{"id":1089,"date":"2016-12-21T23:51:43","date_gmt":"2016-12-22T04:51:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/?p=1089"},"modified":"2018-05-23T10:46:16","modified_gmt":"2018-05-23T14:46:16","slug":"the-draft-riots-brooklyn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/2016\/12\/21\/the-draft-riots-brooklyn\/","title":{"rendered":"The Draft Riots: Brooklyn"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brooklyn had a free black community as well, called Weeksville. Established in 1838, and allowed economic mobility, intellectual freedom, and was self-sustaining . By the 1850s, Weeksville had over 500 residents, \u201c boasting more opportunity for homeownership, employment and success for its black residents than any other part of Brooklyn, and well beyond.\u201d[1]<\/a>. Many African Americans fled from Manhattan to seek refuge in Brooklyn, In an article in the New York Daily Tribune published on Saturday, October 10th<\/sup> 1863, the Merchants Relief Committee for Suffering Colored People recounts the events of that day. The Secretary of the committee, Vincent Colyer, writes on the African Americans who escaped to Brooklyn from Manhattan that day, \u201c\u2026these people were forced to take refuge on Blackwell\u2019s Island (today known as Roosevelt Island), at police stations, on the outskirts of the city, in the swamps and woods back of Bergen, New Jersey, and Weeksville, and in the barns and outhouses of farmers on Long Island and Morrisania.\u201d [2]<\/a>In this we see fully the urgency to flee for safety, as many African Americans scrambled for safety anywhere where the mobs would not discover them. He also reported that 5,000 men, women and children were given aid to \u201crestore peoples faith & distill fear.\u201d The free black men\u2019s occupations ranged from oysterer to landlord, and women were listed mainly as house wives and servants, but one was a boarding house keeper.<\/p>\n

A Rev. Mr. Dennison is credited promptly providing aid to the victims, namely furniture and clothing, through the Society for Improving Conditions of the Poor; the proposition was approved on July 21st<\/sup>, and aid was given to 38 applicants on July 23rd<\/sup>, 318 on July 24th<\/sup>, and \u201con the next day the streets were crowded.\u201d\u00a0 Even an upper class Brooklyn woman named \u2018Phebe\u2019 Gertrude Lefferts Vanderbuilt wrote on the riots. One must note that her family previously owned slaves and the land that Weeksville was built on, and has a condescending view of African Americans as \u2018simpleminded\u2019.\u00a0 One must also note that Phebe formed the Society for the Amelioration of the Colored Population of Flatbush, an organization committed to raising funds for the education of the town\u2019s African American community. She sympathizes with the victims that the mob wreaked its fury upon, regarding the \u2018negros\u2019 as the \u201c\u2026the most helpless class in the community.\u201d\u00a0 She describes the actions of the rioters; \u201cThe burning of the Asuylum for colored orphans was a despicable act: the poor and unoffending race of negros were selected as the most desirable victims for its vengeance. Vainly did the voices of authority\u2026 make itself heard, law was afraid\u2026no wonder that the colored people in New York and its vicinity became terror stricken\u201d [3]<\/a>Colyer seems to exemplify Brooklyn\u2019s acceptance of African Americans and their sympathy to their plight in his conclusion, \u201cthe work before us now is chiefly to take care of the claims against the city of those who lost property by the riots\u201d. However, this charity and compassion must have had a sort of presence throughout the city, as he lastly thanks the New York press for their help in providing aid to the victims, though he mentions no specifics other than that.<\/p>\n

Brooklyn also had a militarily involved response to the riots. Part of the Second infantry (a.k.a. the\u00a082nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment) which had \u2018mustered out\u2019 in May of that year, were residents of Brooklyn who responded to help regain order in New York City. Frank J. Bramhall, a historian of the civil war, was tasked by the War Fund Committee of the City of Brooklyn and County of Kings to gather accounts of those who were in the war. A handwritten account from the draft riots survives today, titled \u201cThe July Riots of 1865, Brooklyn Boys on Guard.\u201d Less than five pages, the account describes the \u2018boys\u2019 of the second infantry\u2019s participation, \u201cWhile the excitement in New York has at its height and most of the citizens of that city and the surrounding suburbs were almost paralyzed with fear of excess which seem to have no limits or know no bound a gallant band of men was organized in Brooklyn who undevoused at the building known as Gothic Hall in Adams (street). The City of New York was then so completely in the hands of the mob that they could not march through the streets without being inevitably cut to pieces.\u201d [4]<\/a>Due to the massive crowds, each man individually reported to Major General Landfall at the arsenal on 35th<\/sup> St. and 10th<\/sup> Ave. to aid in the \u2018bare bones\u2019 hold of the building by guarding the prisoners there. The urgency to guard the arsenal arose for this in that the rioters made \u201cdetermined attacks on the building\u201d, having already raided gunsmiths to \u201cmaintain their position\u201d.<\/p>\n