USA > New York > History of the Seventh Regiment of New York, 1806-1889 > Part 33
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An act was passed by the Legislature, April 7th, authorizing the organization of an engineer corps in each regiment of the First Division, to consist of an engineer, one sergeant, and nine sappers
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FORREST AND MACREADY.
and miners. In regimental orders, dated April 17th, an engineer corps was organized by the appointment of Andrew Mather as assistant engineer and Alexander Douglas as sergeant, and in 1850 Robert E. Launitz, long a distinguished member of the Eighth Company, was appointed engineer. At this time no particular in- terest or importance was attached to this new organization, and many regarded it as a military excrescence ; but, at a later day, the Engineer Corps was a prominent feature in the Regiment, and in 1861 it became an important part of the organization as its Tenth Company.
During a professional visit to England, Edwin Forrest, the dis- tinguished American tragedian, had failed to secure a satisfactory reception, and on several occasions there had been public manifestations of disfavor. The friends of Forrest in America charged his unfavorable reception to the account of British jealousy and prejudice, fostered and intensified by the intrigues of Mac- ready, who at that time was the lead- ing tragedian of the English stage. During the farewell visit of Macready to the United States in 1848-'49, a violent newspaper controversy was carried on by these histrionic rivals, and the friends of Forrest resolved to divine forrest avenge the past and present and the real or imaginary wrongs of their favorite. The first engagement of Macready at the Astor Place Opera-House passed off quietly and successfully ; but previous to the second and farewell engagement, which was to commence May 7th, by appeals to national prejudice, and by the liberal use of money, a powerful organization had been perfected, the avowed object of which was to drive the English actor from the American stage.
Monday, May 7th .- Macready was advertised to appear at the Astor Place Opera-House in the evening in the character of Mac- beth, and it was rumored, though not generally credited, that he would not be allowed to perform. Long before the hour of the
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performance to commence the doors of the opera-house were be- sieged by a multitude composed of persons of a character not usu- ally seen at that fashionable place of amusement. The house was crowded, and the first part of the play proceeded with the usual quiet and with apparent satisfaction. The appearance of Macready as Macbeth was the signal for disorder and tumult. With the usual manifestations of applause from a part of the audience came a tem- pest of groans, yells, and hisses, and from various parts of the house eggs and potatoes were showered upon the obnoxious actor. Ma- cready attempted to address the audience, but could not be heard. A young man in fireman's costume displayed from the gallery a banner, on which was inscribed in large characters : "It is too late to apologize ; you have ever proved yourself a liar." The friends of the actor cried, "Go on! go on!" and the play proceeded to the end of the second act, but was mere pantomime. In the third act, it being apparent that there was a determination to complete the performance, the rioters resorted to more violent measures, and chairs and pieces of wood were thrown from the gallery upon the stage. At last the curtain fell, and the mob triumphed, but the noise and tumult continued. Members of the theatrical company attempted in vain to be heard, and the mob did not disperse until C. W. Clarke, a general favorite, came forward and assured the rioters that Macready had left the theatre. The police were present in large numbers, but no serious effort was made to preserve order ; no arrests were made, and even those who had endangered the lives of the actors by the throwing of missiles were allowed to escape unmolested and unpunished. Macready resolved to leave the coun- try, and engaged his passage for England by the next steamer. But a large number of the most respectable citizens of New York, morti- fied by the disgraceful proceedings of Monday night, solicited him to remain and complete his engagement, and promised that peace and order should be preserved. It was therefore arranged that he should appear at the Astor Place Opera-House on Thursday, May 10th.
