's amazement, insisted that all the troops
should be sent up to the arsenal. General Brown, seeing the utter
madness of such a disposition of his force, refused decidedly to permit
it to be done. This was of course denying Sandford's claim to be his
superior officer. It was well for the city that he took this ground.
Mayor Opdyke also issued a proclamation, calling on the rioters to
disperse.
But while these measures were being set on foot, the rioters were not
idle.
[Illustration: THE ATTACK ON THE TRIBUNE BUILDING.]
All day long a crowd had been gathering in the Park around the City
Hall, growing more restless as night came on. The railroad-cars passing
it were searched, to see if any negroes were on board, while eyes
glowered savagely on the _Tribune_ building. They had sought in an
eating-house for the editor, to wreak their vengeance on him. Not
finding him, they determined that the building, from which was issued
the nefarious paper, should come down, but were evidently waiting for
help to arrive before commencing the work of destruction. The mob, which
Carpenter had so terribly punished in Broadway, were marching for it,
designing to burn it after they had demolished police head-quarters.
Their dispersion delayed the attack, and doubtless broke its force, by
the reduction of numbers it caused. There seemed enough, however, if
properly led, to effect their purpose, for the Park and Printing-house
Square were black with men, who, as the darkness increased, grew more
restless; and "Down with it! burn it!" mingled with oaths and curses,
were heard on every side.
At last came the crash of a window, as a stone went through it. Another
and another followed, when suddenly a reinforcing crowd came rushing
down Chatham Street. This was the signal for a general assault, and,
with shouts, the rabble poured into the lower part of the building, and
began to destroy everything within reach. Captain Warlow, of the First
Precinct, No. 29 Broad Street, who, with his command, was in the gallant
fight in Broadway, after some subsequent fighting and marching, had at
length reached his head-quarters in Broad Street, where a despatch
met him, to proceed at once to the _Tribune_ building. He immediately
started off on the double-quick. On reaching the upper end of Nassau
Street, he came to a halt, and gave the club signal on the pavement,
to form column. Captain Thorne, of the City Hall, in the meantime,
had joined his force to him, with the gallant Sergeant Devoursney.
Everything being ready, the order to "Charge" was given, and the entire
force, perhaps a hundred and fifty strong, fell in one solid mass on the
mob, knocking men over right and left, and laying heads open at every
blow. The panic-stricken crowd fled up Chatham Street, across the Park,
and down Spruce and Frankfort Streets, punished terribly at every step.
The space around the building being cleared, a portion of the police
rushed inside, where the work of destruction was going on. The sight
of the blue-coats in their midst, with their uplifted clubs, took the
rioters by surprise, and they rushed frantically for the doors and
windows, and escaped the best way they could. In the meantime, those
who had taken refuge in the Park found themselves in the lion's jaws.
Carpenter had hardly rested from his march up Fifth Avenue to Mayor
Opdyke's house, when he, too, received orders to hasten to the
protection of the _Tribune_ building. Taking one hundred of his own men,
and one hundred under Inspector Folk, of Brooklyn, who had been early
ordered over, and been doing good service in the city, he marched down
Broadway, and was just entering the Park, when the frightened crowd came
rushing pell-mell across it. Immediately forming "company front," he
swept the Park like a storm, clearing everything before him. Order being
restored, Folk returned with his force to Brooklyn, where things began
to wear a threatening aspect, and Carpenter took up his station at City
Hall for the night.
This ended the heavy fighting of the day, though minor disturbances
occurred at various points during the evening. Negroes had been hunted
down all day, as though they were so many wild beasts, and one, after
dark, was caught, and after being severely beaten and hanged to a tree,
left suspended there till Acton sent a force to take the body down. Many
had sought refuge in police-stations and elsewhere, and all were filled
with terror.
The demonstrations in the lower part of the city excited the greatest
anxiety about the Government buildings in that section--the Custom House
and Sub-treasury were tempting prizes to the rioters. General Sandford,
commanding the city military, had sent such force as he could collect
early in the day to the arsenal, to defend it; for, should the mob once
get possession of the arms and ammunition stored there, no one could
tell what the end would be. United States troops also were placed in
Government buildings to protect them. Almost the last act of the
mob this evening was the burning of Postmaster Wakeman's house, in
Eighty-sixth Street. Mrs. Wakeman was noted for her kindness to the poor
and wretched, who now repaid her by sacking and burning her house. The
precinct station near by was also destroyed.
