816 



BIOTS IN NEW YORK, BOSTON, ETC. 



ance. Precisely at 2 p. M., the archbishop, clad 

 in his purple robes and the other insignia of 

 his office, stepped upon the balcony from a 

 window of his house, and was greeted with 

 long and enthusiastic applause. A number of 

 priests and influential citizens belonging to the 

 Roman Catholic Church accompanied him up- 

 on the balcony. After courteously acknow- 

 ledging his reception, the archbishop proceed- 

 ed to address his audience at some length, in 

 an off-hand manner, alternately eliciting their 

 laughter and their applause. The following is 

 the portion of his remarks which particularly 

 related to the riots : 



In the case of a violent and unjust assault on you 

 without provocation, my notion is, that every man has 

 a right to defend his house or his shanty at the risk of 

 his life. The cause, however, must be just. It must 

 be aggressive, not offensive. Do you want my advice? 

 I have been hurt by the reports that you are rioters. 

 You cannot imagine that I could hear those things 

 without being pained grievously. Is there not some 

 way by which you can stop these proceedings, and 

 support the laws, of which none have been enacted 

 against you as Irishmen and Catholics? You have 

 Buffered enough already. No Government can stand 

 or protect itself unless ijj)rotects its citizens. Military 

 force will be let loose on you, and you know what 

 that is. The innocent will be shot down and the guilty 

 likely to escape. Would it not be better for you to re- 

 tire quietly ; not to give up your principles or convic- 

 tions, but "to keep 'out of the crowd wnere immortal 

 souls are launched into eternity, and, at all eveuts, get 

 Into no trouble till you are at home? Would it not be 

 better? There is one thing in which I would ask your 

 advice. When these so-called riots are over, and"^ the 

 blame is justly laid on Irish Catholics, I wish you to 

 tell me in what country I could claim to be born? 

 [Voices Ireland.] Yes, but what shall I say if these 

 stories be true ? Ireland, that never committed a sin- 

 gle act of cruelty until she was oppressed. Ireland, 

 that has been the mother of heroes and poets, but 

 never the mother of cowards. I took upon myself to 

 Bay that you should not be molested in paying me a 

 visit. I thank you for your kindness, and I hope no- 

 thing will occur till you return home, and_ if, by chance, 

 as you go thither, you should meet a police officer or a 

 military man, why just look at him. 



The archbishop then retired, and his hearers 

 slowly and peaceably returned to their homes. 



By this time it had become generally known 

 that the draft was suspended. The municipal axi- 

 thorities had passed a relief bill to pay $300 

 commutation, or substitute money, to every 

 drafted man of the poorer classes. These facts 

 contributed greatly to appease the mob, though 

 they had been practically subdued by the gal- 

 lant conduct of the regular troops, the militia, 

 and the police. The riot ceased as an organ- 

 ized operation, on the 16th instant. A large 

 force of cavalry patrolled the disaffected dis- 

 tricts on the evening of that day, and met with 

 no armed opposition. On the morning of the 

 17th the cavalry found and took possession of 

 seventy stands of revolvers and carbines, and 

 several casks of pavirigstones, which had been 

 secreted by the rioters, and also captured sev- 

 eral prisoners. On the 18th instant, Maj.- 

 Gen. Wool was relieved of the command of 

 the Department of the East by Maj.-Gen. Dix, 

 by orders of the President, dated the 15th. 



Gen. Harvey Brown who had been in command 

 of the city and harbor of New York (under 

 General Wool) during the riots, was relieved 

 on the 17th instant by Brig.-Gen. Canby. 



The twelve militia regiments had by this 

 time returned from Pennsylvania. Detach- 

 ments from their number, amounting to over 

 1,000 men, were constantly on duty for many 

 days after the suppression of the riots, and the 

 entire 1st division was ready to support them 

 at short notice. But there was not the least 

 symptom of a renewal of the disturbances, 

 although rioters were arrested by civil pro- 

 cesses, tried, and sent to prison, from day to 

 day. 



The number of persons killed during these 

 terrible riots is not known. The mortality 

 statistics for the week, at the city inspec- 

 tor's office, show an increase of 450 over 

 the srveraga weekly mortality of the year. 

 About 90 deaths from gunshot wounds were 

 reported at his office. It was said but this is, 

 doubtless, incorrect that the remains of many 

 of the rioters were secretly taken into the 

 country and buried there. A large number of 

 wounded persons probably died during the 

 following week. Governor Seymour in his an- 

 nual message states that the " number of killed 

 and wounded is estimated by the police to be 

 at least one thousand." The police and the 

 regular and local military forces suffered but 

 little in comparison with the mob. With re- 

 gard to the militia of the 1st division, General 

 Sandford gives the exact figures of their losses 

 in a portion of the riots. He says that " one 

 private soldier was killed ; and twenty-two men 

 dangerously, and fifty officers and soldiers 

 slightly, wounded, at the defeat of the mob in 

 42d street, the storming of the barricade erect- 

 ed by the rioters in 29th street, and in the 

 other conflicts which followed." 



The losses, by the destruction of buildings 

 and other property, were originally estimated at 

 $400,000. A committee was appointed by the 

 county supervisors, to audit claims for damages, 

 for all of which the county was responsible, un- 

 der the law, and for the payment of which a 

 large appropriation was made. The aggregate 

 of the claims far surpassed the highest expecta- 

 tions, amounting to over $2,500,000. The com- 

 mittee disallowed many, and cut down most 

 of the remainder 50 percent. At last accounts 

 over $1,000,000 had been paid to claimants, and 

 it was supposed that $500,000 more would be 

 needed for the same purpose. 



On the night of the 15th of July, a riot broke 

 out in Boston, under the following circum- 

 stances: Two of the provost-marshal's assist- 

 ants were engaged in distributing notifications 

 to drafted men, when one of the officers was 

 struck by a woman, at whose house a noti- 

 fication had been left. An attempt being 

 made to arrest the woman, a number of her 

 friends collected and attacked the officer, se- 

 verely beating him. A police force was soon 

 upon the ground, and succeeded in temporarily 