Thursday, May 10th .- During the day great apprehensions of a serious disturbance were expressed, and the authorities inaugu- rated measures to preserve the public peace. Three hundred police- men were detailed for special duty at Astor Place, and the Seventh Regiment was ordered to be in readiness in case its services were
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THE ASTOR PLACE RIOT.
required. Meantime incendiary placards had been posted in all public places, appealing to laboring-men and to the foes of English aristocracy to rally at the opera-house in "defense of their rights and in opposition to the enemies and revilers of America." Every- thing portended a serious struggle between the friends of law and order and the lawless elements of society. At 7 P. M. several thou- sand people had assembled in front of the theatre in Astor Place, and, before the house was two thirds full, the doors were closed by the police to prevent the forcible entrance of the clamorous and disorderly multitude. The performance commenced at the ap- pointed time, and the appearance of Macready was greeted with mingled hisses and applause, but the friends of the actor were evi- dently in the majority. The chief of police and the recorder, who were present, had ordered the arrest of all noisy and disorderly persons, and one by one the rioters were taken out and confined in the basement of the building, beneath the parquette. Quiet was restored, and the play proceeded, but from within and from with- out came other and more threatening dangers. The prisoners con- fined in the basement had made an unsuccessful attempt to fire the building, and the rumor spread through the audience that the thea- tre was in flames. Escape seemed impossible, for the doors had been barred and barricaded from within, while without an immense mob besieged the building, attempting a forcible entrance, and hurled stones through the windows, one of which struck the mag- nificent chandelier suspended from the center of the dome. Fears were entertained by those within the theatre that the building would be entirely demolished. The scene in the vicinity of the opera- house was appalling beyond description. Not less than twenty thousand men and boys had assembled in Astor Place and Eighth Street and vicinity, and made night hideous with yells, groans, and imprecations. The pavement in Broadway had been taken up a few days previous for the purpose of repairing the sewer, and the piles of round paving-stones furnished ready weapons to the excited multitude. The police gallantly attempted to drive back the crowd, and to prevent the throwing of stones and other riotons conduct. Their prisoners were rescued, they were beaten back by showers of missiles, and they were fortunate if able to find a safe refuge from the wild fury that prevailed. The chief of police, the recorder, and the sheriff decided that the military must come to their assist-
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IHISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
ance, and General Sandford dispatched an order to Colonel Duryec, at Center Market. to hasten with the Seventh Regiment to the scene of the riot. At 9 P. M. the Regiment arrived at Astor Place, pre- ceded by its troop and a company of cavalry. The mounted men, ten abreast, made the first attempt to clear the street. They proved an excellent mark for the stones and missiles which saluted them ; their horses becoming unmanageable, their passage from Broadway through Astor Place resembled a flight rather than a victorious march, and they were compelled to scamper away in disorder toward Third Avenue amid the jeers and laughter of their triumphant as- sailants. The Seventh Regiment, in column by company, next attempted the perilous passage, and, though jostled by the crowd, assailed by blows from sticks and stones, and greeted by groans, hisses, and opprobrious epithets, it succeeded in forcing its way through Astor Place, and halted in the open space beyond the thea- tre, near Fourth Avenue. While in this position, awaiting orders, the Regiment was pelted with stones, and several members were so severely injured that they were carried from the ground. Colonel Duryee, having been directed to clear the mob from Eighth Street, in the rear of the theatre, formed the Regiment in column by divis- ion, and the muskets having been loaded, rapidly and successfully executed the order. Lines of policemen were immediately thrown across Eighth Street at each end of the theatre, to prevent the crowd returning, which position they maintained until the performance was concluded, and the audience and actors had retired from the building by its private entrance unharmed and unmolested. Mean- time the Regiment was ordered to move through Broadway by the flank into Astor Place, which was successfully accomplished after some delay and great difficulty, on account of the denseness and turbulence of the crowd. The mob was gradually forced back, and the Regiment succeeded in forming line upon the sidewalk in front of the opera-house. The movements thus far had been eminently successful in protecting the theatre and preserving the lives of those within, and these facts seemed to enrage the mob, and to center upon the Regiment its whole fury. The assault was now terrific. Volleys of stones wounded and disabled the officers and men, and curses, threats, and profane and obscene language from a thousand tongues added to the terrors of the seene. During this perilous and trying period the admirable discipline of the Regiment shone
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GALLANTRY OF THE REGIMENT.