In the meanwhile, an event happened which threatened to disarrange all
the plans that had been laid. Military etiquette often overrides the
public good, and here, at this critical moment, General Wool chose to
consider that, as General Sandford was Major-general, though not in the
United States service, he, therefore, ranked Brigadier-general Brown
of the regular army, and required him to act under the other's orders.
This, Brown promptly refused to do, and asked to be relieved, telling
General Wool that such a proceeding was an unheard-of thing. That he was
right the order below will show [Footnote: [GENERAL ORDER No. 36.] WAR
DEPARTMENT,
_Adjutant-general's Office, Washington_, April 7th, 1863.
6. The military commander's duties in reference to all troops and
enlisted men who happen to serve within the limits of his command will
be _precisely those of a commanding officer of a military post_.
The duties of military commanders above defined, will devolve in the
_City of New York, and the military posts in that vicinity_, on Brevet
Brigadier-general H. Brown, Colonel Fifth U. S. Artillery.
By order of the Secretary of War, (Signed) L. THOMAS,
_Adjutant-general_.] that his troops must be under his own command, as
he was responsible for their action to the Government, and Sandford was
not. Wool, however, continued obstinate, and a total disruption seemed
inevitable. Mayor Opdyke, President Acton, Governor Seymour, with
several prominent American citizens, were present, and witnessed
this disagreement with painful feelings. They knew that it would work
mischief, if not paralyze the combined action they hoped to put forth
in the morning. General Brown, finding Wool inflexible, turned away,
determined to retire altogether. The Mayor and others followed him, and
begged him not to abandon them in the desperate strait they were in--to
think of nothing but saving the city. General Brown had been too hasty,
sticking on a point of mere etiquette, with, perhaps, too much tenacity.
True, an officer must insist on his rank as a rule, but there
are emergencies when everything of a personal nature must be
forgotten--crises where it may be an officer's duty to serve in any
capacity, however subordinate, and trust to being righted afterwards.
Luckily, General Brown, on a sober second thought, took the proper view,
and returned to General Wool, and asked to be reinstated in his command,
but giving him to understand that, though he would co-operate in every
possible way with General Sandford, he still must retain distinct and
separate command of his own troops. This was right, and whether General
Wool perfectly understood the arrangement, or seeing how deeply the
gentlemen present felt on the subject, chose not to press a mere point
of etiquette, does not appear. We only know that if General Brown had
given up the command of his troops, the results to the city would have
been disastrous.
While these events were passing in the St. Nicholas Hotel, the streets
were comparatively quiet. It had been a hard day for the rioters, as
well as for the police, and they were glad of a little rest. Besides,
they had become more or less scattered by a terrific thunderstorm that
broke over the city, deluging the streets with water. In the midst of
it, there came a telegraphic dispatch to the commissioners, calling
for assistance. The tired police were stretched around on the floor or
boxes, seeking a little rest, when they were aroused, and summoned to
fall in; and the next moment they plunged into the darkness and rain.
They were drenched to the skin before they had gone a block, but they
did not heed it--and then, as to the end, and under all circumstances,
answered promptly and nobly to every call.
Acton had now gathered a large force at head-quarters, and felt ready to
strike at any moment.
While the men flung themselves on the hard floor, like soldiers on
the field of battle, ready to start on duty at the first call, Acting
Superintendent Acton and his assistants never closed their eyes, but
spent the night in telegraphing, organizing, and preparing for the
fiercer fights of next day. Much was to be done to cover and protect
a district that reached from Brooklyn to Westchester, and it was an
anxious night. They had one consolation, however: though taken unawares,
they had at the close of the day come out victors, which gave them
confidence in the future, especially as now Brown and his trained
soldiers were with them.
Some fifteen or twenty policemen had been more or less severely injured,
while the number of the killed and wounded of the mob was wholly
unknown. Both the dead and maimed were left by the police where they
fell, and were almost immediately hurried away by their friends.
The destruction of property on this first day, consisted of four
buildings on Third Avenue burned, also a block on Broadway between
Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth Streets; two brown-stone dwellings in
Lexington Avenue; Allerton's Hotel near Bull's Head; a cottage, corner
of Forty-fifth Street and Fifth Avenue; the Colored Orphan Asylum, and
the armory corner of Twenty-first Street and Second Avenue.