The responses from the public changed drastically throughout the course of the war. In the very beginning, people were not scared. During the first battle, the Battle at Bull Run in Northern Virginia, people rushed to the scene in carriages and watched as the war took place. After a few hours though, people began to realize the war was in fact not amusement, and it was serious. Not long after their realizations, the Civil War began to be an unwelcomed presence in their lives. Some older residents of the communities in which the war was taking place in would grab their own shotguns and join in just because the war was so consuming and there were really no other options than to hide, which is what most people did. Mainly women and children hid
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The Pratt Street Riot and the New York City Draft Riots of 1863 were two of the most common riots of the Civil War times. The Pratt Street Riot took place on April 29th, 1861 in Baltimore, Maryland at the President Street Station. This riot happened only five days after the surrender at Fort Sumter. When the 6th Massachusetts infantry arrived back to the north and began to change trains, the amount of people that had gathered around began to increase, and as it did, the tension increased also. When only two cars were left, the crowd blockaded the tracks. When the two cars returned back to the President Street Station, the soldiers had no other choice but to walk down Pratt Street. The first troop led the rest down the street by carrying a rebel flag. While walking, soldiers got stones and bricks thrown at them; some civilians even had firearms. Eventually, shots were fired. The troops were then ordered to fire into the crowd, which only made the crowd retaliate and fire back. This led into a cycle of shooting at each other, throwing bricks at each other, and physical fighting. People dropped dead, one by one. Soon enough, the police arrived and broke up the riot. Ultimately, at least thirty six people were killed or wounded during this …show more content…
In the time of the Civil War, New York City was extremely divided. The wealthy did not want to lose their business partners from the south, and the poor thought the war as only benefiting the rich. When the first draft came around, there was an option to pay your way out of having to join the war and blacks were exempt from being drafted. On July 13th, the turmoil began. A group of angry firefighters began breaking windows and mobs followed and they destroyed the draft equipment. This began a chain of protests, which continued into the next day, destroying businesses. As the days continued, many people were murdered, both African Americans and whites. On July 16th, archbishop John Hughes asked, more or less, or protection against rioters ruining his still under construction St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Within hours, more than 4,000 troops arrived and fought off rioters. This was what is now known as the final clash of the New York City Draft Riots. Overall, one hundred fifteen people were to have lost their lives, and hundreds of buildings were ruined. In addition, the African American population was damaged; it diminished by twenty
The Pratt Street Riot and the New York City Draft Riots of 1863 were two of the most common riots of the Civil War times. The Pratt Street Riot took place on April 29th, 1861 in Baltimore, Maryland at the President Street Station. This riot happened only five days after the surrender at Fort Sumter. When the 6th Massachusetts infantry arrived back to the north and began to change trains, the amount of people that had gathered around began to increase, and as it did, the tension increased also. When only two cars were left, the crowd blockaded the tracks. When the two cars returned back to the President Street Station, the soldiers had no other choice but to walk down Pratt Street. The first troop led the rest down the street by carrying a rebel flag. While walking, soldiers got stones and bricks thrown at them; some civilians even had firearms. Eventually, shots were fired. The troops were then ordered to fire into the crowd, which only made the crowd retaliate and fire back. This led into a cycle of shooting at each other, throwing bricks at each other, and physical fighting. People dropped dead, one by one. Soon enough, the police arrived and broke up the riot. Ultimately, at least thirty six people were killed or wounded during this …show more content…
In the time of the Civil War, New York City was extremely divided. The wealthy did not want to lose their business partners from the south, and the poor thought the war as only benefiting the rich. When the first draft came around, there was an option to pay your way out of having to join the war and blacks were exempt from being drafted. On July 13th, the turmoil began. A group of angry firefighters began breaking windows and mobs followed and they destroyed the draft equipment. This began a chain of protests, which continued into the next day, destroying businesses. As the days continued, many people were murdered, both African Americans and whites. On July 16th, archbishop John Hughes asked, more or less, or protection against rioters ruining his still under construction St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Within hours, more than 4,000 troops arrived and fought off rioters. This was what is now known as the final clash of the New York City Draft Riots. Overall, one hundred fifteen people were to have lost their lives, and hundreds of buildings were ruined. In addition, the African American population was damaged; it diminished by twenty