forth in all its glory. With closed ranks and steady carriage the men silently and patiently awaited orders, submitted to torrents of abuse, and received wounds and blows without resistance. History records no higher bravery or more perfect discipline on any battle- field. While the Regiment was in this perilous position, General Hall appealed to Mayor Woodhull to give the order to fire upon the mob, and assured him in the most emphatic terms that it was beyond the powers of human endurance for men with loaded mus- kets in their hands to submit to such violence and not be permitted to defend themselves. The only reply of the nervous magistrate was, " Wait a little-let us see." An attempt was now made, by order of General Sandford, to clear the street by wheeling half the Regiment to the right and the other half to the left, thus dividing the mob, and forcing the two parts in opposite directions toward the Third Avenue and Broadway. The movement was unsuccess- ful. After a short but severe struggle, in which General Hall, Colonel Duryee, Captains Shumway and Pond, and many officers and privates were more or less injured by blows from sticks and stones, the Regiment was compelled to retire in some confusion to the sidewalk. An attempt to clear the street with the point of the bayonet was equally unsuccessful, for the mob crowded so closely and violently upon the soldiers that it was found impossible to use the muskets with the desired effect. These failures encouraged the assailants to greater violence, and it only remained for the Regi- ment to fire or to retreat. The mayor was sought for in vain, and Sheriff Westervelt, the highest civil officer present, after a final warning to the mob by Recorder Talmadge, gave the long-delayed order to fire. By order of General Hall, the first volley was fired over the heads of the mob ; but, when it was perceived that no one had been injured, the leaders cried : "They are firing blank car- tridges ; give it to 'em again !" and a shower of stones was the re- sponse to the efforts of the Regiment to save the lives of the rabble. A second volley quickly followed the first, and, delivered with fatal effect, sent the mob reeling, bleeding, and panic-stricken from the street. Loading quickly, and rapidly following the flying mob, Astor Place was soon cleared of rioters, and lines of soldiers at each end of the street secured it against their return. In Lafayette Place and in Eighth Street, near Third Avenue, the leaders of the mob succeeded in rallying the fugitives, and returned to renew the
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HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
assault upon that part of the Regiment holding the position at the east end of the opera-house. Several members of the Regiment were injured by stones and brickbats thrown in this last and des- perate attack ; but a third and more fatal volley of musketry dis- persed the ruffians, and ended the Astor Place Riot. A few stones were hurled from time to time by sneaking, skulking vagabonds, but from so secure a distance that no injury was inflicted. Mean- time the dead and wounded of the mob had been conveyed to the neighboring drug-stores, to the hospitals, or to their homes, and the disabled members of the Regiment had been tenderly cared for by their friends. At eleven o'clock a battery of light artillery arrived, and the pieces were so posted as to command the principal ap- proaches. Strong details of police, with companies of the Seventh Regiment, were on duty during the night, but no attempt was made to renew the disturbance. The gloom and darkness (the lamps having been destroyed by the mob in the early part of the evening), and the death-like stillness which followed the exciting events of the night and their bloody termination, made a deep impression upon the minds of the young soldiers who mounted guard at Astor Place. At daylight the Seventh Regiment was relieved from duty, marched down Broadway, and was dismissed at Center Market. Along the route it was greeted with manifestations of displeasure by those who sympathized with the mob, and so violent and insult- ing were some of those who followed it in its march to Center Market that several of the most disorderly were arrested and handed over to the civil authorities.
At a short notice two hundred and eleven officers and members of the Seventh Regiment had appeared in line at the call of the city authorities, on the evening of May 10th. Of this number but few escaped a blow of some kind, and one hundred and forty-one were injured. Of those injured, fifty-three were so disabled that. they were unable to remain on duty, and were conveyed to their homes ; and it was almost miraculous that none were mortally wounded. To this day, members of the Seventh Regiment in 1849 wear the honorable scars received at the Astor Place Riot. The horses of the Troop suffered seriously from cuts and blows, and thirty-one muskets were broken and rendered useless by the stones of the mob. The mob did not escape so easily : about thirty were killed or mortally wounded, and between fifty and sixty were known
ASTOR PLACE RIOT. 1849.
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THE END OF THE ASTOR PLACE RIOT.
