New York City draft riots
Working-class protest turned race riot in Civil War New York.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
In July 1863, over four days, Lower Manhattan erupted in violence. The unrest, sometimes called Draft Week, began as a protest against a new federal law that required men to serve in the Civil War. Many working-class people were furious about the draft. The protests quickly turned into a race riot, with Irish American rioters attacking African Americans. President Lincoln had to send several regiments of soldiers, fresh from the Battle of Gettysburg, to take control of the city. The official death toll was listed as either 119 or 120. One historian estimated the total killed and wounded at 1,000, most of them rioters, and put property damage at $1.5 million (about $39.2 million in 2025). Another historian counted 18 people killed by the rioters, 11 of whom were Black. It was one of the largest urban riots in American history. Major General John E. Wool, the local commander, said on July 16 that martial law should be declared, but he lacked enough troops to enforce it. According to historian Toby Joyce, the riot was a kind of civil war within the city’s Irish community: mostly Irish American rioters fought against police, soldiers, and pro-war politicians, many of whom were also Irish immigrants.
The military did not arrive until the second day. By then, mobs had ransacked or destroyed numerous public buildings, two Protestant churches, the homes of abolitionists and their supporters, many Black homes, and the Colored Orphan Asylum at 44th Street and Fifth Avenue, which was burned down. The violence permanently changed the city’s demographics. Many Black residents left Manhattan for good, often moving to Brooklyn. By 1865, the Black population remained above 11,000, contrary to some claims that it had fallen below that threshold for the first time since 1820.
New York’s economy had long been tied to the South. By 1822, nearly half of its exports were cotton. Upstate textile mills also processed Southern cotton. The city had such strong business ties to the South that on January 7, 1861, Mayor Fernando Wood, a Democrat, urged the city’s Board of Aldermen to declare independence from both Albany and Washington, claiming the whole South would support it. When the war began, many New Yorkers sympathized with the Confederacy.
The city was also a major destination for immigrants. Since the 1840s, most came from Ireland and Germany.
Quick Facts
- Part Of
- Opposition to the American Civil War
- Date
- 13 July 1863 · 1863 · 7 · 16
- Location
- Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
- Causes
- Civil War conscription; racism; competition for jobs between black and white people.
- Result
- Riots ultimately suppressed
- Fatalities
- 119–120 (albeit other estimates go as high as 1,200)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The riots began on Monday, July 13, 1863, when a furious crowd of around 500, led by volunteer firemen of Engine Company 33, attacked the assistant Ninth District provost marshal’s office at Third Avenue and 47th Street, where the draft was taking place. The crowd threw paving stones, set the building ablaze, and cut telegraph lines. The New York Metropolitan Police Department, the only force on hand since the state militia had been sent to Gettysburg, was badly outnumbered. Police Superintendent John Kennedy, an Irish-American unionist, was attacked and left nearly unconscious with over 70 knife wounds. The mobs ransacked or destroyed numerous public buildings, two Protestant churches, the homes of abolitionists, and the Colored Orphan Asylum. A popular but inaccurate story claims that the mob was turned back at the office of The New York Times by staff manning Gatling guns, including Times founder Henry Jarvis Raymond. In reality, Raymond was in Albany at the time, and the office was defended by a small group of volunteers and police, not Gatling guns.
Reader's Guide
The New York City draft riots represent a significant intersection of class, race, and wartime politics. The riots were fueled by working-class discontent with the Enrollment Act of March 1863, which established the first federal draft. Wealthier white men could pay for substitutes, and Black men were largely excluded from the draft as they were not considered citizens. The Emancipation Proclamation of January 1863 alarmed many white workers who feared freed slaves would migrate to the city and compete for jobs. Tensions had already been high at the docks, where white longshoremen rioted against Black laborers in March 1863. The riots resulted in a lasting demographic shift: many Black residents left Manhattan permanently, many moving to Brooklyn, and by 1865 the Black population had fallen below 11,000 for the first time since 1820. The official death toll was listed at either 119 or 120, though one historian estimated a loss in killed and wounded of 1,000, most of whom were of the mob. According to another historian, 18 people are known to have been killed by the rioters, 11 of whom were Black.
Did You Know?
- The Colored Orphan Asylum at 44th Street and Fifth Avenue was burned to the ground, but the orphans were evacuated by police before the fire.
- Police Superintendent John Kennedy, an Irish-American unionist, was attacked by the mob and suffered over 70 knife wounds.
- By 1865, the Black population in Manhattan had fallen below 11,000 for the first time since 1820.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the New York City draft riots?
The New York City draft riots were a four-day outbreak of mob violence in Lower Manhattan during July 1863. What began as working-class fury over the federal Civil War conscription law rapidly escalated into a racially targeted attack on African Americans by Irish American rioters.
When and where did the New York City draft riots take place?
The unrest ran from July 13 to July 16, 1863, and was centered in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Historians sometimes refer to the period as 'Draft Week.'
What triggered the New York City draft riots?
A new federal conscription law requiring men to serve in the Civil War ignited widespread anger among working-class New Yorkers who felt the burden was unfairly distributed. That economic frustration quickly morphed into a race riot, with mobs deliberately targeting Black residents, churches, and orphanages.
How many people were killed in the New York City draft riots?
Official records put the death toll at either 119 or 120, while one historian has estimated the combined number of killed and wounded at roughly 1,000. Private property damage was assessed at about $1.5 million, equivalent to approximately $39.2 million in 2025 dollars.
How did the New York City draft riots come to an end?
President Lincoln dispatched several regiments of Union soldiers, many still fresh from the Battle of Gettysburg, to reclaim the streets of Lower Manhattan. Once those troops reasserted military control, the mob violence broke apart and the four-day outbreak subsided.
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