Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-12-17

Al very HOAUAt uNppSAOu w AAO SnE~~
I was opposed to the furious, desper-
ate, drunken mob in the streets Of
New York in July, 1883, with small
body Of crippled and sick, but very
ready veterans from the front. No
soldier would court any such ettua-
ton; any good soldier Of that time,
I trust, would have done his whole
duty had he been put forward in that
crisis. I trust that I and my forty
seven soldiers from the Department
of the Gulf would not have shamed
our comrades. had we been put in to
fight against that hell of furious re-
gfstance to law, of arson, murder and
robbery that ragged through the great
city for almost week after July IL,
1883. That is all have a right to
say.
was taken from New Orleans
hospital with these forty-seyen, all
sick or wounded from Port Hudson,
as the best squad General Emery
could get in those perilous days when
he had less than two thousand men
under his command to defend the city,
and sent UP to Fortress Monroe on
steamer in charge OF Ave hundred Con
fedeTate prisoners, Having delivered
them there, we went on to New York
for transportation back, and started
on our return July Sth; believe that
was the exact date The interval Of
three days was spent ON Governors
Island. I had two opportunities to
60 over TO the city, and improved
them. knew that the draft was
about to be enforced, and I took some
pains to talk with those met about
it. I heard very little said on the
subject saw no indications OF armed
resistance, or any resistance. I had
occasion to go to the headquarters Of
General Wool, who com manded there,
and to get an order for our transpor-
tation back to New Orleans signed by
the General personally. But I heard
no whisper of fear OF any rising OF
the mob, Or resistance to the draft,
Nobody seemed to realize that the fires
of lurid volcano were slumbering
there, ready to burst out in blood and
destruction at the signal.
Had our departure been delayed
three days, I know we should have
been ordered over to the city, to face
that bowling, devilish mob somewhere.
There were no troops in the city then;
there was only scant guard in the
forts. Everything was called In that
could avail in that awful crisis, until q
brigade of the Army of the Potomac
could be hurried up to the rescue, and
1t was then known that New York was
safe. During that memorable week
there was carnival of blood in the
Empire City, beginning In organized
resistance to the draft and destruction
Of its headquarters, extending to the
murder Of negroes and the burning Of
colored orphan asylums, and then,
gathering In passion and ungovernable
fury and drunkenness, swelling to the
pillago and arson of buildings indis-
criminately, and blind killing for the
sake of blood
1t was llideous time! People who
then lived in New York and survived
1t, and yet survive it, look back at it
as they would on a nightmare.
For days the heroic police performed
miracles Of valor. They charged the
roaring mob everywhere. and without
hesitation, never failing to drive it
back when they came in direct con-
tact with it. no matter how great the
odds
Marines from the government ships
that happened to be in the Earbor, and
a few regulars from the forts, came
over and rendered veteran service.
The employees of great establish
ments, public and private, including
the large newspaper offices and the
Sub-Treasury building in Wall street,
were armed and held in readiness, day
and night, to repel attacks. Many of
these had boiling water constantly
ready, and hose with which to throw
it on the mob.
Il was about the 18th Of July that I
rejoined my brigade west of the Mis-
sissippi. Accounts of the riot had al
ready reached New Orleans through
Confederate sources, and the New Or
leans papers published them in detail.
I read them in amazement 1t seemed
next to impossible that the great me-
tropolis which I had left only ten days
before so quiet and peaceful could thus
suddenly have burst forth In riot and
crime.
Men have attempted to write histo-
ries of those seven horrible DAYS in
New York. The field may be CLEANED,
some approximation to the truth may
be reached, but the whole truth never
can be known. It was a saturnalia of
horrors, the reign of the worst ele-
ments, in which the crimes can not
even be numbered. Many of them
were never known.
Rev. Morgan Dix, in his memoirs of
his father, the distinguished General
and Governor, says that the lowest es-
Inmates place the number of 1-iotore