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to be seriously injured. It is probable that as many more were slightly wounded, whose names did not reach the reporters of the press, and who were successful in concealing their connection with the disgraceful proceedings of the night. Unfortunately, several of those who were killed and wounded were not participants in the riot, but were idle and careless spectators.
Friday, May 11th .- On the day succeeding this night of terror, the city was in a state of gloom, nervousness, and fear. It was rumored that the mob was secretly organizing, that arms and ammunition had been purchased and placed in the hands of desper- ate men, and that disorderly characters were on the way from Philadelphia and other large cities, to assist in the conflict. The mayor issued a proclamation, calling upon all good citizens to sus- tain the magistracy in the preservation of peace and order, and advising the people to remain as much as possible within their houses, and on no account to help by their presence to swell the numbers of any public assemblage. A thousand special police- men were sworn, several militia regiments were ordered out, and other precautions were taken to prevent further disturbance. A flaming handbill had been placarded in the streets, calling a public indignation meeting in the Park, on Friday evening, at six o'clock, and thousands responded to the call. A series of inflammatory resolutions were adopted by acclamation, and the speeches of Isaiah Rynders and Mike Walsh, violently denouncing the authori- ties and the military, were enthusiastically applauded. The meet- ing having adjourned, the crowd moved off by various routes to- ward the Astor Place Opera-House, but found all approaches to it strongly guarded by the military. The rioters were obliged to content themselves with building bonfires in the streets above , and below, obstructing the railroad-cars, insulting the passengers, and occasionally skirmishing with the police and the military. Over sixty disorderly persons were arrested during the evening. Soon after midnight, finding all attempts to excite a riot un- availing, the mob dispersed, the bonfires were extinguished, and the military and police remained in quiet possession of the field. 1
On Saturday, May 12th, the public mind was more confident and hopeful. The Seventh Regiment was again on duty at Astor Place, and having a reasonable notice, paraded in larger numbers
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HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
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than on the night of the riot. On Sunday, a large military force was under arms, and all assemblages in the streets and public places were promptly dispersed by the police. On Monday the Seventh Regiment was assembled at 8 p. M., the Third, Sixth, and Eighth Companies at Lafayette Hall, and the other companies at the Mercer House, and awaited orders until midnight ; but, all danger having apparently passed away, the Regiment was dismissed.
The following extract from the adjutant's order-book is inter- esting and valuable, as the only official account of the movements of the Seventh Regiment in the Astor Place Riot :
SEVENTH REGIMENT, NATIONAL GUARD. NEW YORK, May 10th, 212 P. M., 1849.
SPECIAL ORDER.
This Regiment will meet this afternoon at 6 o'clock in full fatigue dress at the Centre Market Drill Rooms.
By order of A. DURYEE, Colonel : F. MILLARD, Adj't.
In pursuance of the above order the Regiment assembled at the Centre Market, having nine front, under the command of Col. Duryee, and there awaited further orders.
At 8} P. M. orders were received to march to Astor Place for the purpose of quelling the riot there existing, and the men were furnished with six rounds of ball cartridge.
On arriving on the ground they were marched through Astor Place, company front and closed in mass, through a dense crowd occupying the entire street, and were received with loud hooting, howling, and hissing. On reaching the corner of Lafayette. Place they received a volley of stones and brickbats, which wounded several officers and privates, who were carried from the ground. The Regiment was then ordered to load for the first time and form division, and was marched through Eighth street. Having cleared the mob from Eighth street, it was directed to march by the flank down Broadway to Astor Place.
On reaching Astor Place and marching through, it was pressed on by the crowd and forced against the Opera House, and partially thrown into confusion, but immediately rallied and charged on the mob, who were driven back, but im- mediately attacked with stones and other missiles, and a great number were wounded. Orders were then given by Gen. Hall to fire over the heads of the mob. which producing no effect, the mob continuing to assail, the right wing was directed to fire low, which being done the mob partially dispersed, when the Regi- ment formed with the right wing facing the Bowery, the left Broadway, and en- deavored to clear Astor Place, but the mob having again assailed the right wing, it was ordered to fire, which dispersed the populace.
The following extracts from orders issued soon after the Astor Place Riot deserve a place in these pages :
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FROM DIVISION ORDERS.
The Major-General returns his thanks to the several Corps ordered on duty on the 10th and 11th inst., for the prompt manner in which they assembled upon short notice, and their good order and discipline while under arms; and particu- larly to the Seventh Regiment for their steadiness, firmness, and forbearance under the most trying circumstances on the night of the 10th inst.
FROM BRIGADE ORDERS.
To the Seventh Regiment the Brigadier-General accords his especial thanks for the efficient support of the authorities on the night of the 10th of May, under duties the most trying our citizen soldiers have ever been called upon to perform.
FROM REGIMENTAL ORDERS. .
The Colonel desires to express his thanks to the officers and men under his command for their unflinching determination and fidelity to duty in maintaining their position on the night of the 10th of May. The bearing and example of many of the officers and men, which came under his personal observation, not only contributed to maintain the supremacy of the laws, but has added greatly to the reputation of the Corps.
For a long time after the Astor Place Riot a feeling of bitter hostility existed toward the Seventh Regiment among the reckless and disorderly classes of the New York populace. In some parts of the city it was unsafe for officers or members of the Regiment to appear in uniform, and even in more respectable streets it was not uncommon for them to be hailed by the rising generation as "old gray-backs," a sobriquet not designed or understood to be friendly or flattering. An effort was even made by certain politi- cians to secure from the grand jury indictments against the officers of the Regiment, but Hon. John McKeon, then district attorney, was instrumental in preventing all such action. Among respect- able citizens, however, the Regiment gained reputation and popu- larity by its connection with the Astor Place Riot, and its character for discipline and bravery was firmly established. From that day to this it has been pre-eminently a New York favorite, and has on all occasions received from the corporation and leading citizens the highest honors and the most valuable privileges within their power to bestow.
The Fifth Company was well represented by officers and men at the Astor Place Riot, although Captain Waugh, who strongly sym- pathized with the Forrest party, refused to order out his command. But this was his last act of insubordination in the Seventh Regi- ment, for Colonel Duryee at once preferred charges against him
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for disobedience of orders, and he resigned, to escape the inevitable result of a court-martial. In 1861 Captain Waugh entered the service as a captain in Duryee's Zouaves ; but time had not modified his character, and he soon resigned his commission. He is repre- sented to have been a kind-hearted and well-meaning man, but of a fiery, impetuous, and ungovernable temper-quick to take offense, and rash and inconsiderate in his actions. He was a good soldier, and, although not a favorite with the officers of the Regiment, was popular with his company, and received from its members a gener- ous support.
Among those who were prominent at the Astor Place Riot was Charles S. Storms, an adjutant of one of the city regiments, and, at that time, acting as an aide-de-camp on the staff of the First Bri- gade, of which his father, General Henry Storms, was the com- manding officer. Standing conspicuously between the Seventh Regiment and the mob, his violent and exciting language attracted general attention, and Colonel Duryee was resolved that such con- duct on the part of an officer of the militia should not pass un- noticed. He therefore preferred charges against young Storms for using " seditious and opprobrious language to the civil authorities and the troops on the night of the Astor Place Riot," and a court- martial was ordered to assemble at the Mercer House in September ; but Storms surrendered, and, having made satisfactory apologies to Colonel Duryee, the charges were withdrawn.
The exasperation of the dangerous classes, as well as the indig- nation and excitement which prevailed among a considerable por- tion of the people that could not properly be thus classified, toward the military of the city, and especially the Seventh Regiment, on account of the Astor Place Riot, rendered a parade on the 4th day of July, in the opinion of many, dangerous to the public peace ; but General Sandford in due time issued the order for the usual parade of the First Division on that day. The Asiatic cholera was prevailing with great severity at the time in New York, and afforded an apology for the more timid or discreet to secure a countermand of the order. The Sanitary Committee of the Common Council officially requested that the parade on the 4th of July should be omitted on account of the danger to the public health from any un- usual excitement, fatigue, or exposure, and on the 2d of July the order for the parade was countermanded. This was the second
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